In this section, you'll find the most important news from Ohio's tourism attractions and visitors bureaus.
Largest Zipline Tour in the Midwest Announced in Warren County
3/4/2009
CONTACT:
Jennifer Burns
Marketing/Public Relations Manager
(513) 204-7046
jburns@wccvb.org
WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (March 4, 2009) – Ozone Zipline Adventures announced it will open in May 2009 in Warren County as the largest zipline tour in the Midwest and include some of the longest single zipline runs in the continental United States.
The canopy (tree-top) tour will include nine ziplines totaling more than 10,000 feet in length and reach heights of 170 feet. Riders will "zip" over and through the Little Miami River Valley and connect to Fort Ancient State Park. The final descent will include a trip down one of the longest single ziplines in the country, estimated to be more than 2,500 feet in length.
Ozone Zipline Adventures at YMCA Camp Kern will open to the public on May 23, 2009. Zip rides will take place 7 days a week, May through December, weather permitting. Riders will use custom-built zipline trolleys made by ERi and use a seat and chest harness combination for added comfort and safety. All participants will wear helmets. A Web site for online registration is scheduled to launch in April. Cost per rider will be $75. Visit
www.OhiosLargestPlayground.com/zipline for more information.
Ozone Zipline Adventures adds a new dimension to the already diverse tourism product mix in Warren County. The Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB) projects its impact will be significant to the local economy.
"This new attraction is a very important addition and is a perfect fit with the existing product mix that has made Warren County a family destination market," WCCVB Executive Director Shirley Bonekemper said. "Our research indicates that this type of adventure is very popular and timely. It will complement the already established outdoor adventure package including biking, canoeing, skydiving and more. The new zipline tour provides yet another great reason to vacation in Warren County and will have a significant economic impact for Warren County."
Ozone Zipline Adventures will also include an educational component. Tour guides will share information with riders about southwest Ohio history, ecology of the region, basic physics of "zipping" and information about Fort Ancient State Memorial.
The name, Ozone Zipline Adventure, comes from the original name of Camp Kern. The camp was founded as Camp Ozone in 1910 by Carl B. Kern on the shores of the Little Miami River across from the North Watch of Fort Ancient.
Ozone Zipline Adventures has been a joint effort by YMCA Camp Kern, Fort Ancient State Memorial and the Ohio Historical Society. Proceeds of the zipline tour will help to subsidize many of the school programs whose Outdoor Education Experience has been jeopardized by budget constraints. With the zipline tour, Camp Kern will be able to keep the outdoor education experience affordable to area schools and provide greater assistance to the schools for the residential camp experience.
"Ozone Zipline Adventures gives us the ability to broaden Camp Kern's program offerings while keeping in line with our program mission: to provide safe, fun, magical and educational experiences to all," Camp Kern Executive Director Jeffrey Merhige said.
A second goal of the canopy zipline tour is to increase awareness of Fort Ancient State Memorial, recently nominated for a World Heritage Historic Site Designation. A landing site directly across from Camp Kern will allow zip tour riders a unique experience of not only flying high above the Little Miami State and National Scenic River, but also landing on a platform near the North Watch on the Fort Ancient side of the Little Miami River. Fort Ancient is North America's largest prehistoric Native American hilltop enclosure and is home to 18,000 feet of earthen walls built more than 2,000 years ago. Zip tour riders will soar above historic points including limestone snake effigies running adjacent to the Little Miami River which date back 1,000 years.
Camp Kern consulted with ERi, Experiential Resources Incorporated, who will build the zipline tour. ERi is a professional vendor member of the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT).
About YMCA Camp Kern
YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia is in its 99th year if operation as a branch of the Greater Dayton YMCA. Camp Kern is located on 485 acres of land bordered by the Little Miami River and serves more than 33,000 guests a year through conferences, retreats, corporate facilitation, summer camps, outdoor education, equestrian programming, food services, weddings and day programming. Camp Kern serves the Greater Cincinnati and Greater Dayton Market areas. Sixty percent of Camp Kern's business and camper participation is from the Greater Cincinnati area. Forty-four states and 10 countries were represented by campers and staff in the 2008 operation year.
About Warren County and the WCCVB
Warren County is Ohio’s Largest Playground! With easy access from Interstates 71 and 75, visitors to Warren County can enjoy more activities within a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in Ohio.
The Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau is a destination marketing organization whose mission is to drive tourism and overnight visitation to Warren County. Tourism is the leading industry in Warren County. The 6.4 million yearly visitors drive an economic impact of $917 million and 11,029 tourism-related
For additional information, visit
www.OhiosLargestPlayground.com or call (800) 433-1072.
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