Does your community have whitewater rapids, coastal waterways, or winding rivers? If so, you may wonder how you can leverage these unique assets for economic development and increased quality of life. Blueways, or paddle trails, are marked routes on rivers, lakes, canals, or coastlines for recreational use. NCGrowth’s new Blueway Guide provides tools to help your community plan and build these paddle trails, and strategies to connect visitors to local businesses. The Blueway Guide includes an introduction to blueways, water trail designations, key elements to building a blueway, strategies to leverage blueways for economic development, and resources to generate community buy-in.

Blueway Guide: A Summary Blueway Guide: Full Report

Resources

Blueways: Stakeholder Overview

Paddle Trail Process Overview

Blueways: Top 10 Tips to Link Paddlers with Businesses

Webinar: Blueway Guide Launch

Co-hosted by the North Carolina Office of the US Economic Development Administration and the North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Industry Office at the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, NCGrowth’s Blueway Guide provides communities the tools they need to leverage waterways for economic development and increased quality of life.

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