Our Daily Show! NAGBC Spotlight! Art Henry Travel Tours!
ALTON - Art Henry Tours has a new office in Alton, and Laura Scarborough is eager to help you plan your next trip.
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Art Henry Tours plans group tours for people across the U.S. The company joined the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council (NAGBC) two months ago. Since then, Scarborough said it’s been an exciting time at Art Henry Tours as she settles into her role and prepares for an upcoming trip to Nashville. She loves group travel and can’t wait to help more people in Alton experience it.
“You’re enriching that destination,” she explained. “You’re excited about the place you’re going because you’re paying to go there and taking your time out, and you’re excited about going on this trip. Then the next layer is the people that you meet while you’re sharing those experiences.”
Started in 1978, Art Henry Tours is a small company based out of Nashville. They coordinate tours across the U.S. They plan their own group tours for folks ages 55 and up, and they also work with church groups, families and other organizations to plan their individualized group trips.
“We do many different destinations, but it’s always focused on groups and group travel, people going places together, creating experiences and itineraries. I do that from here, from Alton,” Scarborough said. “The word ‘field trip,’ I think that’s a very good metaphor for what adult group travel is. It’s like you’re in school again and you get to go somewhere special.”
Scarborough enjoys planning the trips, noting that it’s similar to solving a puzzle. She goes out of her way to find special experiences for every group, often using connections to coordinate behind-the-scenes visits, special dining opportunities, and more.
She compared the trips to a “land cruise” because everything is planned and “stress-free.” Travelers pay expenses upfront before the trip begins, and they don’t have to worry about any unexpected costs. Scarborough said this is a great reason to take a group trip through Art Henry Tours, so someone else can “deal with all the minutia” while you enjoy your travel.
Even when there are complications, Scarborough enjoys helping travelers through them, adding that this is her “dream job.” She previously led tours in Missouri, and she can’t wait to grow her base of travelers in Illinois.
“No man left behind,” she joked. “I got to meet a lot of great people, had some really great travelers, and that’s what I hope I can build here, finding those travelers that want to jump on the bus and go somewhere fun.”
Scarborough is currently planning a trip to Nashville, where travelers will visit the Grand Ole Opry, meet with Opry members and have dinner backstage. She is also finalizing the details for a Route 66 trip and a December 2025 visit to Costa Rica. For more information about these tours, you can email her at Laura@ArtHenry.com.
In her free time, Scarborough and her husband are restoring a house on Henry Street in Alton. They hope to restart historic home tours in the Middletown neighborhood. She encourages anyone who wants to know more to contact her directly.
As a new member of NAGBC, Scarborough has also enjoyed meeting other business owners and entrepreneurs in the community. She expressed her excitement to be involved in NAGBC, and she hopes to continue sharing the Art Henry Tours mission with other NAGBC members and Riverbend residents.
“I love being in the know,” she said. “It is so welcoming…There’s other people that I’m meeting. Every meeting I’ve sat across from somebody and had a good conversation. I just look forward to that going on and on.”
For more information about Art Henry Tours, call 800-223-4581 or visit their official website at ArtHenry.com. You can also email Scarborough directly at Laura@ArtHenry.com.
To learn more about the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council, visit their official website at NAGBC.com.
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