Coal may no longer be king, but for these former mining communities, tourism is changing the tide.
It may now be a political tinderbox , but from the eighties to the 1950s , King Coal reigned supreme . At one point , the black carbon rock’n’roll ply two thirds of the power in the US alone , and as the indigence grew , so - called " ember towns ” popped up around the world .
Throughout the world , these godsend towns — often have and operate by the coal companies themselves — were discombobulate together at a loyal pace whenever new mining prospects were detected . They grow quickly , then cauterise out just as rapidly when their mines were abandoned in the second one-half of the 20th century . Some ran out of coal , while others were quashed as born gas pedal became a more pop variety of vim . In recent years , support for solar and wind instrument energy has contributed to even more loss in the ember industriousness , which all the same still provides about18 % of the US ’s poweryearly .
So what happens when a booming ember town goes bust ? Somebecome ghost township . But others find new ways to flourish beyond the grave and dirty life of fossil fuels . Around the globe , formerly sooty Newmarket have seriously cleaned up their act and become terminus unto themselves . Some have sweep up the past tense . Others have made a pivot man toward ecotourism . And all are worth a visit .
Photo courtesy of Roxanne Taylor Media
Tri-Cities, Kentucky
Nothing evoke mental image of a ember Ithiel Town more than rural Appalachian Kentucky . In theTri - Cities — what topical anesthetic call the three Harlan County town of Cumberland , Benham , and Lynch — nobody is looking to erase that past . They do desire to reinvent it , though .
Tri - Cities was once the largest society - possess minelaying townspeople in the macrocosm . The three modest villages share a master street that wind along a creek . It ’s picturesque and idyllic , yet when the coal industriousness began to decline , those shared master street becameghost towns . But not for long . In 2018 , the region mark a $ 2.55 - millionAbandoned Mine Lands Pilot Grantand used it to translate itself into an ecotourism terminus .
Today , visitant will find a vast web of trails for outside adventuring . Kingdom Come State Parkhas primitive campsites , hiking , biking , and sportfishing . There are also activities for more adventurous traveler such asKentucky ’s highest ziplineandoff - road ATV adventures . For those interested in mining chronicle , mine tours are available atPortal 31 , where visitors can sit through one of the state ’s most prominent mines in rail cars for a unfeignedly subterraneous experience .
Visit Harlan County
Shire of Collie, Western Australia
Coal was also baron Down Under — at least for a while . Now some Australian ember towns are beef up their tourism game to contend with morepopular hotspot in the country . InShire of Collie , tourists will happen productive mining account , adventurous outdoor activities galore , and an candid embracement of art .
This region of Western Australia is live for hiking and biking trail that wind up through the bush , white - water rafting , and canoeing and kayaking on clear , pristine lakes . For a taste of the area ’s creative intent , theCollie Mural Trailis a winding art exhibit feature more than 30 Australian artist that tells the story of the state ’s premier coal mining townsfolk and boast thelargest dam muralin the world . For more story , there is also theCoalfields Museumand theReplica Underground Coal Minetour , which give a common sense of what life was like during the stature of the coal industry .
The area is ground byWellington National Park , which is where the majority of out-of-door adventures can be regain . A $ 10 million AUD regime investing has also expanded trails and tracks to solidify Collie ’s status as a top destination for slew rockers . Collie has a encompassing variety ofguest houses and inns , as well as camping site within the national park and hostels for backpackers passing through .
Kingdom Come State Park
While in Collie , do n’t miss the stunningBlack Diamond Lake . This former strip mine fill up with water when it was decommissioned in the 1950s , and its unique turquoise color has made it popular for alone pic ops .
Seaham, Durham Heritage Coast, England
begin in the 1830s , coal became a major industry in northeast England , and Durham ’s coastline pioneered new method to mine the area ’s deep ember seams . ember din throughout the nineteenth century , and towns like Seaham grew rapidly to support the miners and their families — at the disbursal of the area ’s pristine beauty . At one point , giant scoria heaps ( pile of earthen waste exit over from mining ) start to overcome local beaches .
When the mine begin to close in the early 1990s , the surround area receive a striking economic loss to complement the grand hurt make for on the natural landscape — it got so spoilt that the bleakAlien 3filmed its depressing possible action sequence on the so - called Blas Beach .
Today , the townspeople of 20,000 is making a comeback through touristry . A £ 10 millioninvestmentcleaned up the sooty beach and restored habitats . Now visitors come to Seaham to enjoy the coastline . It ’s famed for itsabundance of sea glassthat draws collector . For story buff , Beamish , The Living Museum of the Northtells the story of the neighborhood with costumed actor .
Photo by Denzil Heeger
Seaham Marinaholds intimately 100 boats , making it a maritime hotspot for traveller . There are plenty of places to stay and deplete , but the regalSeaham Hall Hotelwas namedbest pocket-size hotel of the yearby VisitEngland in 2022 .
Scranton, Pennsylvania
It ’s not surprising that this Rust Belt metropolis — easily the largest on this lean — is also reinvent its image in the decline of ember . A special type of coal calledanthracitefueled industrial enterprise of the United States , and much of it was mined in northeast Pennsylvania , which today is plausibly most notable as the setting ofThe Office . Yet even Dunder Mifflin ’s dramatic event has nothing on the rising and fall of Scranton ’s coal industry .
For a close look at the coal - excavation history of the city , thePennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museumis a must . And the nearbyLackawanna County Coal Minegives you an even closer spirit by send you 300 foot below the control surface to learn how Scranton helped fuel the nation for X .
While the past times is entrancing , current - twenty-four hours Scranton is very much deserving explore , too . TheMarketplace at Steamtownhas the Electric City Aquarium , play country , and theScranton Public Marketfeatures various food stands and other vendors . It ’s also home to theSteamtown National Historic Site , which explores the chronicle of steam wagon train change of location — including a ride on a historical steam check itself . When visiting , do by yourself to a stay at theRadisson Lackawanna Station Hotel , which is situated in a historical train station and is central to Scranton ’s top tourist spots .
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Scranton is situated contiguous to the popularPoconos Mountains , and the urban center has capitalized on having the ski destination in its backyard . The Poconos have attraction such asCamelback Resort , which boasts skiing and snow tubing as well as an indoorandoutdoor waterslide ballpark . There ’s rustic glamping , skiing , and high ropes escapade at nearbyBlue Mountain Resort , as well as both aKalahariandGreat Wolf Lodgefor indoor wintertime fun .
Beckley, West Virginia
This old mining town of 17,000 has reinvented itself as an outdoorsy , artsy niggling hub in “ savage and wonderful ” West Virginia . AtTamarack Marketplace , visitant will obtain handmade Appalachian folk art as well as local delicacies like fried catfish and seared bologna melts . To explore the Ithiel Town ’s mining past , theBeckley Exhibition Coal Minefeatures undercover tours as well as a hands - on early days museum that ’s situated in a string of old box railway car .
Beckley ’s biggest attractor is its proximity to popular the fresh mintedNew River Gorge National Park , which itself is home to the coal - minelaying shade town of Thurmond . It ’s also home to some of the gravid white water in the world . Each autumn , water is periodically released from Summersville Lake in what has become an internationally - know whitewater consequence calledGauley Season . For less experienced rafters , lower stretches of the river or portions of New River are a swell founding to rafting .
bivouacking resorts likeACE Adventure ResortandAdventures on the Gorgeprovide packages that include accommodate and guided rafting trips to make the process wide-eyed , and visitors can evenwalk(harnessed ) on the catwalk under New River Gorge Bridge , which is the longest individual - wicked bridge circuit in the westerly cerebral hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the United States . The third Saturday in October each twelvemonth , the bridge circuit is closed to dealings for BASE jumping and ziplining in an event have it off asBridge Day .
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Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
In Hauts - Delaware - France , Nord - Pas - de - Calais has a unique and difficult history tied to coal minelaying . The many small villages that dot northerly France were all rooted in coal mining for decade . The flat landscape has long been marred by terrils , or slag quite a little , that tower like manmade mountains over the intact orbit . Stark and unusual , they ’ve been designated aUNESCO World Heritage Site .
Since the decline of ember , Nord - Pas - First State - Calais has turned to ecotourism to boost its economy . Nature has tug back on industrialisation , and the slag oodles are now mature flora and innkeeper some mintage unique to the sphere such asnatterjack toadsandEurasian nightjarbirds . One terril in Noeux - les - Mines boasts anartificial ski side , while others pull climbers and adventure seekers looking for a stellar sentiment . Chardonnay grapes grow on the slope of one slag heap in Rieulay . local have dubbed the time of origin “ Charbonnay ” after the French word for coal , charbon .
Visitors can eat their way through Nord - Pas - Delaware - Calais , as Hauts - de - France as a whole has been named as aEuropean Region of Gastronomyfor 2023 , with each village boast its own unparalleled bistro and restaurants . deposit is abundant and diverse , ranging from received hotel to theCouvent des Minimes Alliance Lille , a stunning hotel situated under a glass pyramid rear over a 17th 100 convent .
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Photo courtesy of Lackawanna County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Steamtown National Historic Site
Adventures on the Gorge
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Béthune Bruay Tourisme
