Holmes County outdoor attractions boost health, economy, and equity

Holmes County’s outdoor attractions are more than tourism draws. They are public health assets that promote physical activity, mental well being, and local economic resilience for residents and visitors alike. Paved multi use trail sections around Millersburg and Fredericksburg, seasonal orchard experiences at Hillcrest Orchard, the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum with outdoor sculpture trails, The Inn at Honey Run with outdoor dining and sculpture paths, Fire Ridge Golf Course, and Airport Ridge Sporting Clays all provide opportunities for walking, cycling, outdoor play, and socially distanced recreation.

These sites help reduce risk factors for chronic conditions by making active recreation accessible without a gym membership. They also support small businesses that rely on visitor spending, lodging, and event bookings. The Inn at Honey Run and family friendly museums offer overnight and daytime options that can extend local spending into hospitality and food service sectors. For community event planners, these venues create settings for outdoor gatherings that are safer for respiratory disease transmission than enclosed spaces.

At the same time, seasonal closures and uneven accessibility limit who benefits. Practical information such as addresses, hours, contact numbers, and notes on accessibility and seasonal considerations is available through local tourism resources. Even so, residents without private transportation, older adults, people with disabilities, and lower income households face barriers to use when trails and sites lack ADA improvements, public transit links, or consistent winter maintenance. Those gaps translate into unequal health benefits across Holmes County neighborhoods.

Public health and planning leaders can expand equity by prioritizing accessible trail connections to downtown Millersburg and Fredericksburg, improving signage and transit coordination, and supporting year round programming at sites that serve families and seniors. Investments in accessible restrooms, safe crossings, and clear seasonal scheduling would help more residents use outdoor spaces for daily exercise and social connection.

These outdoor resources are an important part of Holmes County’s social fabric. When access is intentional and inclusive, trails, orchards, sculpture gardens, golf and shooting sports can advance both community health and the local economy while preserving the county’s rural character.