U.S. 23 Heritage route Web site under development

Community members from towns along U.S. 23 from Standish to Mackinaw City have been working together to develop and promote the U.S. 23 Sunrise Side Coastal Highway Heritage Route. Over the last several years, teams in each county have been working toward priority projects, one of which is to develop a Web site and printed materials to promote the Heritage Route from the regional and community-specific perspective. Recently, teams in each county (Alpena, Alcona, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Iosco and Arenac) have been working with the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) to develop a Web site and printed materials highlighting features along the U.S. 23 Heritage Route.

THE NEW Web site will enable Web users to access information about coastal northeast Michigan counties. It will feature Interactive Web maps with detail, which is not typically found on most internet-based mapping sites. The interactive web maps will allow a user to zoom in and out of all areas along the coastal counties to get detailed information all along the coast. The user will be able to turn map layers on and off in order to view information about northeast Michigan making it easier to plan their trip. For example, if a user would like to see only parks, trails, lighthouses and restaurants on the map, they will turn on those layers and can print their own map.

IN ADDITION, users will be able to click on the map features to link to a business, park, or visitor Web site to gather even more detailed information about the site or activity they are interested in. Currently, the groups are working to gather information on all tourism-related businesses throughout the area aroun

d U.S. 23 in the six counties. Any business interested in having their establishment placed on the map is urged to contact NEMCOG. Businesses can download a Web site participation form on the current Alcona County Heritage Route Web site at: http://www.us23coastalhighway.com/interactivemap.htm or at NEMCOG?s website www.nemcog.org.

Any tourism-related businesses (restaurants, lodging, service, recreation, shopping, etc.) can submit participation forms and can be featured on the Web site at no charge. The business will be placed on the map and a link will be provided to the business?s Web site if they have one.

IF THE business does not have a Web site, a pop-up screen will be created containing the business name, location, contact information, short description, amenities available and a photo. This Web site is just the beginning in the promotional efforts of the Heritage Route teams. Printed materials (brochures, maps), standardized kiosks/signage along the entire route, and the development of ?themed? tours are among the plans for the Heritage Route teams. Please note that the new Web site is not available for public viewing at this time. Web site development and mapping will continue throughout the summer and the teams hope to have it up and running in the late fall of 2008.