Visit Farragut is growing! Hallie Riddle recently came aboard as the second permanent member of the town of Farragut tourism staff. She joins Karen Tindal, tourism manager, in the effort to put heads in beds in Farragut hotels and draw new customers to Farragut businesses.
Karen has been slowly building the town’s tourism program since joining the staff in 2018. Her part-time position changed to full-time in April. Hallie, who recently graduated from MTSU with a degree in journalism and a concentration in public relations, will work 30 hours a week.
Intern Talor Douglas, an ETSU student, will leave the department in July to begin an internship at Disney World.
Hallie, a Kingston native, spent her first two weeks on the job learning about Farragut’s assets. The first step, she says, was learning where the town begins and ends. Even long-time residents are confused by Farragut’s borders. Turkey Creek shopping center, an important source of sales tax revenue for the town, is located in Farragut from the Belk men’s store to Campbell Station Drive.
She’s also explored Farragut’s outdoor amenities.
“We’ve got great greenways and parks if you like to spend time outside.”
Her primary role will be sprucing up Visit Farragut’s social media and digital marketing with video and fresh content like recommended itineraries for different types of visitors.
“If you’re not from an area, it’s hard to figure out what to do if you’re visiting – where to eat and where to shop,” she says.
One stop that will appear on most visitor itineraries is Topgolf Knoxville (actually located in Farragut), which is expected to open in August. Hallie thinks Topgolf, along with Farragut’s wide range of restaurants and walkability, will make it easy to market as a desirable stop for visitors.
Since she’s now part of the tourism industry, the Farragut Insider asked Hallie to share a story of a favorite vacation. It was a trip to New Orleans – as a majorette with the MTSU Band of Blue. It turns out that she was a twirler from age 5 through college, where she was the featured twirler for two years.
“I had the best seafood omelet I’ve ever had in my life. It was a great experience,” she says of her time in the Big Easy.
She’s excited for her new role with Visit Farragut.
“I’m still learning, but it’s fun to get into such an interesting industry.”
To learn more about Visit Farragut, or to see Hallie’s work, check out VisitFarragut.org and follow Visit Farragut on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Town of Farragut communications manager Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.