We all float down here….on the Tug Fork River, we mean!
Get your flamingo float, kayak, canoe, or whatever “floats your boat” and come join the fun! Don’t own something to float on? No worries! A couple of groups will be there with float or kayak rentals!
The 3rd annual Hatfield-McCoy House Flotilla on the Tug Fork River is scheduled for Saturday, June 22nd. Participants will launch at 10am from the Hatfield McCoy Park in Buskirk, Kentucky. The float ends at Burnwell Beach in Burnwell, Kentucky. Did we mention this event is free?!
Jessica and Chris Hackney, owners of the Hatfield & McCoy House located in Williamson, West Virginia say they didn’t choose the Flotilla, the Flotilla chose them!
“We stumbled across a photo online of a flotilla. We joked about how fun it would be to get a bunch of people together and float down the Tug. By the end of the evening, we had a group who planned to do just that, “says Jessica.
The couple explained that they had no idea this was tourist niche. For the first flotilla they figured it would be a bunch of locals, but they had around 125 participate and many had traveled several hours to enjoy a day on the river!
Jessica explains, “The second year, we had an even more unexpected turnout. Well over 300 showed up from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and even Seattle. I couldn’t say exactly when the economic impact was, but I know folks were booking rooms in Williamson, Logan, Gilbert, and Pikeville just for the flotilla.”
Chris and Jessica hope to see this event continue to grow over the years and would like to eventually offer multiple group floats each year. This husband and wife duo definitely have a heart for tourism and showing others what the Tug Valley area has to offer.
“My favorite thing about the float is also my favorite thing about the tourism industry- meeting new people. Around here we don’t just “meet” visitors. We invite them in, give them a shot of moonshine, and love them like family,” says Jessica.
Visit the Tug Valley area and become part of our family. We’ll see you on the Tug Fork!
For more details on the flotilla, visit the event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/397931650965777/?ti=icl
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