County 'Wayfinding' Program Installs 22 Signs, 2 Kiosks to Help Tourists See the Sights

The Morris County Tourism Bureau announces the installation of its new Morris County Wayfinding Signage Program for the Morristown area.

Officials say a pilot area of the town has 22 vehicular signs and two pedestrian kiosks designed to direct visitors and residents to recreational, cultural and historical attractions throughout Morristown, Morris Plains, Morris Township and Hanover Township.

The planning phase for the Wayfinding Signage project began in 2009 with a study by MERJE Designs, which delivered an extensive, 300-sign countywide system. With the support and financial assistance of the Morris County Park Commission and grant funding from the New Jersey State Division of Travel and Tourism and the New Jersey Historic Trust, the 24-sign pilot area was recently unveiled by the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

The pilot area is two pedestrian kiosks, one in Morristown and one at Mennen Arena. The locations mentioned on the vehicular signs include Acorn Hall, the Bickford Theatre, downtown Morristown, Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Historic Speedwell, Mennen Arena, Morristown National Historical Park, the Morris Museum and Schuyler-Hamilton House. 

“We are so pleased with the signage system," said Leslie Bensley, executive director of the Morris County Tourism Bureau. "The design is clean, stylish and communicates our historic style all at once. Our fabricator/installer, Geograph Industries, did a professional job and were a pleasure to work with. Our partners at the County and Park Commission were equally fantastic."

Amy Curry, executive director of the Morris County Historical Society at Acorn Hall, said she is pleased that her location is part of the pilot area.

“Acorn Hall is now much easier to find, thanks to Morris County Tourism Bureau’s new Wayfinding project," she said.

A Wayfinding System is one that helps visitors understand and navigate a new area. When a visitor encounters the new Morris County system and its branding, officials are hoping it will make a positive first impression and communicate a real “sense of place.”  They say the signs are intended to drive tourists to visit area destinations and provide local economic benefits.

According to a Morris County Tourism Bureau, “legible” cities, those which offer visitors information about destinations and help in getting to them experience increased repeat visits to primary and secondary attractions by 30 percent.
Other local benefits identified include an increase in civic pride, reduction in confusing and distracting sign clutter and a savings in gasoline with a reduction in idling and air pollution.

The bureau said the pilot area is the first installation phase of a plan that was designed for the entire county by MERJE. Phases two and three are in development and a three-year capital campaign is underway to raise nearly $1 million to complete the program, which will require the installation of than more than 300 additional signs.