Meet the Visitor Center's Answer Woman

Name: Katherine Matlack

Job: Coronado Visitor Center manager.

Long before she was selling Coronado to visitors, Matlack was totally sold on Coronado.

The Bonita resident and her husband had been coming to the community “for decades” to enjoy the beach, the Ferry Landing, the parks and restaurants. “There’s just so many beautiful places,” she says. So when the chance to work in Coronado came up a little more than a year ago, she jumped.

What she does: As the Visitor Center’s only employee, Matlack coordinates schedules for 45 volunteers who answer questions from the public or lead walking tours. She also updates the website, keeps event calendars up to date, handles administration and looks for new ways to serve tourists and the community.

Last year, more than 86,000 people used the center – located in the lobby shared by the Coronado Historical Association and Museum of History and Art – coming in for brochures, directions and tours. It’s open 362 days a year.

Most-asked questions: “Do you have a bathroom?” followed by “Where’s the beach?” (Yes, the center has public restrooms.)

Her background: The Santa Maria native and UC Santa Cruz grad was a registered nurse who worked in obstetrics and for 10 years ran the box office for the San Diego Junior Theatre in Balboa Park. Because her door was open and people often came in to ask questions, she came became interested in the tourism industry. She was hired in Coronado just before the summer of 2010. “It was crazy,” she says of starting during the busiest time. “But I learned the ropes. It was fun.”

Her advice: She tells visitors to “venture out” and rent bikes, visit the Silver Strand and its wildlife refuge, spend time looking at the architecture of Coronado’s neighborhoods and, of course, visit the Hotel del Coronado, beach and Ferry Landing (for its views).

What she’s learned: On one of her first days on the job, she spent time helping an RV owner find out where he could dump waste – only to find out there is no such facility in the city.

Favorite parts of the job: Talking to tourists (“that’s the frosting on the cake”) and working with volunteers, whom she describes as “wonderful, incredible and enthusiastic.”

Did you know? Some volunteers come from as far as El Cajon and Carmel Valley, just because they love Coronado.

Please, no: Has she had to use her nursing skills at the center? “Not yet,” she says. “I hope nobody comes in needing to deliver a baby.”