World’s Largest Porch Swing ranks in the top ten of Heritage Highway 136 Attractions

The Heritage Highway 136 Byway Association held its January meeting in Hebron at Courtyard Terrace. Representatives from Webster, Thayer, Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee and Johnson counties and the Nebraska Tourism Commission were in attendance. Marketing strategies for the upcoming 2014 tourism season were discussed, along with a recap of 2013 events and statistics.
Julie Katz, owner of Main Street Consulting Group of Fairbury and administrator of the Heritage Highway web site reported on the top keyword searches that led potential visitors from search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo to the association’s website, www.HeritageHighway136.com. The Trail of Treasures flea market and garage sale event along Highway 136 ranked highest in overall searches, followed by Cedar Creek Pottery near Beatrice, the World’s Largest Porch Swing in Hebron, Arbor Manor Steakhouse in Auburn and Old Bank Coffee Shop in Nelson.
“While the Trail of Treasures Flea Market and Garage Sale event dominated the ranks, several other attractions along the byway held positions in the top ten consistently the entire year,” Katz said.
According to industry experts, travelers are looking for unique and interesting experiences. The communities along Nebraska’s Heritage Highway contain many hidden gems that can now be found online.
“The ability to see how visitors use online tools to find businesses and attractions in our community is quite fascinating and really drives home the importance of having an online presence. It is the goal of the Heritage Highway Association to continue to expand the information offered on the website and we need more volunteers to help us accomplish that,” said Association president, Jay Hall of Red Cloud.
Tourism-based businesses and individuals are encouraged to join the Heritage Highway Association and take advantage of the collective marketing programs that it offers, both online and in print. Information on membership and the other programs and services that Heritage Highway Association offers is available at www.HeritageHighway136.com.
The Heritage Highway 136 Byway spans a 238 mile stretch of Nebraska Highway 136 from Brownville to Edison and was designated a scenic byway in 1999.