Highlights tourist spots in the county

NATHAN BLACKFORD Community editor / (812) 464-7614 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

While Warrick County has its share of tourist sites and notable landmarks, many of them are hidden away, off the main highways.

The Warrick County Chamber of Commerce wants to make more people aware of what the county has to offer. So this month, the Warrick County Cell Phone Tour officially began.

"We were looking for a way to help promote tourism in Warrick County," said chamber executive director Shari Sherman. "Some of the other countiies around us do an audio tour. So I started looking into the possiblility of doing one here."

While more sites will be added later, the tour now has 15 stops. At each location, a sign will give the stop number. Visitors then use their cell phones to dial in and get about a minute's worth of information about that site.

"We got the information from each of the locations," said Sherman. "We talked to people at places like the coal mine museum, and then we wrote the copy, and Ralph Turpen at the Boonville readio station (WBNL) helped with some of the audio."

The sites include Elberfeld's old flour mill, Chandler Motor Speedway, Angel Mounds, the Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife area, and historic Boner Bridge, among others.

"We are looking at ways to expand the tour," said Sherman. "Historic Newburgh has taken this on as a project. And so in the spring, I think we'll see a walking tour or Newburgh. And Boonville is interested in doing a walking tour as well."

The tour is free, other than the use of cell phone minutes. Callers can also leave comments about eachlocation, helping the chamber of commerce improve the tour.

"We are hoping they will listen to the tour call us aqnd give us additional information, and hopefully not have to correct any information that we do have," said Sherman. "It is a great opportunity for people to get out and tour the county. This will hopefully continue to grow, and we hope that people will use it."

The signs are not up at all 15 locations due to the snow and frozen ground, but Sherman says the Chamber will have them up as soon as possible.

"They are little 6-by-8 inch signs, and they have the stop number and the phone number," said Sherman. "So if someone saw the sign and didn't know anything about the this tour, it gives them all the information."

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