The Tennessee Overhill (Polk, McMinn and Monroe counties) is one of 28 sites featured in a new map of driving tours to be included in the April edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The Appalachian Regional Commission and National Geographic Society last week announced the release of the new Appalachian Driving Tours Map. Commissioned by ARC, the map features 28 unique driving trails of the Appalachian Region that lead to a broad array of historical, archeological, cultural, and scenic sites.

Linda Caldwell, executive director of the Overhill, was on hand for the unveiling in Washington, D.C. She said the Overhill’s main mission is to preserve and promote the area’s heritage, adding the area has been described as a museum without walls. A Furs to Factories book was created several years ago to share the heritage with visitors and encourage them to visit local museums for more information. The Overhill also offers free Furs to Factories Trail Brochures.

ARC and National Geographic Traveler selected trails for the new map based on recommendation s from the Appalachian states’ travel and trade offices. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development nominated the Furs to Factories Trail.

The driving tours map is the result of a unique alliance between ARC and National Geographic to design maps that will stimulate economic development by showcasing the remarkable diversity of the Appalachian Region's natural and heritage assets. Supplemented with colorful photos, descriptive text, and more detailed information for travelers, the map will be distributed to 865,000 subscribers in the April 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine as well as to other target audiences in the Region.

ARC Federal Co-Chair Anne Pope welcomed the launching of the new map. "As the successor to the highly successful National Geographic Map Guide to Appalachia, which was launched in March of 2005, we expect it to continue to increase visitation to the Region in measurable ways," stated Pope. "The driving trails featured in this map represent wonderful opportunities to see all the natural treasures Appalachia has to offer."

National Geographic Editor Keith Bellows noted that "With the theme of 'All Travel, All the Time,' National Geographic Traveler celebrates journeys that are about place, experience, culture and authenticity. Appalachia contains a wealth of natural, historic and cultural treasures, and we're excited to give travelers a great tool to seek out the more than 300 sites featured on the printed map and even more online."

According to Travel Industry Association of America estimates, tourism is a $740 billion industry employing nearly 7.5 million people in the United States in 2006. The cultural heritage tourism sector has been growing twice as fast as the overall travel market, with the Appalachian region boasting six of the top 10 states most visited by travelers from this sector.

Map readers are encouraged to "Visit Appalachia" through a newly-developed, consumer-oriented online companion piece at www.visitappalachia.com. The site features an interactive version of the 28 driving tours featured on the map, a downloadable PDF of the map, Google map features to help travelers plan their next driving vacation to Appalachia, and links to the 13 Appalachian State Tourism offices for additional information.

Pictured: Phyllis Qualls Brooks from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Linda Caldwell, executive director of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association, flank the map that will be inserted into the April issue of National Geographic Traveler. The editor for National Geographic will be delivering the keynote address at the Great Smoky Mountains Sustainable Tourism Summit in Knoxville next month. The Overhill will be highlighted in a case study as part of that conference.