How I Helped the Town of Wethersfield, CT Build a New Tourism Website

Overview

The Wethersfield Tourism & Cultural Commission, part of the Economic & Community Development Department for the Town of Wethersfield, CT, selected my company to develop their new tourism website, HistoricWethersfield.org, outcompeting several other web development firms to win the contract. The goal: present Wethersfield’s historic attractions – dating back to the 1700s and earlier – in a beautifully designed, highly functional website. The site showcases unique local businesses, dining, outdoor recreation, and specialty walk and bike routes, all while offering excellent accessibility and usability.

Client Background

• Client: Wethersfield Tourism & Cultural Commission, Town of Wethersfield, CT
• Project: New tourism website for Historic Wethersfield, CT
• Location: Wethersfield, Connecticut—celebrated as one of the oldest towns in the state, with a rich collection of colonial homes, farms, shops, museums, and historical sites.

Wethersfield thrives on heritage tourism. Sites such as the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum – comprising several eighteenth-century houses – and other landmarks like the Joseph Webb House, Silas Deane House, and Buttolph–Williams House highlight its deep historical roots. These offerings are central to the town’s appeal as a tourism destination.

The Challenge

• Capture extensive historical and tourism-focused content from the town’s previous site into a clean, organized structure.
• Design a user-friendly, fully custom site aligned with Wethersfield’s existing branding and new logo.
• Build features to highlight historic attractions, local businesses, outdoor recreation, dining, visitor services, and specialty walk/bike routes.
• Develop a custom event management system for the Tourism Commission to easily create and manage upcoming events.
• Ensure fast delivery without compromising quality, including mobile responsiveness, accessibility standards, thorough QA testing, and comprehensive analytics integration.

The Solution

To deliver a beautiful, engaging tourism website to showcase Historic Wethersfield’s unique heritage and needs:

• Custom Website Design & Integration
  Launched HistoricWethersfield.org with a completely unique design that integrates the town’s branding, incorporating logos and local color palettes.
• Organized, Visitor-Centric Site Structure
  Migrated all legacy content into a fresh, clear sitemap with distinct pages for:
  • Historic Attractions
  • Things To Do
  • Plan Your Visit
  • Walk or Bike Through Wethersfield
  • Dining, Shopping and Accommodations
  • Weddings in Wethersfield
  • Visitor Services, Accessibility and Transportation
• Event Management System
  Created a backend interface allowing Tourism Commission staff to add, edit, and feature event – keeping the site current and engaging.
• Accessibility, Mobile Optimization & QA
  Implemented web accessibility best practices and rigorous multi-device testing to ensure the website is inclusive for all visitors.
• Google Analytics & Performance Optimization
  Integrated analytics to track visitor behavior and optimized site performance and loading speed.

The Results

• Professional, branded marketing website that presents Wethersfield’s historic attractions and community offerings in a cohesive, navigable format for tourists and other customers.
• Empowered the town staff with tools to manage content and events, ensuring ongoing relevance and engagement.
• Highly accessible and responsive site, serving both local residents and tourists on desktop and mobile.
• Improved audience insight, with analytics tracking and benchmarking for future optimization.

Conclusion

By developing a custom website for Historic Wethersfield, I enabled the Wethersfield Tourism & Cultural Commission to showcase their town’s storied heritage and attract visitors from far and wide. With tools to maintain events and content dynamically, they now have a strong foundation for ongoing tourism promotion.

Want a powerful marketing website that not-only showcases your brand, but provides an exceptional, accessible experience for visitors across all devices? Contact me today!