CVB ANNOUNCES NUMEROUS PROGRAMS TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF THE TRAIL

Programs Will Encourage Visitation to Trails and Parks Throughout Moore County

SOUTHERN PINES, NC (January 18, 2023) – The state of North Carolina has proclaimed 2023 as the Year of the Trail and the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced several programs to get people outdoors and enjoying interactive experiences along trails and throughout parks in Moore County beginning this spring.

“Our staff has been working on our efforts to support the Year of the Trail in North Carolina. We are very excited to roll out these great interactive programs that offer fun and opportunity for all ages while they explore the beautiful outdoors and trails in Moore County,” says Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Phil Werz. “We appreciate the partnerships we’ve created with our towns, parks and recreation departments and other tourism entities to make these programs possible throughout the year.”

The Year of the Trail programs in Moore County include the Pinecone Pathways Program, the Sandhills Story Trails Adventures, the Carthage Digital Video Mural Trail and the Sandhills Wine Trail.

The Pinecone Pathways Program will launch on March 20 and features a partnership between the CVB and glassmakers at Starworks in Star, NC. A special pinecone shaped mold funded by the CVB was created and Starworks artists will produce 100 glass pinecones to be hidden in weekly increments along selected trail systems throughout Moore County. The pinecones are actual size and will be tagged with a special number and QR code, so those finding them can register them and be eligible to win a prize including a two-night stay in the Pinehurst area and a $250 gift card. Because there will only be a limited number of pinecones to be found in the program, the CVB asks that finders only keep one and any additional ones found remain hidden on the trail. The CVB will release more details near the March launch date.

The Sandhills Story Trail Adventures is an original creation produced by the CVB and features Winne the Pooh in a series of interactive fictional stories that happen throughout the Sandhills. The story trails feature large, life-sized cutouts of Pooh and his friends that can be viewed in a series of stations where people can scan a QR code and read the next chapter or listen to it on their smartphone. The first trail will be on display and available for viewing on April 11 along Nick’s Creek in Southern Pines. Subsequent ones will be displayed along Moore County trails to be determined in June and September. The entire story trails series was concepted, created, written and voiced by the CVB, primarily by Destination Storyteller Dan Dreyer.

The Carthage Digital Video Mural Trail connects five of the town’s murals with videos about each one that can be viewed by scanning the bronze-plated QR code affixed to each one.  The five murals are located within walking distance of each other in the town’s downtown area. The videos were produced by the CVB and will be linked to QR-coded plaques mounted on the murals. Four of the murals were painted by Scott Nurkin and the latest one was completed by Dan Dreyer, CVB Destination Storyteller. The murals depict the history and culture around the Moore County town, in addition to its memorable natives. The CVB is planning a reveal of the special plaques in May. Murals can be viewed on our Mural Trail Webpage.

The Sandhills Wine Trail Passport program features six locations and encourages holders to earn stamps and win prizes while exploring selected local wine outlets. The passports are free and can be obtained at the CVB office in Southern Pines, or at any of the six participating Sandhills Wine Trail locations. Passport holders are eligible for prizes once they visit all locations and receive special logoed stamps from all participating businesses.

Passport participants include Cypress Bend Vineyards in Wagram; Sandhills Winery in Seven Lakes; Triangle Wine Company and the Wine Cellar, both located in Southern Pines; the Village Wine Shop in Pinehurst and the James Creek Cider House in Cameron. Passport holders with fully-stamped passports receive the choice of a wine tumbler or wine aerator, and while supplies last, a limited-edition Donald Ross 150^th anniversary challenge coin. Plus, their name will be entered into a drawing to win a future two-night stay in the Pinehurst area.

The Year of the Trail celebrates North Carolina’s vast network of trails, greenways, and blueways that showcase our diverse landscapes – grand mountain vistas, quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. This the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina history.

North Carolina is the Great Trails State, where each of North Carolina’s 100 counties should be able to enjoy the proven benefits of trails, including health, safety, economic development, tourism, transportation, and environment. Trails are the backbone of our state’s growing, $28 billion outdoor recreation economy.

The Year of the Trail campaign will reach communities with the message of how and where to experience trails that showcase North Carolina’s beautiful landscapes, provide healthy recreation, and stimulate local economies. The NC General Assembly designated 2023 as the Year of the Trail, an effort led by the Great Trails State Coalition, a broad-based group of diverse organizations, agencies and supporters advocating for increased state investment in all types of trails statewide: hiking, paddle, mountain biking, equestrian and paved.

For more information about Year of the Trail programs in Moore County, visit /moore-trails/. To download a digital copy, or to order the CVB’s 2023 official destination guide, go to: HomeofGolf.com.

The Pinehurst Southern Pines Aberdeen Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the economic development agency responsible for travel and tourism promotion, product development, and visitor services for Moore County, NC. The CVB devises strategies to enhance the County’s tourism brand value and product to accommodate the next generation of visitors, thereby stimulating the local economy and enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. In 2021, Moore County ranked as the tenth largest tourism economy in North Carolina, generating $673 million annually in visitor spending, which supports the second largest employment sector in the county and saves county residents approximately $516 a year in state and local taxes.

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