Welcome Center Open at historic Robert Mills Courthouse

 (August 27, 2019) The City of Camden will operate a tourism welcome center at the historic Robert Mills Courthouse located at 607 Broad Street. The building was vacated by the Chamber of Commerce, and acquired by the City last fall. According to City Manager Mel Pearson, services provided at the Welcome Center are an extension of the tourism marketing and development strategies the City has successfully been implementing since 2014. 

“The City and County have been engaged in a tourism development partnership for several years, with the city leading all tourism marketing,” said Pearson. “Our programs and campaigns, which have been quite successful, promote county-wide tourism assets, increase hotel occupancy, and grow accommodation tax revenue. The welcome center is another way for us to provide personable frontline guest services to the many visitors we are attracting.” Pearson added that Classically Carolina® is the designated marketing operation (DMO) responsible for promoting the City of Camden and Kershaw County as a tourism destination. It is led by the city’s Tourism/Economic Development Director, Suzi Sale. 

According to Sale, the Welcome Center at Robert Mills Courthouse will be a comfortable stop for guests to gather information. Section of the courthouse interior will be open for guests to see, and it will serve as an events venue. “The building will be staffed daily by city tourism department employees with experience and knowledge to properly greet guests coming into our area, provide helpful visit and trip planning information, and recommend ways for guests to eat, shop, play, and stay overnight,”  said Sale. “As well, the welcome center is here to serve residents who seek additional area information, attractions and events.

Last fall, Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce president Kimberly Dixon announced the Chamber’s desire for the City to take over the building as it had become too expensive for the Chamber to maintain. Camden City Council unanimously voted to purchase the courthouse for $5 from the Chamber. In June, the Chamber relinquished its visitor center function and moved to 80 Campus Drive at Central Carolina Technical College.

The Welcome Center is open Mon-Fri: 9 to Noon and 1 to 5, and Sat 10 - 4 pm. The phone number is 803-432-2557, and email at RobertMills@camdensc.org. Information is also available on the tourism website at www.classicallycarolina.com. Tourism information is also available on Facebook @discovercamdenkershawcounty.