Tourism still consistent in winter
On Tuesday afternoon, Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, was stuck in lane-spanning traffic as he was driving through Cranberry Township.
For him, the sight of heavy traffic isn't completely aggravating, but a good sign for tourism because it demonstrates the desire of people to be out in Butler County.
“The traffic here is backed up lane to lane,” Cohen said, “but it's nice to know people are conducting business no matter what time of year.”
According to Cohen, the county still gets a consistent level of visitation throughout the winter months, despite Butler not being the warm, sunny winter reprieve most people would seek.
Cohen said state parks — Moraine, McConnells Mill and Jennings Environmental Education Center — are winter destinations many out-of-towners seek year-round. Moraine offers cross country skiing, and Jennings offers snowshoe hiking.
“Ice fishing is the big hit, hiking in the snow is big,” Cohen said. “Tons of people come in to utilize the parks and a lot of people want to go shopping too because they can.”
Miranda Crotsley, program coordinator at Jennings Environmental Education Center, said the park starts renting out snowshoes Dec. 1, or the first snowfall of at least six inches, which brings in people looking for a unique hiking experience.
“We do have some winter hikes coming up, and if there is enough snow we have the snowshoes to use,” she said. “Later toward January and February, we get a little more active with snow shoeing.”
Cohen said hotel occupancy right now is at around 62% in the county, which is up from this same time last year. While those rates trend higher in the summer, due to signature county events such as the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival and the Big Butler Fair, the winter has some niche events and programs as well.
He said the Butler County Symphony Orchestra and Butler County Parks and Recreation offer experiences that are comparable to Pittsburgh events.
“You close your eyes and you can't tell the difference between them and Pittsburgh,” Cohen said of Butler's symphony orchestra. “There are things we have that are staples.”
Aside from special events and organized entertainment, Cohen said Butler County's shops and restaurants almost always are busy in the winter, if for no other reason than they offer reprieve from the cold winter air. The tourism bureau continuously promotes Butler County businesses, which helps to keep interest in them alive.
“They can go inside and have something warm to drink, all those kinds of things are there,” he said. “There are great opportunities all through winter. I think it's like 450-plus businesses we talk about now, and as we continue to do our job, more people want to come visit.”
