Who We Are?

Purpose

The primary purpose of these tours is to give local residents(especially new residents)  an opportunity, free of charge, to learn some details about their community that they would not normally come across in their daily lives.

Benefits

  • Entertainment and education for the tourists
  • An opportunity for the tour-guide to showcase their facility
  • Brings different parts of the community together
  • Develops an appreciation for all the activities within the community
  • Introduces new residents to more people

The Rules

  1. Accept invitations to tours of interest: Ignore invitations not of interest.
  2. Accept an invitation to a tour by making a reservation for yourself and possibly your spouse or guest. Please provide your first and last names so I can identify you and locate your email address.
  3. Please do not forward invitations to friends. Just give the website address (https://conradtours.com) to friends who would like to go on tours so they can sign up as tourists.
  4. Signing up for a tour and later canceling is OK. Signing up for a tour and not showing up is not acceptable.
  5. After signing up, check the  website to see if you made the cut for the tour (Green) or if you are on the waiting list (Red).(It may take a few hours before your name appears on the list.)
  6. You are responsible for getting to the tour as I do not arrange a bus or other transport. (See below for car-pooling information)
  7. Maintain a positive, respectful and friendly attitude.
  8. Get to know your fellow tourists. Make friends!
  9. Make an effort to learn as much as possible about each facility and its occupants. Ask questions to help you understand how things work.
  10. Your fellow tourists are there to hear from the tour guide, not from you! It is not helpful to make statements like “We do things this other way in Wisconsin (Illinois or Ohio!)”
  11. As this is my personal group, I reserve the right to remove anyone from the email list at any time for any reason.

History of our Tours

Our first tour was in October 2013 to Bush Beans in Dandridge. Since then we have completed 232 tours to 68 different destinations for a total of 3,691 tourist visits. (as of 10/30/2021)

Full Tour History

Additional Information

Car-pooling: You are responsible for getting yourself to the facility in time for the tour. I do not provide a bus or arrange transport. Please make your own car-pooling arrangements with fellow tourists if possible. Some destinations have limited parking and anyway it is more sociable to carpool. If you are new to this group and would like help finding a ride, just let me know and I will be happy to help.

Invitations and Final Instructions: Typically I send out invitations two weeks before the event so you can get the date on your calendar. I send out Final Instructions about four days before the event. These include meeting location and time and any special instructions such as “wear closed-toed shoes, “no cell phones allowed,” etc.”

Spouses and Guests: When you become a member of Conrad Tours your spouse does not become a member as well but is welcome to attend tours as a guest.. When you sign-up for a tour you always have the option of adding a spouse or guest. However if your spouse would like to receive their own email invitations then they will need to become members as well. (I send out invitations based on email addresses in my list not names.)