Mid-Summer is here and it’s time to take stock in the things you still want to do before summer slips by. For those who enjoy trying new wines or craft beer, make sure you check off the list of spots to explore in your own backyard. The Mansfield/Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau recently welcomed a new location to the local Wine & Ale Trail. Laxton Hollow Brewing Works, one of only three cask ale breweries in the United States, offers a British-pub feel and is located in Lexington’s Happy Grape Wine Bar & Bistro. Launched in 2015, the Wine & Ale Trail features three wineries, two wine bars, and two breweries all located in Richland County.
The Wine & Ale Trail helps cross-promote businesses and makes it as easy as possible for visitors and residents to know about all the options to experience. “As we met with the area wineries and breweries, it became clear that a unified marketing effort benefits everyone. As a first step, the Convention & Visitors Bureau helped pull all the pieces together into a Wine & Ale Trail brochure in early fall. Visitors learn about the trail and request the brochure via MansfieldTourism.com; it’s available in our office, Visitor Information Center, and at events; and is distributed around the county and region. Naturally, each trail site displays the brochure at their business and some even hand it out when delivering a guest’s check,” said Kim Miers, CVB Marketing/Meetings Director.
Sites on the Trail include the 1285 Winery at The Blueberry Patch, Cypress Hill Winery, The Happy Grape Wine Bar and Bistro, Laxton Hollow Brewing Works, Phoenix Brewing Company, The Vault Wine Bar, and Wishmaker House Winery and Wine Bar.
Many of the locations along the Wine & Ale Trail tie into The Shawshank Trail, the area’s 14 filming sites from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Try a glass of Reformatory Red, Penitentiary Pinot Grigio, Redemption IPA, and Rooftop Lager at some of the Trail’s sites.
“The CVB continues to promote this travel niche in other ways too, including a beautiful collaborative print ad in SIP Magazine, social media, Facebook ads, and the trail even has its own section of MansfieldTourism.com. It’s been so successful, we’re in the process of reprinting again”, concluded Miers. For a copy of the Wine & Ale Trail brochure and more information, visit www.WineAleTrail.com or call 419-525-1300.
Written by Brigitte Meisse, CVB Intern