Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau snares four Texas Travel Awards

MINERAL WELLS ­-- The Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau this week received four Texas Travel Awards. Two of the awards were based on market size; one was a statewide honor; and one was a People’s Choice Award based on online voting.
 
The awards are:

• Under the Radar Activity (by population): Mineral Wells Fossil Park
• Visitor Center (by population): Mineral Wells Visitor Center
• Revitalization (statewide): Mineral Wells Downtown
• Best Destination for Outdoor Adventures (People’s Choice): Mineral Wells

“It was very exciting to receive the news of these awards,” said Chamber President and CEO David May. “We are so blessed to live in one of the most beautiful and popular outdoor recreational and health and wellness destinations in Texas.”
 
May said the community deserves credit for the revitalization award, saying everyone in Mineral Wells has played, and continues to play, a role in the town’s growth and revitalization.
 
“We are in a fast-growing area spurred by new investments in our infrastructure and economy through industry, housing and retail growth,” said May. “The word is out about Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County and people are coming here from across Texas and the nation to live, work and play.”
 
The Chamber’s Director of Tourism Rose Jordan echoed May’s comments.
 
“We were thrilled to hear the news of these awards,” said Jordan. “Our community has worked diligently and passionately for the last five years to make Mineral Wells a great place for our locals and for tourists. Now, the rest of Texas will know what we already do. From our beautiful and abundant outdoors to our welcoming and friendly people, Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County have so much to offer.”


 
The award-winning Mineral Wells Fossil Park is one of the area’s most popular attractions. It is free and open seven days a week and is one of the few fossil parks where it is “finders keepers” for the Pennsylvania Period fossils that are easily found within the fossil pit. Learn more about the park at https://www.mineralwellsfossilpark.com/.
 
The Chamber thanked everyone who took part in the online voting which led to the People’s Choice Award for Best Destination for Outdoor Adventures.
 
“We have three state parks in our area and our county is bisected by the Brazos River, the 11^th longest river in the U.S., stretching from New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico,” said May. “If you love the outdoors whether it is camping, boating and skiing, fishing, canoeing, rock climbing, cycling or exploring beautiful gardens and more, we offer all of that coupled with amazing shopping, dining and live entertainment.”
 
May credited Jordan and the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the award honoring the new Visitor’s Center and gift shop located in the heart of downtown Mineral Wells.
 
“We relocated our Chamber and Visitor’s Center into downtown last fall to be in the thick of our tourism and destination travelers,” said May. “Once we identified that new space, Rose began creating her vision for the new gift shop and visitor’s center centered around our destination assets with intentions of sending our visitors out to see and explore those assets and attractions. She has done an amazing job with the new space and generating interest and excitement about our destination assets.”
 
The Visitor’s Center now has expanded its hours of operation. Located at 107. N. Oak Ave., the Visitors Center is open Mondays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 940-325-2557 and go online to https://visitmineralwells.org/