Published: August 19, 2008 09:13 am      

Cumberland Falls wins honors in magazine contest

Special to The Times-Tribune

FRANKFORT — Three Kentucky state resort parks recently received recognition as being among the top places in the Blue Ridge Mountains region from a magazine that covers the nine-state area stretching from Maryland to Alabama.

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park near Corbin and Natural Bridge State Resort Park at Slade each earned top Platinum Awards from readers of Blue Ridge Country magazine. Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville won a second place Gold Award in the same Best State Parks category in the Best of the Blue Ridge competition. 

“We are excited about this honor,” said Natural Bridge Park Manager Ron Vanover. “We are also glad that Pine Mountain State Resort Park and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park were chosen as well. Kentucky is committed to being the nation’s finest in state parks.”

 The magazine, which is published bi-monthly in Roanoke, Va. and has a readership of 425,000, featured the Best of the Blue Ridge award winners in its July/August 2008 issue.

 Blue Ridge Country, which marks its 20th anniversary this month, tallied reader votes submitted through mailed paper ballots and the magazine’s Web site.

The Best State Parks category honored three parks in each of the nine states. Blue Ridge Country conducts the vote every five years and also recognizes readers’ favorite places to eat, overnight, hike, bike, camp, wildlife watch and more.