catfishing
07-03-2006, 01:43 PM
Something we needed for our sport in the Carolinas
In our local paper today.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14955750.htm
Motorcycle, ATV park aims to be state’s newest tourism draw
By JOEY HOLLEMAN
jholleman@thestate.com
Standing on the Fairfield County plateau called Top of the World, you can see the shimmering water of Lake Wateree between the rolling hills on one side and the water tower in Winnsboro on the other side. At night, the lights of Columbia glimmer on the horizon.
But that view pales in comparison to Don Wilburn’s vision for Top of the World and nearly 2,600 acres around it.
Wilburn sees tens of thousands of people flocking to the site several times a year for national motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle racing events. He sees 2,000 people descending on the rolling hills on typical weekends to ride on 100 miles of forest trails.
He sees families staying in cabins and campsites, and eating in restaurants at the state’s newest tourism draw, Carolina Adventure World.
Wilburn and partner Jim Floyd already have spent $5 million, buying the land from International Paper in 2004 and hiring renowned designer Steve Uhles to help carve 60 miles of new trails. By December, another $3 million will be invested in a welcome center, cabins, campsites and a maintenance facility.
“We’re spending an awful lot of money for a market that does not exist at this moment,” said Jim Blank, the spokesman for the operation.
Most motorcycle and ATV trails in South Carolina, and throughout the Southeast, are on public property with minimal facilities. About 105 miles of motorized vehicle trails wind through five sites in state and national forests in South Carolina.
For-profit operations are rare. TNT Motorsports, with 18 miles of trails near Richburg, is the only well-publicized facility in the state open to the public.
But thousands of people ride ATVs and off-road motorcycles on their own property — or often illegally on others’ property. At many hunt clubs in the state, there are two major seasons, deer and ATV.
So why hasn’t someone tried to capitalize on that pent-up demand for trails with a large-scale park before?
“There’s never been anyone cheeky enough that had the bucks to do it,” Blank said. “(Wilburn) is taking a gamble.”
Born in Union County, Wilburn is an entrepreneur who made money in auto repair shops, carwashes, mini-storage facilities and property management, mostly in the Charlotte area.
About five years ago, he took an ATV ride with his grandchildren in Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had for the money,” said Wilburn, 67.
While he didn’t buy the Fairfield County land specifically with an off-road vehicle park in mind, he and his associates recognized it had the perfect landscape for trails. Lots of hills and creeks, a variety of soils and a rural setting.
As they began talking about the best use for the property, an ATV park emerged. Wilburn insisted it be done on a grand scale.
“I try to do everything first class,” Wilburn said. “I always felt if you get a notch above the others it pays off in the long run.”
The closest similar facility is Durhamtown Plantation Sportsman’s Resort, about an hour west of Augusta. Durhamtown offers more than 100 miles of trails and amenities such as a lodge, cabins and a cafeteria.
Russ Ehnes, executive director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, said trail parks with these types of amenities are a growing trend, “particularly in the Eastern states because there’s not that many opportunities to ride on public land.”
Blank pledges Carolina Adventure World’s cabins and lodge will be less rustic than Durhamtown’s. Plans call for three restaurants, including one with a waterfall at Top of the World. A storage facility will allow visitors to leave their ATVs or motorcycles. They can call ahead to a concierge, who will pull their vehicle out of storage and gas it up.
Local riders invited to a sneak preview of the trails in June were impressed.
“It’s got potential to be something really, really nice,” said Sean Habas, vice president of the S.C. Off-Road Enthusiasts.
Habas wondered how the developers can pump so much money into the park and still charge a reasonable fee. Fees tentatively have been set at $25 a day or $35 a weekend, Blank said.
Rental fees haven’t been set. At Durhamtown, motorcycle and ATV rentals run from $65 to $140 per day.
A professional feasibility study indicated a growing market for high-end facilities for off-roaders. Blank believes ATVs will go the way of Harley-Davidsons, the classic motorcycles once associated with greasers and now popular with middle-class riders.
Industry figures indicate the number of off-road motorcycles and ATVs in the country jumped from 2.9 million in 1993 to 8 million in 2003.
Barbara Parrish, owner of TNT Motorsports Park about 30 miles away, doesn’t view Carolina Adventure World as competition. She believes anything that encourages use of off-road vehicles will be good for her business.
“There’ll always be people who like the bigness of a place like that, and there’ll be people who like the intimacy of a place like ours,” Parrish said.
Carolina Adventure World certainly is big, stretching from U.S. 21 below Mitford nearly to I-77 at exit 46. It’s a little larger than Harbison State Forest in Richland County. The terrain varies from flat sections that parallel creeks to steep climbs to the top of wooded ridge lines.
The size and the hilly terrain should limit noise concerns for the few neighbors in this sparsely populated area. With the park entrance just a few miles off I-77, the additional traffic should impact few residents.
Fairfield County officials welcome the park, hoping it will prompt cottage industries such as hotels and apparel stores nearby. “We are so excited,” said Terry Vickers, director of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce. “The economic impact is going to be tremendous.”
She imagines families taking a break from riding to visit the S.C. Railroad Museum or tour historic downtown Winnsboro. “We’re trying to develop our art galleries and restaurants so that when these people come into town, they have something to do.”
Off-road enthusiasts might someday be able to come into town on their ATVs or motocross cycles. State and county officials have discussed linking Carolina Adventure World to Winnsboro, Great Falls and Ridgeway through a series of trails and abandoned dirt roads.
But first, Wilburn and associates have to get the initial phase open. They expect to start slowly with invited guests in December, throw open the gates in 2007 and turn the area into a national destination by the end of the decade.
“You go to state and federal park lands now and you’ll find a deteriorating trail system,” Blank said. “They don’t want to be in that business. We do.”
Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366.
In our local paper today.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14955750.htm
Motorcycle, ATV park aims to be state’s newest tourism draw
By JOEY HOLLEMAN
jholleman@thestate.com
Standing on the Fairfield County plateau called Top of the World, you can see the shimmering water of Lake Wateree between the rolling hills on one side and the water tower in Winnsboro on the other side. At night, the lights of Columbia glimmer on the horizon.
But that view pales in comparison to Don Wilburn’s vision for Top of the World and nearly 2,600 acres around it.
Wilburn sees tens of thousands of people flocking to the site several times a year for national motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle racing events. He sees 2,000 people descending on the rolling hills on typical weekends to ride on 100 miles of forest trails.
He sees families staying in cabins and campsites, and eating in restaurants at the state’s newest tourism draw, Carolina Adventure World.
Wilburn and partner Jim Floyd already have spent $5 million, buying the land from International Paper in 2004 and hiring renowned designer Steve Uhles to help carve 60 miles of new trails. By December, another $3 million will be invested in a welcome center, cabins, campsites and a maintenance facility.
“We’re spending an awful lot of money for a market that does not exist at this moment,” said Jim Blank, the spokesman for the operation.
Most motorcycle and ATV trails in South Carolina, and throughout the Southeast, are on public property with minimal facilities. About 105 miles of motorized vehicle trails wind through five sites in state and national forests in South Carolina.
For-profit operations are rare. TNT Motorsports, with 18 miles of trails near Richburg, is the only well-publicized facility in the state open to the public.
But thousands of people ride ATVs and off-road motorcycles on their own property — or often illegally on others’ property. At many hunt clubs in the state, there are two major seasons, deer and ATV.
So why hasn’t someone tried to capitalize on that pent-up demand for trails with a large-scale park before?
“There’s never been anyone cheeky enough that had the bucks to do it,” Blank said. “(Wilburn) is taking a gamble.”
Born in Union County, Wilburn is an entrepreneur who made money in auto repair shops, carwashes, mini-storage facilities and property management, mostly in the Charlotte area.
About five years ago, he took an ATV ride with his grandchildren in Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had for the money,” said Wilburn, 67.
While he didn’t buy the Fairfield County land specifically with an off-road vehicle park in mind, he and his associates recognized it had the perfect landscape for trails. Lots of hills and creeks, a variety of soils and a rural setting.
As they began talking about the best use for the property, an ATV park emerged. Wilburn insisted it be done on a grand scale.
“I try to do everything first class,” Wilburn said. “I always felt if you get a notch above the others it pays off in the long run.”
The closest similar facility is Durhamtown Plantation Sportsman’s Resort, about an hour west of Augusta. Durhamtown offers more than 100 miles of trails and amenities such as a lodge, cabins and a cafeteria.
Russ Ehnes, executive director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, said trail parks with these types of amenities are a growing trend, “particularly in the Eastern states because there’s not that many opportunities to ride on public land.”
Blank pledges Carolina Adventure World’s cabins and lodge will be less rustic than Durhamtown’s. Plans call for three restaurants, including one with a waterfall at Top of the World. A storage facility will allow visitors to leave their ATVs or motorcycles. They can call ahead to a concierge, who will pull their vehicle out of storage and gas it up.
Local riders invited to a sneak preview of the trails in June were impressed.
“It’s got potential to be something really, really nice,” said Sean Habas, vice president of the S.C. Off-Road Enthusiasts.
Habas wondered how the developers can pump so much money into the park and still charge a reasonable fee. Fees tentatively have been set at $25 a day or $35 a weekend, Blank said.
Rental fees haven’t been set. At Durhamtown, motorcycle and ATV rentals run from $65 to $140 per day.
A professional feasibility study indicated a growing market for high-end facilities for off-roaders. Blank believes ATVs will go the way of Harley-Davidsons, the classic motorcycles once associated with greasers and now popular with middle-class riders.
Industry figures indicate the number of off-road motorcycles and ATVs in the country jumped from 2.9 million in 1993 to 8 million in 2003.
Barbara Parrish, owner of TNT Motorsports Park about 30 miles away, doesn’t view Carolina Adventure World as competition. She believes anything that encourages use of off-road vehicles will be good for her business.
“There’ll always be people who like the bigness of a place like that, and there’ll be people who like the intimacy of a place like ours,” Parrish said.
Carolina Adventure World certainly is big, stretching from U.S. 21 below Mitford nearly to I-77 at exit 46. It’s a little larger than Harbison State Forest in Richland County. The terrain varies from flat sections that parallel creeks to steep climbs to the top of wooded ridge lines.
The size and the hilly terrain should limit noise concerns for the few neighbors in this sparsely populated area. With the park entrance just a few miles off I-77, the additional traffic should impact few residents.
Fairfield County officials welcome the park, hoping it will prompt cottage industries such as hotels and apparel stores nearby. “We are so excited,” said Terry Vickers, director of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce. “The economic impact is going to be tremendous.”
She imagines families taking a break from riding to visit the S.C. Railroad Museum or tour historic downtown Winnsboro. “We’re trying to develop our art galleries and restaurants so that when these people come into town, they have something to do.”
Off-road enthusiasts might someday be able to come into town on their ATVs or motocross cycles. State and county officials have discussed linking Carolina Adventure World to Winnsboro, Great Falls and Ridgeway through a series of trails and abandoned dirt roads.
But first, Wilburn and associates have to get the initial phase open. They expect to start slowly with invited guests in December, throw open the gates in 2007 and turn the area into a national destination by the end of the decade.
“You go to state and federal park lands now and you’ll find a deteriorating trail system,” Blank said. “They don’t want to be in that business. We do.”
Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366.