MIDDLESBORO, Ky. — More than 684,000 people visited the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park in 2018. The park is located on the Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee border near Middlesboro, Ky. in Bell County.

“The park has long served as an attraction to people across the globe, and I want to commend the leaders in Bell and surrounding counties for leveraging that to create new small businesses which enhances the experience for visitors coming to the park,” said Jared Arnett, executive director of Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). “Establishing Appalachia Kentucky as a tourist destination is a part of our Regional Blueprint for a 21st Century Appalachia, and we understand the impact tourism has on our communities, the jobs it creates, and how it impacts the quality of life of our residents.”

Learn more about the park’s 2018 visitor count here.