Augusta County to Support Effort to Draw New Visitors - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

Augusta County is set to back the effort to draw new visitors with a mix of history and outdoor adventure. This week supervisors are set to throw their support behind neighboring Nelson County.

Nelson County is applying for a $750,000 state grant for the first phase of restoring the Blue Ridge Tunnel. The historic passage under Afton Mountain would link the two counties, and provide a network of walking-and-biking paths. It could pull tourists off major attractions nearby.

Dennis Burnett of Augusta Economic Development said, "There's clearly an opportunity to capitalize on the visitors currently using the trail and the parkway system. We have visitor statistics that show that folks do stop in through the visitor center. They're looking for things to do."

Supervisors are also expected to endorse the Lewis and Clark Trail. The famous exploring team had several members from Augusta County and worked their way through present-day Staunton and Greenville.