Heritage Tourism

The Missouri River is a bastion of natual and historic resources. MRCN is seeking to riverside communities and formulate a plan that will attact river-based tourism to our area. This will boost local economic development, and serve as a source of pride for those of us who always knew this beautiful landscape was special.

This project is a grassroots community-based planning process. VISTA members will help local committees in central Missouri communities assess existing heritage tourism resources, create a local tourism development plan, and start working with other nearby communities to implement the plan. The goal is to create a regional destination-marketing strategy that will help participating Missouri River communities in central Missouri attract economic development via river-based tourism.

Participating communities include: Jefferson City, Hartsburg, Lupus, Huntsdale, Columbia, Rocheport, Boonville, New Franklin, Fayette, Arrow Rock, Glasgow and Brunswick.

Our involvement in Heritage Tourism development is diverse, and our Americorps VISTA volunteers have been working hard to support a number of grass-roots organizations. We are working closely with the Missouri Regional Cuisines Project to help communites develop their own strategies to market food, wine and heritage based activities of our unique region of the world. Another close partner is Katy Trail Merchants and Communities, an organization that is working to promote the common goals of creating sustainable economic oppourtunities along the Katy Trail corridor.

In recent years the Missouri River has received increased attention for its recreational use. Missouri River Communities Network has been host to several educational and recreational canoe floats on the Mighty Missouri to get people out to experience and appreciate our river heritage. The Missouri River 340 Race is a 340 mile canoe and kayak race from Kansas City to St. Charles, organized by RiverMiles. Our VISTAs have been promoting this race as it is a means to draw attention to the river as an important natural resource.

2009 was the 1st Annual Katy Trail 50 Ultra Marathon. This ultra-marathon starts in Boonville at sunrise, right in front of the trailhead depot. Racers will go southwest on the trail for 2.3 miles, turn around, and go back to Boonville before heading on to McBaine. At McBaine, racers will turn around and head back to the Boonville depot, for a total of 50 miles paralleling the Missouri River. Our VISTAs were a part of the effort to promote, organize, and execute the race, which travels through many river towns.