Tourism Page 9

Photo by Josh Ritchie

Connecting the Keys: Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

Posted 12/01/13 by Sher Jasperse in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Florida, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Since then, the only way to traverse the Keys, a chain of islands stretching southwest from the southern tip of mainland Florida, has been the reliable but perennially congested U.S. Highway 1—that is, until the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (FKOHT) began taking shape over the past decade. Approximately 76 miles of the in-progress passageway are complete. Already the most popular trail in the state, it will eventually extend 106 miles from Key Largo to Key West.

Photo CC Dan Pieniak via Flickr

Michigan's Dequindre Cut Greenway

Posted 11/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Art, Local Organizing, Michigan, Signage and Amenities, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Everyone has heard about Detroit's troubles: the bankruptcy, the population decline, abandoned buildings and urban decay. What's not often heard is the story of the strength, resilience and pride of Detroiters. Underneath the rubble of bad press, hope grows as a revitalized riverfront and developing trail system are changing the way people think about the Motor City. A signature component of this movement, the Dequindre Cut Greenway, is itself a Cinderella story.

Photo © Trails for Illinois

How To Sell 200,000 Ice-Cream Cones: In Illinois, Hard Data Makes the Case for Trail Building

Posted 10/10/13 by Eric Oberg in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Illinois, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The publication of "Making Trails Count" - a count and study of trail user numbers and spending patterns on six trails across Illinois - is now arming trail planners and advocates state wide with the hard data they need to make the case for why trail building means good things for communities and economies.

Image © Chuck Sutherland

Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail

Posted 08/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, Rail-with-Trail, Tennessee, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

It's hard to imagine a prettier place for a rail-trail. The emerging 19-mile Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail winds across the high plains of central Tennessee between Cookeville and Monterey, a town "Where the Hilltops Kiss the Sky." Excitement is building for the new recreational amenity, which will be unique to these communities in a region that already counts itself lucky with gorges, waterfalls, caves, rocky bluffs and the Cumberland Mountains above it all.

Photo © Gary Wilhelm

Rock Island Trail, Illinois

Posted 07/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Illinois, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Midway between Chicago and St. Louis, lies a rail-trail of such character and beauty that it inspired a lifetime of trail advocacy in not just one, but two recipients of our highest honor, the Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion Award. One of these champions, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood grew up in Peoria, which anchors the southern end of the Rock Island Trail that winds through central Illinois.

From Possible Abandonment to Community Ambition - South Carolina Cities To Purchase Rail Corridor

Posted 06/12/13 by Kelly Pack in Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, South Carolina, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Early Warning System is the only service in the United States that scans for the proposed abandonment of railroad corridors in every state, information we then send to relevant local communities and trail advocates to alert them of the potential for a rail-trail.

The Inspiring Story of How Trails and Bikes Helped The Rust Belt Bounce Back

Posted 06/10/13 by Eric Oberg in Success Stories | Tagged with Ohio, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Urban Pathways

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy got involved in the development of the Morgana Run Trail in southeast Cleveland in 2008, we were still exploring the impacts and potential of rail-trail projects in urban areas and underserved neighborhoods. While we knew that improving access to stores, workplaces and transit, and providing safe and convenient pathways for recreation could do great things for residents and local businesses, we had only just scratched the surface on grasping the transformative impact of the humble trail.