Two Eastern Kentucky towns, more than 100 miles apart, and yet, both have the same vision: improving their tourism to help their communities.

Twenty-five communities were selected as partners for Recreation Economy for Rural Communities planning assistance in 2022 – both McKee & Jenkins were chosen for that award!

The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities planning assistance program helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their Main Streets.

Outdoor activities are increasingly popular across the United States. Recognizing this trend, many communities seek to grow their outdoor recreation and tourism economy, invest in their Main Streets, and conserve forests and other natural lands. 

Encouraging growth on Main Streets and in existing neighborhoods while promoting outdoor recreation can help foster community revitalization, protect air and water quality, create jobs, support economic growth and diversification, and offer new opportunities for people to connect with the natural world. For more information on the outdoor recreation economy, visit the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable’s summary.

Activities that can foster environmentally friendly community development and Main Street revitalization through conservation and sustainable use of public or private forests or other natural resources include:

• Ensuring local residents, including young people, have connections and opportunities related to nearby outdoor assets to foster community pride, good stewardship, and local economic benefits.
• Creating or expanding trail networks to attract overnight visitors and new businesses and foster use by local residents.
• Developing in-town amenities, such as broadband service; electric vehicle charging stations; housing; or shops, restaurants, or breweries, to serve residents and attract new visitors and residents with an interest in nearby outdoor assets.
• Marketing Main Street as a gateway to nearby natural lands to capture and amplify outdoor recreation dollars.
• Working with the community to develop a community consensus on the management of outdoor assets to reduce potential conflicts and ensure sustainable use of resources.
• Ensuring that all residents and visitors, particularly those who have not historically been engaged in outdoor recreation and Main Street revitalization efforts, have equitable access to and can benefit from the growing outdoor recreation economy.

Meet the Eastern Kentucky Towns & Their Plans

McKee

Centered in the heart of Daniel Boone’s National Forest, the town of McKee spans two miles as a certified Kentucky Trail Town. 

With hundreds of trails – the Sheltowee Trail, Big Turtle Trailhead, and many more – candy stores, horse camps, and open roads for cars and bikes, McKee is a prime location for tourism.

That is where the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities comes into play.

McKee’s Workshop Goals focused on four main things:

1. Amplify and expand outdoor recreation opportunities. This will improve the quality of life for residents and enhance visitors alike. Envision and plan for what would be needed to expand the visitor experiences, allowing people of all ages, races, and abilities to stay longer, do more, spend more, and enjoy their visit.
2. Invigorate sustainable entrepreneurial opportunities. Create, support, and expand outdoor recreation businesses and activities to bolster economic development and enhance quality of life for residents and experiences for visitors, e.g. turn the historic Jackson Courthouse into a tourism visitor center and business incubator.
3. Revitalize and build partnerships to improve downtown McKee. Make plans and connections that support efforts to revitalize McKee as a hub for arts, culture, recreation, and tourism, while providing retail and service amenities for residents and visitors.
4. Brand McKee as a destination outdoor community and gateway to the Daniel Boone National Forest. Consider how you want to position and promote your best assets (natural, cultural, recreation), and promote who and what you are as a destination.

The collaboration within this town was so popular that KET did a piece on their workshop!

Make sure to fast-forward to 15:30 to watch a summary of the MkCee workshop, you can watch the KET special HERE.

Jenkins

Jenkin’s workshop goals were focused on four similar but different topics:

1. Downtown/Main Street Place Making. Continue revitalization efforts downtown to make Jenkins a pleasant and enjoyable place to visit, and base out of for to experience a variety of outdoor recreation activities.
2. Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure and incubate businesses Build on existing assets to improve, expand, and connect community and visitor connections to the outdoors, and seek to incubate new business.
3. Promotion, Branding, Outreach. Seek to promote Jenkins to a destination for outdoor recreation and local tourism assets (culture, history, etc).
4. Community Engagement and Cooperation. Begin and continue community conversations that generate enthusiasm, ideas, and engage people and businesses in promoting the multitude of natural attractions.

The plan following these workshops is to gather the steps and ideas that the Recreational Economy team offers these two towns to help make their tourism goals to fruition. 

Tourism & The Importance of it in Eastern Kentucky

As we transition into a 21st-century economy, tourism has become more critical than ever to our small businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs, and local institutions. 

Each group shares a similar goal: To make Eastern Kentucky a place where our community can live, work, and thrive.

But it can take a lot of work to know where to begin.

Tourism brings $60 million to Appalachia every year.

That is why we created the Essential Guide to Destination Tourism in Eastern Kentucky.

Inside, you will get a play-by-play for attracting visitors to your community:

• Creating a bulletproof tourism plan
• Leveraging local entrepreneurs and small businesses
• Building destination packages
• Launching effective marketing and measuring success
• Winning funding for your tourism efforts

Download our Essential Guide to Destination Tourism in Eastern Kentucky e-book to help create a plan to help our communities accomplish meaningful goals and growth while considering the time and resources available.

A booming tourism economy offers the sincere promise of bringing prosperity home again. Let’s work together to rebuild our Eastern Kentucky region through tourism.

Download the guide to get started!