OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer and an occasion of what normally adventure resorts have been waiting a whole year for, now have been waiting for two.
“Summer is our season here at ACE,” says Chris Colin, the special events coordinator for the resort. “We got a couple of hundred people out there whitewater rafting today, a bunch of people ziplining, there are probably close to a thousand people here at the resort this weekend camping, staying in cabins, getting out, and celebrating the kick-off to summertime.”
With the rapid vaccine rollouts and life slowly returning to normal, these adventure resorts like ACE and River Expeditions are gearing up for one of the busiest summers yet.
“So far our yearly revenue is up double over 2019, we compare nothing to 2020 because it was really a crazy year, so we’re looking at 2019 figures and we couldn’t be happier,” says Heather Johnson, owner of River Expeditions.
Not only will the resorts be anticipating more crowds after a year in quarantine, but they are also expecting to see a rise in visitors coming to check out the new national park in the New River Gorge.
“We have definitely been ramping up for a super busy year, now with the national park designation and people itching to get out of the house due to being cooped up for the last year, people want to be outside, they want to go to beautiful places, and that’s what we do here,” Colin says.
While the resorts are expecting to see an influx of people and a hectic season ahead, they are more than ready to be great hosts to all of these people pouring in. And everyone is ready for a summer to remember in the new New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
