Three West Virginia driving tours featured on National Geographic map

    CHARLESTON —  West Virginia's Midland Trail, Coal Heritage Trail and the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike are among the many driving tours featured on the new National Geographic map of Appalachia.  The map, a specially-produced, full-size map of the Appalachian region is featured in the April issue of National Geographic Traveler, and in addition to reaching more than 900,000 subscribers, also will be available at the accompanying Web site, www.visitappalachia.com.

   "The Visit Appalachia map highlights three of West Virginia's premier cultural and heritage tourism offerings with the Midland and Coal Heritage Trails and the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike," said Gov. Joe Manchin.  "These attractions and the great small businesses near them should benefit from visitors that have access to this map."

Tourism Commissioner Betty Carver said it's an honor to be among those sites chosen by National Geographic's editors and featured in the national publication.  "We have a great tourism product in Appalachia, especially here in West Virginia, and it's just a matter of getting more people to discover it," Carver said.  "We're proud to be listed on the map with all the other great attractions and hope that we'll see more visitors to the state."

The map features 28 driving tours throughout the 13 states of the Appalachian region, including the historic National Road.  This route, which runs from Maryland through Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Ohio, was the nation's first federally-funded road.  Thousands of settlers used this route in the 18th century as they moved westward, across the Allegheny Mountains and the Eastern continental divide.  Today the road is known as U.S. Route 40, and one of the featured stops along the route is Wheeling's Oglebay Park.

The Driving Tours: Visit Appalachia map is the second project completed in partnership among the Division of Tourism, the National Geographic Society and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  ARC is an organization that spearheads efforts to stimulate economic development by showcasing the region's natural, cultural and heritage attractions.  The commission's goals are to attract and host more tourists, sell more crafts/products, add value to Appalachian counties and states, focus on strategies requiring and attracting multiple partners, and to measure impact in terms of jobs, economic growth and sustainability.

The Visit Appalachia Web site (www.visitappalachia.com) is cross-linked with visitor and travel sites in the 13 Appalachian states, as well as other regional entities.  The site features an interactive version of the Driving Tours: Visit Appalachia map, and promotes travel throughout the Appalachian region.