An “attraction” is defined as – Businesses, facilities, or sites whose primary purpose is satisfying the needs of visitors from outside the immediate area for recreational, educational, scientific, environmental, natural, cultural, heritage/historical, or entertainment related activities.  Visitors from outside the immediate area are defined as those traveling 20 miles or more from their place of residence.  Attractions may also include a group of sites with common significance, such as an Antique District or Historic District.

 

Attraction signs are designed to inform visitors of nearby points of interest and direct them to the appropriate highway exit.  These signs are placed at the closest exit to the attraction on limited access highways.  Attraction signs will not be approved on any parkway.

 

Existing supplemental destination guide signs that were installed prior to the establishment of the Attraction Sign program will be removed during the next major signing upgrade project in the area. Attraction destinations previously designated on supplemental destination guide signs will be required to apply for signage as part of the Attraction program.

 

Existing supplemental destination guide signs that were installed prior to the establishment of the Attraction Sign program will automatically be reviewed for compliance with Attraction Sign program qualifications during the next major signing upgrade project in the area.  If all qualifications are met, the supplemental destination guide sign will be removed and a standard Attraction panel will be installed.  If all qualifications are not met, the supplemental destination guide sign will be removed and no Attraction panel will be installed.

 

The selection of pertinent information at any interchange or intersection is critical to the safe and efficient use of the highway system.  Therefore, all information associated with an interchange or intersection cannot be presented to the road user.  Excessive signing can reduce the effectiveness of other important signing because of the possibility of overloading the vehicle operator’s capacity to receive and make decisions based on visual messages.  The combination of the necessary regulatory, warning, and guide signs when combined with supplemental guide signs can lead to such confusion, misinformation, and sign clutter.  Accordingly, discretion is reserved by the Department in the selection and installation of all signs.

 

An Attraction sign has a blue background with up to six Attraction panels attached to it.  There are two types of Attraction panels.  A standard Attraction panel is designed, fabricated, and installed by the Department and will contain a limited length word description of the attraction on a brown, blue, or green background dependent of the type of attraction.  A custom logo Attraction panel, is a specially designed logo panel for an attraction that is required to be reviewed and approved by the Department prior to inclusion in the Attraction program.  After the design has been approved by the Department, the custom logo Attraction panels are to be fabricated by the attraction and provided to the Department for installation.  The custom logo design guidelines webpage includes additional information that attractions can use while designing a custom logo Attraction panel.