Brightwend / For local places
Every town is full of local gems. We help people find yours.
Each morning, Brightwend suggests one outing close to home: a real place, open that day. Most days it's somewhere free, like the library, a park or a garden. Other days it's the bakery down the street, the painting class around the corner or a local café. If people would be glad they found you, you belong on the list.
It costs you nothing
No fees, nothing to sign up for, and nothing to install. We don't charge places to be suggested.
Only when you're open
We suggest a place only on days it's open, holidays included. Hours are checked against Google Maps and your own website on a regular schedule.
Weekday visitors
Our members head out on weekdays, often during your quieter hours. We never send anyone out at night.
Then they tell everyone
After an outing, people share it with family and friends: a photo, a few words, “guess where I went today.”
Shops, cafés and markets
People come to look around, buy a little something, sit with a coffee or meet the person behind the counter. Your suggestion card shows your name, full address, a map link and your phone number. Your hours decide which days we send people.
Classes, studios and experiences
If you teach or host something at set times, like a beginner painting class, a yoga session or a quilting circle, we only suggest it with your real schedule and how to sign up. People see it early enough to register, so nobody walks into the middle of a class or a full session.
Libraries, parks and community groups
Free places are the heart of Brightwend. Book clubs, tech help, author talks, garden walks, free concerts: send us your public programs and we'll help people find them. There's no cost, no partnership paperwork, and we never ask you to endorse an app. Your patrons' privacy is safe with us too: we never track where anyone is, and we don't share who goes where.
What people see about your place
- Your name and full street address, with a link that opens Google Maps
- Your phone number, where you have one
- What you publish about access, parking and facilities, with you named as the source. We never describe a place in our own words.
- An illustration of your place, drawn by us
A person on our team approves every suggestion before it goes out. More on where place details come from.
Keep your details right
Changed your hours, closing for a holiday or a renovation, or moving? Email [email protected] and we'll update your card for everyone. If you'd rather not be suggested at all, tell us and we'll take you off the list.
Tell us what you offer
Send us your classes, events and free programs with the dates, times and how to sign up. We check each one before we suggest it. Please write to [email protected] with your town in the subject.
Want to be featured on our social?
We make short, friendly videos about local gems and invite the place to share them as a Collab. It's free. Send us a message on Instagram or email [email protected] with “Local gem” in the subject.
Quick answers
Do you take a cut of sales? No.
Do I need to offer a discount? No. Nothing to set up.
Can I pay to be suggested more? No. Places are picked for what people enjoy, close to home and open that day.
Where is Brightwend? 32 cities across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Made in Charlotte, NC.