Popular travel show makes stop in Denison, episode to air nationally on Saturday

SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - "Daytripper" is an award-winning Texas travel show that follows host Chet Garner as he takes viewers through towns all across the Lone Star State exploring hotspots and highlighting hidden gems.

And this weekend's episode, features some familiar faces.

"It's a great opportunity for Denison to be able to showcase the town across the entire state of Texas and even beyond that," Denison Tourism Manager Rachel Reinert said.

Garner and his team paid Denison a visit this summer, soaking up the sun at lake Texoma, trying out some local restaurants, and sampling the spirits at a Denison distillery.

"We brought him through here, explained how we do all our processes of making the whiskey, the distilling, aging, and blending," Josh Golladay with Denison-based Ironroot Republic Distillery said. "We got to bring him back to the barrel warehouse and taste some fun things straight out of the barrel with him."

And Golladay said the bourbon may have brought "Daytripper" to Denison.

"One of the owners and I visited Garner's office down in Georgetown several years ago and dropped off a bottle," he said. "I guess that finally paid off."

"Daytripper" has a large following, with hundreds of thousands of viewers tuning in.

Golladay said that support should bring business — right to his backyard.

"Just the exposure of getting to be featured on his show is fantastic for us and should drive people to the area," he said. "Garner was really interested in showcasing all the different local businesses and all the natural beauty that's around here."

Reinert agreed and said she's looking forward to all the new 'daytrippers' the show will bring to town.

"We're excited to bring more tourism and visitors to Denison to encourage more people to come and shop at our businesses and just experience our town," she said.

The episode will air on PBS stations on Saturday, and will be on the "Daytripper" YouTube page on Monday.