By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
If the economic rebound efforts plan to fully succeed across parts of the Appalachian Highlands, enhancement of various locations remains a crucial economic development driver.
From embracing tourism to entrepreneurial endeavors, efforts in multiple downtowns are helping with community development. These can include visitor experiences like shopping and dining, along with outdoor recreation to boost tourism businesses and connect travelers with natural and cultural assets.
The economy of Big Stone Gap, the largest town in Wise County at over 5,000 residents, long centered around the coal industry.
According to Director of Tourism and Economic Development Ked Meade, as coal production decreased, the best option was to change directions and direct new thinking to tourism.
The town always had an emphasis on music and the outdoors. Meade says they are continuing an attempt to develop downtown Big Stone Gap with new businesses and investors. That includes making Big Stone Gap a music destination with Blue Highway Fest, Songwriters Circle, alternative music venues at the town’s Visitor Center, and community-level music party crawls.
Meade claims the area continues to be a tourist destination with more Airbnbs popping up. He says they also are making strides in the development of the new Big Cherry Recreation Area coming in the near future. Big Cherry Reservoir received $2 million last year from the Virginia Department of Energy’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program.
Miner’s Park has been upgraded and will be a summer concert venue downtown.
The Greenbelt Trail, which surrounds the town and follows the Powell River — it begins in the northern Wise County mountains and empties into the Clinch — can be accessed near Big Stone Gap. The current plan is to connect the Greenbelt with the Powell River Trail in Appalachia.
He explains that the recent winter — flooding, hurricanes, frigid temperatures with snow — has been hard on local restaurants and music venues since extremes are not conducive to getting the public outside.
“We work on the principle of, ‘If you celebrate life, you will have a life worth celebrating,’” Meade told the Business Journal. “Big Stone Gap never misses an opportunity to go all out for holidays, festivals, and even seasonal entertainment and this reflects into our economic growth. Southwest Virginia is getting on the radar more and more with our unique mountain culture, music, breathtaking outdoor venues, and specialty shops/restaurants.”
He is seeing a steady influx of visitors from Northeast Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.
“As more of our small towns in the region learn to promote their uniqueness and their way of life, the better it is for all,” Meade added.
Approximately 30 miles east through the rolling hills of U.S. Highway 58 sits St. Paul, perched along the Clinch River about halfway between Abingdon and Wise.
Kathy Stewart, Main Street Manager for St. Paul Tomorrow, Inc., told the Business Journal that St. Paul is an ATV-friendly town. This means ATVs “are allowed on the downtown streets for easy access for restaurants and shopping” and there is access to over 100 miles of trails for ATVs. Polaris ATVs became available for rental at the Western Front Hotel on April 1.
Located within a century-old building reflecting early Appalachia, the hotel is eclectic, affordable and a great central point to stay. It honors the history of St. Paul and takes its name from the segment of town near the railroad tracks that was known as the Western Front.
Indoors, the Lyric Theater reopened two years ago and was a major rehabilitation project. It has a great lineup of music, theatre and other events for the spring.
A project to redevelop the Deen Building, a century-old department store, into a distillery and restaurant, began last year. The renovations should be completed late this summer, and it will be a tasting room. The new name of the distillery is Unholy Beginnings. It will be managed by Amanda Bryant, a master distiller and moonshiner who appears on the Discovery Channel shows.
Clinch Life Outfitters is open every day to visitors who want to fish, kayak or canoe and has supplies for all outdoor adventures. Clinch River Adventures will open Memorial Day Weekend for fun on the river, with the annual Clinch River Days Festival occurring May 29-31.
As a Town of Murals, St. Paul has the “Art Alley” on 4th Avenue, complete with a collection of murals and photography by local artists. The Gateway murals are now complete, with the historic Santa Train and a mural featuring Oxbow Lake, flora and fauna.
Finally, a few dozen miles north through the mountains in Grundy, Va., ground should break in late spring or early summer on a 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheater — with additional seating on a grassy hill behind it — to host live music, speaking engagements, weddings, corporate events, sports and more. The target date for the Southern Gap Amphitheater to open for its first full year of operations is April 2026.
Matthew Fields, director of Economic Development & Tourism for Buchanan County, told the Business Journal that the addition of live music at the amphitheater will boost ecotourism throughout the county.
“The proposed opening of another section on the Coalfields Expressway that will open Southern Gap up to Pikeville, Kentucky, this year will be a big help as well,” Fields added. “That will put us roughly 30-35 minutes away and also gives Southern Gap and the Amphitheater better connectivity for visitors.”
The Southern Gap also lies within 10 miles of Breaks Interstate Park. Situated in the Jefferson National Forest, along the Kentucky-Virginia border, it is known as the “Grand Canyon of the South,” and among the most popular destinations in Appalachia.
