HENDERSON, Ky. – Local walkers and runners, as well as visitors here, can look forward to three “Downtown Discovery Trails” that will debut this spring.

“About a year ago, we had a couple of visitors come to the welcome center and they were asking if we had a trail that was 5-miles long, or a trail that was 3-miles long, because they were visitors and they weren’t really familiar with the area,” explained Henderson Tourist Commission Executive Director Abby Dixon at Tuesday night’s Henderson City Commission meeting.

Dixon and Downtown Henderson Partnership Director Lindsay Locasto said that got them wondering.

“We think of the wonderful trails we have at Audubon Park and things like that, but we don’t have a great map for taking yourself on a little downtown discovery where you can get some exercise and see the sights,” said Dixon.

“So that’s where this came about. We started discussing what opportunity might be there at a community branding task force meeting and thus the Downtown Discovery Trails concept was born.”

After an application was submitted, the Henderson Lions Club granted roughly $1,800 in funding to make the project a reality — so it will cost nothing for users or taxpayers.

Those working on the project came up with three separate trails, all beginning and ending at The Perch pocket park on Second Street.

The trails will be:

The Snail Trail: A 1-mile, or approximately 1,500 steps, shaded route using downtown streets and circling Central Park.

The Quail Trail: This trail is 2.5 miles, or about 5,000 steps, and takes in almost every street in the downtown Central Business District.

The Whitetail Trail: The route is 5 miles long, or 10,000 steps, and uses downtown streets as well as all of the Riverwalk and North Main Street.

Locasto and Dixon said there will be a sign outlining and explaining the trails at The Perch, and walkers/runners will be able to download details of each route — including things of interest along the way such as unique stores and buildings, Audubon bird statues or historical sites.

If you aren’t high tech — and to make things even more fun for the kids — the routes themselves will be marked with prints of their namesake animals.

So if you are on the Quail or Whitetail trail, for example, you will be able to look down and just follow the bird feet or deer hooves. The Snail Trail will have pictures of a snail to lead you on your way

“It’s a chance to interact with our downtown in a really unique way,” said Dixon, adding that it will get folks outside and exercising and it’s of no cost to anyone. “So it’s for everyone.”

Locasto pointed out that it also gets users — visitors or locals — up close and personal with a lot of the businesses downtown that they might normally just drive past.

“It will be great for visitors to get to utilize this,” added Dixon. “But it’s also exciting for our hometown folks to kind of play visitor in their hometown, because sometimes we don’t slow down and notice all the good things we have here at home.”

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Sights and sounds of the 2017 W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue festival in Downtown Henderson, Kentucky. MaCabe Brown – Digital Content Producer

 

 

 

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