Hype for the Future 99E: The Iconic Cumberlands

Introduction

The region of the Cumberlands in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, south of the Inner and Outer Bluegrass regions, is largely determined by the proximity to the upper reaches of the Cumberland River and to Lake Cumberland proper.

Notable Locales

Within the general region associated with the Cumberland River, including the Outer Bluegrass and Pennyroyal (Pennyrile) regions of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is largely the Daniel Boone National Forest. However, outside the Daniel Boone National Forest, additional attractions include Lake Cumberland, one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States of America; Lindsey Wilson University in Columbia; the Stephens Classic Cars museum in Russell Springs; and the Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument and Visitor Center and Museum just east of Nancy in Pulaski County.

Hype for the Future 70E: Essex County, Vermont

Introduction

Essex County, often recorded as home to fewer than six thousand permanent residents, often serves the role of the smallest county by population in not just the State of Vermont, but the entirety of the region commonly known as New England. Outside the contexts of Vermont and the larger scope of New England, the county is also home to numerous attractions related to the tourist draw to the county and particularly toward the Burke Mountain ski area. While the northern portion of Essex County often represents the vast majority of the attractions in this particular slice of the Northeast Kingdom (NEK), the southern part of the county is often more rural—and significantly so. Logging and timber companies have a presence in portions of the area, though not nearly to the extent seen in western Aroostook County, Maine, where the populations are significantly sparser and more concentrated toward the regions further north and east.

Attractions

While many of the eastern attractions associated with the county are actually in neighboring Coös County, New Hampshire, the vast majority of the Essex County attractions are specifically located within the northern half of the county, including, but not limited to, Osborne Family Maple in Ferdinand, the Island Pond Covered Footbridge in Brighton, the Mount Monadnock Firetower in Lemington, and the South of the Border Motel in Canaan. Within the area of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge are the Black Branch Boardwalk, the Mollie Beattie Bog Boardwalk, the Lewis Pond Boardwalk, and the Lewis Pond Overlook.