Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
Please add me to your mailing list...
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Putting the area on the map
Efforts aim to boost tourism in Muskingum, Morgan counties
By CASEY S. RACE
Staff Writer
Putting the area on the map
Efforts aim to boost tourism in Muskingum, Morgan counties
By CASEY S. RACE
Staff Writer
ZANESVILLE - It is an area rich in culture and tradition, locals say - but no one knows about it.
Publicizing the heritage and encouraging tourism between Duncan Falls and McConnelsville is the goal of a new map developed by area residents Annie and Jay Warmke.
The area - dubbed the Blue Rock Region for the tell-tale color of the shale - epitomizes the Appalachian culture and encompasses tradition and history. Residents who have been here for ages have passed that history down, relating what they picked up from their parents and grandparents' stories.
"Tourism has a huge economic impact - it's in the millions of dollars," Annie Warmke said. "Microtourism in the area brings in a ton of money, but it's not measured."
The Warmkes - owners of the Blue Rock Station in Philo, an "earthship" and tourist destination point - wanted to create a map that would be helpful for out-of-towners looking for a place to eat, stay and experience the area.
And the 20-mile stretch of land between Duncan Falls and McConnelsville is an area that just screams American history, she said.
"We had the Civil War, the coal mines, the Underground Railroad - and all the stories handed down from generation to generation," she said.
Tourism is a multimillion dollar industry in this area, Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce Vice President Kelly Ashby said. Tourism also generates 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in the county, she said.
"We see thousands of visitors walk through our front door every year," she said. "We also track e-mails and phone calls, and those numbers are also in the thousands. And once they are here, we want to provide them with as much information as we can - and we're hoping they will spend the night, go to restaurants, shop, visit the museums."
One of the businesses featured on the map - Campbell's Market in Duncan Falls - believes the map will be incredibly useful to all the lost individuals who wander through the door on any given afternoon.
"We have a lot of customers stop in here and ask for directions," said Manager Beth Campbell. "The river down here draws a lot of people, and a lot of people own cabins along the river. We get so many people in here asking us what there is to do in the area and how you get there that we'll be keeping maps available up front at the registers so we can give them to the customers."
Campbell said the map is a necessity for the area.
"It's a big plus to have the map and the explanation of what's there," she said.
csrace@nncogannett.com
450-6758
450-
Originally published May 21, 2005
Annie with NBC affiliate reporter doing a live broadcast from Blue Rock Station
