In November 2022, we embarked on a journey to make the experience even better for guests at our Visitors Center and store as well as our offices. It took almost a year to complete, but it was well worth the wait! Stop by the next time you're in Downtown McKinney to check it out for yourself. We'd love to welcome you to our remodeled Visit McKinney Experience Center. 

 

“Our goal was to create a welcoming place where visitors and residents could experience a little bit of what awaits them in our city,” said Aaron Werner, Visit McKinney Executive Director, explaining that this goal was also behind the curation of some local merchandise to sell. “Part of this experience is to give guests an idea of items McKinney small businesses create and sell here.”  Seven people holding bags of coffee while standing in front of a Visit McKinney wall sign

 

Local businesses with merchandise available in Visit McKinney’s shop include Hamm’s Meat + Market, Kim Guthrie Art, Nature Nate’s Honey, Spice and Tea Merchants, The Jelly Queens, and White Rock Soap Gallery. TexaKona Coffee Roasters worked with Visit McKinney to create a special McKinney Blend of coffee beans which are available by the bag.

 

Below, you'll find photos of our path from 2013 to 2023, from the time we first moved into 200 W. Virginia to the unveiling of our revamped location.

 

Dec. 2013: Making the Move to Downtown McKinney

After three locations in seven years - as part of the Chamber of Commerce, in a bank building at U.S. 75 and Virginia Pkwy., and on the first floor of an office building primarily filled with doctors offices and other medical service providers - it was time to relocate to an office where we could more easily be accessible to McKinney visitors. Our Board and staff decided it was time to relocate to Downtown McKinney, and after looking at a couple of locations, we found the perfect one! The first set of photos below are from the day we first looked at this location through our ribbon cutting in early 2013 and our first store set-up in 2014.

Nov. 2022: Out with "The Old"

The construction portion of our renovation, thanks to the great work and craftsmanship of NorTex Painting, was finished in just over a week's time, so we were able to move in new-to-us furniture and move our old furnishings out. We reopened our offices before Thanksgiving, offering limited visitor services, such as a much-reduced number of maps and brochures as well as in-person assistance.  We knew it would take a little while to rebuild our new and improved visitor experience center. Little did we know it would take almost a year. 

Spring-Summer 2023: In with 'The New'

The next few months involved selecting and ordering new furnishings and fixtures for the lobby area. Then came the selection of merchandise for our new store, a new experience for us, as the store area in the past had been run by local partners on a space rental basis. And finally, the inventorying of merchandise and setting up the point-of-sale system wrapped up the project.

Sept. 7, 2023: 'Voila!'

A little less than a year from when the renovations started, the team at Visit McKinney celebrated the reopening of the Visit McKinney Experience Center with nearly 100 city leaders, friends, and colleagues for a Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting and refreshments from local partners, Mary's Mountain Cookies and LOYO Burger. 

Stop by The Visit McKinney Experience Center & Shop

We are now open again on Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and have our regular brochures, maps, and more information about McKinney, but we also have some great new McKinney and Texas merchandise that makes great gifts for your friends, family, or even yourself! We invite you to come check it out at 200 W. Virginia, McKinney, TX 75069. Or give us a call at 972-547-2058 or email to info@visitmckinney.com.