BRINKHAVEN — In just slightly over the one year since it was placed, 4,039 people have signed the guest book in the Bridge of Dreams over the Mohican River on the Kokosing Gap Trail near Brinkhaven.
“We’ve got to give those people a reason to spend some more time and money here,” said Knox County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau board member Bill Conrad, speaking to a group of volunteers and officials attending the CVB’s Fall Foliage Tour throughout central and eastern Knox County. Knox’s own attractions, he said, particularly in the areas of arts and history, make it a highly desirable gateway into Amish country, which is one of the most popular tourism areas in the state, receiving millions of visitors every year.
Conrad was speaking at the newly built Visitor’s Center and Tourist Information Gallery being set up on U.S. 62 east of Danville. Phase One, taking place this month, includes the opening of the building, which will have brochures, maps and other marketing materials for tourists. Phase Two, to take place in April 2009, is to introduce information about numerous self-guided tours of Knox County as well as a gallery of local scenes, events and arts. A later Phase Three plan is to establish an outlet store for hand-crafted tourist products made by local crafters.
The tour began in Mount Vernon and looped around the county to point out some popular destinations.
“It’s a learning curve for everyone about what attractions we have,” said Sandy Crow of the CVB.
Several of the county’s 12 state historical markers were pointed out, as well as such attractions as Lakeholm, Glen Hill Orchard, Windy Hill, Schnormeier Gardens, the Brown Family Environmental Center and Old Kenyon.
Tour participants were pleased to see the development of tourism ideas.
“It’s an awesome thing that there are so many activities for the people we bring into town,” said Mike Cheek, liaison to the CVB from Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Cheek pointed out that visiting parents and prospective students are often looking to get to know the area better when they visit, and are very interested in the arts, the Amish and special events.
Business owners Ian and Yvonne Martin, who run the White Oak Inn, said the plans to develop Knox County’s tourism attractions works hand in hand with what they’ve been doing for years, steering customers away from the more commercialized tourist traps and pointing them toward the lesser-known, higher-quality sites that can be found on the back roads between Knox and Holmes counties.
More Partners-In-Tourism events are being planned for next year.
