A Sense of Place

“You Can’t Miss It”- Giving Rural Tourists Better Directions

September 29, 2009

We’ve all heard it, and probably all said it to others too. Your own town can seem so easy to get around, when it’s what you are accustomed to. When I moved to the mountains of rural western North Carolina 20 years ago and asked for directions practically every day, the phrase I learned to [...]

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Economy Helping Agritourism and Rural Businesses

May 23, 2009

The struggling economy seems to be having a positive impact on agri-tourism and other rural businesses, as vacationers choose to vacation closer to home. In fact, agricultural tourism is emerging as one of the few success stories despite today’s economic challenges. “I think the main reason for the boom is the economy,” Blake Brown, an [...]

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Do Second Home Owners Kill Rural Villages?

March 31, 2009

Do second home owners kill villages? In an article on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) blog, that’s the question asked. Apparently Great Britain is struggling with changing rural industry, like so many other areas in the United States and around the world. Manufacturing no longer exists, tourism is becoming more important, and young people are [...]