What makes the place you live different from every other place out there?
It’s not the Taco John’s out on the strip. It’s not the dollar store, or the strip mall, or the Starbucks.
It’s the red brick commercial buildings around the courthouse square, in so many American communities built in that common pattern. It’s the grid of straight streets and avenues with alleys backloading stables then garages or a carriage house or two. It’s the café whose owner’s great-grandparents stepped off the train and stayed, as well as the restaurant where the new owners just moved to town last week with not much more than a hope and a dream.
What makes the place you call home unique is authenticity.
Real places grow out of meaningful, human, lived experiences that don’t come pre-packaged in a plastic container. You recognize authentic experiences when you see them. It is in the stories based on real lives, rather than romanticized, frozen-in-time caricature. Real life isn’t always pretty. The stories worth telling seldom are, but they are stories nobody else has to tell.
Authenticity is not a product—it’s a relationship built on trust.
Local economic development is based on relationships—we offer goods and services to people willing to purchase said goods and services. Where we are offering a visitor experience, we must establish trust between local residents and visitors—that we will tell the truth, and that we will treat each other with respect.
Move from transaction to transformation.
Authenticity comes down to a foundation of real-life experiences, rather than manufactured tourist attractions.
It this might be hands-on experiences around traditional crafts and local knowledge. The Coushatta Tribe in Louisiana offers small-group workshops in traditional pine needle basket weaving, led by Tribal elders and artisans. Guests not only learn the craft, but also hear about its cultural significance and its connection to land stewardship and economic independence
It may be a regional storytelling festival, or seasonal heritage event. I love the summer Swedish festivals in places like Stromsburg, Nebraska, and Lindsborg, Kansas. Back in Sweden itself, the rural province of Dalarna (Dalarnas län, Sverige) features rich traditions of instrumental music, especially fiddle tunes, and songs, often with distinct local styles from areas like Orsa and Älvdalen. Helena, Arkansas, is hosting the King Biscuit Blues Festival in October, an annual three-day blues festival on the banks of the Mississippi River, which heavily incorporates both Delta blues and gospel legacies.
Culinary experiences and foodways are becoming increasingly popular at home and abroad. Harvestville Farm, a fifth-generation farm in rural southeast Iowa, offers an award-winning farm-to-table experience featuring locally-grown produce. In the Piedmont town of Bra, Italy, where the global Slow Food movement began, local producers organize seasonal tours and tastings that connect visitors with traditional cheesemaking, bread baking, and wine production.
Begin Where You Are At.
I was reminded of this at a recent rural development conference. You don’t need a perfect plan, a big budget, or a heritage committee to begin work on local economic development. You just need a conversation, a commitment, and a little curiosity.
Authenticity is shaped by intention and engagement, not by a particular tourism format. It’s more about trying out something small, seeing how it works, then building on success.
You can revisit our September 2025 series here on the blog, including more details on this idea in our fourth installment.
Week 1: Unlock the Remarkable Power of Heritage Tourism in Rural Communities
Week 2: Reviving Rural America: Why Heritage Tourism Is a Game-Changer Now
Week 3: Small Town Heritage: The Proven Power of Rural Cultural Preservation
Week 4: How Authentic Rural Experiences Shape Identity and Belonging
Also you can get your own copy of our Community Guide No. 2: Small Town and Rural Community Guide to Cultural Preservation (PDF) on our Resources page.