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Focus Term: Tourism and Economic Development


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Top 10 Trails in West Virginia
January 28, 2021

West Virginia is indeed a little slice of heaven for outdoor enthusiasts. Here are 10 of our favorite ways to explore the state.

View from Blackwater Canyon Trail | Photo by TrailLink user beachbum25
Blog
Tennessee’s Tweetsie Trail
October 12, 2020

The Tweetsie Trail connects two charming towns in the Appalachian foothills, following a railroad corridor that once snaked through the mountains and crossed into North Carolina.

Tweetsie Trail entrance in Johnson City | Courtesy Carter County Tourism
Blog
Mon River Rail-Trail System (West Virginia)
September 08, 2020

The Mon River Rail-Trail System comprises 48 miles of seamlessly connected pathway featuring an ensemble cast of environments.

Caperton Trail bridge at the mouth of Deckers Creek in Morgantown | Courtesy RTC
Blog
America’s Most Unique Trailside Attractions
July 26, 2020

Here’s our developing list of (currently) 28 of the most unique trailside attractions in America. Fun fact: Many of the trails featured fall within the footprint of the Great American Rail-Trail

Longeberger Basket Company former world headquarters along the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail in Ohio | BY-NC-ND 2.0
Blog
Ohio’s Little Beaver Creek Greenway
July 12, 2020

The Little Beaver Creek Greenway introduces visitors to the beauty and history of the Appalachian foothills. Located in a former railroad depot, the Lisbon trailhead is about a quarter mile from the actual start of the greenway.

Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail | Photo by TrailLink user jsusany324
Blog
How the Great Allegheny Passage Transformed a Region
May 11, 2020

The 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Western Maryland is a premier rail-trail destination.

Great Allegheny Passage just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Photo by Milo Bateman
Blog
New Hampshire’s Londonderry Rail Trail
April 05, 2020

About a 45-mile drive northwest of Boston, the Londonderry Rail Trail in the quaint southern New Hampshire town of Londonderry offers locals a slice of tranquility in an otherwise upside-down world with a 4.5-mile jaunt through verdant forests and wildlife-rich wetlands and along scenic ponds.

Recently completed Cohas section of the Londonderry Rail Trail | Courtesy Londonderry Trailways
Blog
Nebraska and Iowa’s Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
March 09, 2020

Floating sinuously over America’s longest waterway, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge straddles the Missouri River between bustling Omaha—Nebraska’s largest city—and the quieter-feeling hometown of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge | Photo by John Carrel
Blog
North Carolina’s Thermal Belt Rail Trail
February 10, 2020

Today, the 13.58-mile Thermal Belt Rail Trail lies where the old Southern Railroad, and later the Thermal Belt Railway, once ran. The trail has been a boon for Rutherford County on a number of levels.

Thermal Belt Rail Trail bridge over Highway 74 | Photo by Dana Bradley
Blog
Nine Romantic Trail Destinations That Will Make You Swoon
February 09, 2020

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought it was a great time to bust out this list of top romantic rail-trails in the United States. Here are nine, great, romantic trail destinations to try and catch cupid’s arrow!

View from the Ivanhoe Trestle along New River Trail State Park | Courtesy Virginia DCR
Trail survey graphic with black female bicyclists on trail in winter next to RTC green t-shirt