02/10/2017
Port City Tour Company: Celebrating 15 Years with an Expanded Vision for Our Future
As the newly appointed Creative Director of Port City Tour Company, it is my pleasure to share with you some of the many exciting things we are developing and improving on in the coming 18 months.
First and foremost, Port City will continue to be the leader in tours that celebrate the rich maritime and cultural history of Beaufort and the Crystal Coast. Whether it is the Shackleford Wild Horse & Shelling Safari or the Webb Memorial Library paranormal tour, we will continue to provide a combination of hands-on opportunities and knowledgeable guides to ensure as memorable and authentic an experience of two of the area’s natural and architectural treasures as possible.
Our crown jewel tour, the Beaufort Ghost Walk, has been redesigned to offer guests a host of new stories along with many of the classic tales that have brought thousands of people back to Beaufort year after year. Taking its cue from the successful launch of the Legend of Blackbeard Tour last year, the Beaufort Ghost Walk will feature actors in costume from various time periods (Golden Age of Piracy, Colonial, Civil War, and early 1900s) who will tell some of the stories in first person for a more immersive experience.
At Port City, we believe that giving our tours and other programming a firm foundation in history allows us to provide not only a rich educational experience but a better entertainment one as well.
Because of this philosophy we are excited to announce that we will be expanding from tours into two new areas: Escape Rooms and Theatre Productions.
Opening in May at our maritime-themed shop on Middle Lane, our Escape Rooms will offer engaging narratives, non-player characters (NPCs), challenging puzzles, and an atmosphere and décor that will help players immerse themselves fully in the Escape Room experience. We’ll be providing more details on our first two adventures—“The Last Days of Charles Vane” and “Dial M for Madman”—as opening day approaches.
Building on our commitment to experiences that celebrate both the maritime lore of the Crystal Coast with high entertainment value, we are pleased to announce that Port City will be working with the creative team at Seven Stories Theatre Company to produce original plays and adaptations that will allow us to share our stories with larger groups than ever before. We will be offering a wide variety of programming, from a stage adaptation of our Legend of Blackbeard tour to a musical adaptation (with a unique twist!) of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” to a specially commissioned play that takes place near the Bogue Sound.
As you can see, we are excited about the future. As we join together in 2018 with other Beaufort-area organizations to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the infamous Blackbeard’s time on the Crystal Coast, we will be announcing other Port City original programming that we are hard at work creating.
Our new, specially commissioned logo celebrates our 15th year in operation and our continued commitment to high-quality storytelling that draws as its inspiration the rich maritime traditions of the Crystal Coast.
Whether a returning guest or someone experiencing Port City for the first time, we look forward to entertaining you soon.
Joey Madia
Creative Director
Port City Tour Company
