Tyler themed shot glasses are for sale at the Visit Tyler Visitor Center and Gift Shop, located at 110 N. College Ave. in downtown Tyler.

In the heart of downtown Tyler, a new attraction is soon to bring visitors from all over. After months of waiting for COVID-19 to die down, Visit Tyler has finally opened its new Downtown Visitor’s Center and Gift Shop in the south wing of the Plaza Tower’s atrium.

“Everything was delayed due to COVID,” Shari Lee, president of Visit Tyler, said. “We were going to do a grand opening, a ribbon cutting – everything – and have not been able to do that. We are finding all kinds of people that will come to the square first if they are travelers to town or if they’re new residents to the town. For some reason they gravitate to the downtown area.”

As visitors walk in, the space is filled with rosy murals and vibrant pieces of art that point to Tyler’s colorful culture and show the viewers some of the prime tourist locations in the Tyler area.

“We definitely wanted everyone to feel ‘roses’ from the very get-go when they come in,” Lee said.

Visitors can find free maps, activity guides and brochures, or can choose to purchase any of the many souvenirs that the gift shop has to offer, including stickers, shot glasses, posters, pins, mugs, T-shirts, hats, and local college memorabilia. The Visitor’s Center has partnered with both Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas at Tyler.

“We wanted to partner with (organizations) that give a full feel of what Tyler is like and what you can expect when you come here,” Lee said. “We really find that there are a lot of students that are studying in the atrium, and this is an open door to anyone who is looking at Tyler for higher education.”

“We are responsible for letting people know what there is to do and see in Tyler,” Lee said.

In addition to housing a gift shop full of souvenirs and local hand-made novelties, the visitor’s center is also home to a podcast studio run by the city to produce it’s monthly editions of “Roses and Weeds” and “Rambling Roses.”

“They are telling all the interesting, kind of quirky things that tourists would be interested in,” said Lee. “It really has been engaging.”

Lee calls the podcast studio a “fish bowl” where passing pedestrians can peek in through the glass windows from the downtown sidewalk and view the podcast in session. Lee hopes this engagement encourages more visitors to stop by.

Before the location on the square became available, the visitor’s center operated out of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce facilities and some of the tourist areas in the city. Visit Tyler is operated by the Chamber of Commerce, along with other attractions and organizations in the area such as Gallery Main Street, Liberty Hall, Heart of Tyler and Sport Tyler.

“The chamber’s visitor center is still open, but now we have four visitor centers in town,” Lee said. “We have the Goodman Museum, the Rose Garden Center, this one, and the Chamber of Commerce. If there’s any indication Tyler’s growing, that’s it.”