KNOXVILLE, Iowa — To help promote small towns in Iowa, Iowa State University's Extension and Outreach program created the "Great Iowa Road Trip."
"It's a self-guided mapped route of 42 stops in these several communities," ISU Community Tourism Specialist Diane Van Wyngarden said.
In addition to showcasing the towns, the road trip has stops in Knoxville, Pella, Oskaloosa and New Sharon to give businesses in those areas a boost in sales.
The two-day event runs April 30-May 1.
One of the businesses on the self-guided tour route is Candi's Flowers in Knoxville.
The shop has bought new plants and accessories to sell just for the event, and they have a wide price range to appeal to most everyone.
"Last year I would say my revenue was down at least 30 percent," owner Candi Stickel said.
Stickel is also excited about the tour because it will benefit everyone
"It's not just good for me, but it's good for our community and the revenue travels through the community," she said.
The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce knows the tour could have a big impact on the future of businesses in town.
"The more people who know about the local businesses that means there's opportunities for even more, because we know how powerful word of mouth marketing is," Executive Director Emma Skahill said.
And for people who participate in this road trip, make sure to print off the paper—or "passport" as ISU is calling it—that contains all of the stores and businesses included in the tour and have a worker stamp on the passport, indicating you went there.
If a person completes what the passport tells them to do and leaves it at their last stop, they will be entered into a contest to win a prize.
You can find all of the details here.