Licking Valley Adventures promotes “Adventure Tourism”

Licking Valley Adventures is a group of cities, counties, civic organizations and concerned citizens who are working together to help promote the Licking Valley Region. They have been meeting monthly to jointly promote “Adventure Tourism” in Nicholas, Bourbon, Harrison, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, Bath and Pendleton counties and will be inviting Bracken County to join.

The area shares access to U.S. 68, the AA Highway, the Licking River, North Licking River and Stoner Creek.

This area of Kentucky offers the unique aspects of green rolling hills, unique small historic downtowns, covered bridges and great potential to be utilized for hiking, historic walks, biking, river sports, equestrian, as well as linking to the Bourbon Trail. Foodies and people interested in traveling the back roads to visit unique restaurants, wineries, micro breweries or distilleries or shopping at unique local stores are the target audience for the group.

Co-founder Tracy Pratt-Savage, economic development director for Nicholas County explained, “We have so many great small cities we can visit in 30 minutes or less. We’d like to ‘erase county borders’ to promote ‘buy local’ and entice residents within our nine county area to support our events and businesses and also draw more people from Lexington, Louisville, Dayton and other places in Ohio to experience all we have to offer. Maysville already sees a good turn out from Dayton residents for their events who see Cincinnati as too big and too expensive. Kentucky offers a charm and warmness associated with the south.”

To help do that the group has launched a Licking Valley Adventures Facebook page and is working with the Bluegrass Area Development District to get a website built. The group is working towards having an administrator in tourism or the chamber (or both) in each county who can update events for their area giving people one place to go to find out what’s going on, and places they can go and visit.

An October “Adventure weekend” is also being planned for the third weekend in October to be held simultaneously in each county. Like them on Facebook to find out more.

Licking Valley Adventures meets the second Tuesday of the month. In July Fleming County mayor Marty Voiers and the Crystal Ruark Fleming County chamber director are hosting with a lunch meeting at 11:30 a.m. at the Covered Bridge Museum. Interested citizens are welcome to attend, but please RSVP at 859-474-2648 to be included in lunch.