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BANKERS TALK BACK: NANA TOURS
“What has been a great trip that involved grandparents and grandkids?”
Diana Melcher
Bank Ladies from American Bank of Commerce
Lubbock, Texas
We have a dining room in our bank where we have had a high tea with grandmothers and granddaughters. Everyone got dressed up in fancy dresses and feathery hats. It was a couple of hours in the afternoon and was very successful.
Sandy Eisnaugle
Freedom Years from Security National Bank
Springfield, Ohio
We had a great time at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Zoos are a good choice for people of all ages. We didn’t advertise the trip as strictly a grandparents trip, and not everyone brought grandchildren, but it worked out fine.
We’re getting interested in doing extended experiences like a West Virginia train trip or to places like Sedona, Arizona, with grandkids. Of course, these grandkids are in their 20s.
Joy Rissmiller
Classic from Boone County National Bank
Columbia, Missouri
We do a grandparents trip once a year, and it’s one of my most successful trips. We typically do it in early June when the kids are first out of school, but we have done it in early September when it was a teachers day and the kids were out of school.
There is so much in Missouri for this kind of trip, and when you’re planning for ages 5 to 18, it’s important to find something that appeals to everyone. Springfield is a great destination for all ages. They have a place called Incredible Pizza that includes not only pizza but movie rooms that feature films from cartoons to old movies. We also visited Wonders of Wildlife, an attraction that is all about nature, and Fantastic Caverns, where we traveled on a tram through this scenic place.
We’ve had a pizza party in a park in Independence and taken a covered wagon trip there. At Lee’s Summit, Paradise Park offers amusements for all ages.
Last year, we had a magic theme highlighted by a trip to the Magic House in St. Louis. But, the best part was the magician I hired to entertain us on the motorcoach — everyone loved it.
Nancy Virden
Generations Gold from Bank of Anguilla
Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Our club and trips are always open for all ages, and we’ve often had grandkids, brothers and sisters — the whole family. But, I’ve never marketed a trip specifically as a grandparents trip. One of the most successful destinations that made all ages happy was our visit to Dallas during the Texas State Fair. We not only saw the Lion King but enjoyed all kind of fair activities.
Anita Judd-Jenkins
Heritage Club from Home National Bank
Arkansas City, Kansas
We enjoyed the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show in Pawnee, Oklahoma. The show and museum were fun for everyone. We have also visited the Wichita Zoo — a superb zoo.
However, I haven’t done a grandparents trip for a while, because these days the ones that have grandkids are now baby boomers, and they are either not inclined to do these kinds of trips or they are still working. I’d love to offer them again, but I can’t make it cost effective.
Esther Scott
Platinum Adventures Club from Hinsdale Bank and Trust
Hinsdale, Illinois
We have visited two different zoos: the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and the Brookfield Zoo in the suburbs.
The comments I received were mixed. There were many who weren’t interested because they didn’t want children on their trips. Some said their grandkids were too old. I’ve been thinking about doing a Lincoln Park Zoo trip at Christmastime but not advertising it as a grandparents trip. I’ll just leave it up to them.
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