In a recent episode of Kentucky Tonight, we explored Eastern Kentucky tourism and how different counties in the region are attracting visitors.

Tonight, we'll take you to Boyd County to see how they're drawing in art and entertainment lovers.

Our Emily Sisk tells us more about what the county has to offer.

Where art meets adventure.

That's how Boyd County leaders describe their tourism scene.

At the core of that scene is the Paramount Arts Center, which has a 90 year old history of bringing entertainment to the region.

In my opinion, it is the jewel of the tri state.

In the early 1900s, Paramount Pictures film company decided to build a state of the art theater in each one of the 50 states.

They picked the location of each Paramount Arts Center based off what city they thought was going to thrive.

Because of the area's rich industries like steel and coal.

Paramount pictures decided on Ashland not because of the Great Depression.

Paramount pictures had to pause construction after finishing around a dozen theaters.

But Ashland has been the proud location of the arts center since 1931.

The preservation is maybe the most important part of the thing that we do here.

And so these murals that are actual honest to God murals with exhibits paint, every year they get redone and revisited.

Had some, some pretty major, work done probably 20 years ago now when they added the stage house.

Any traveling show, can any traveling theater show or any act has?

It's it's perfectly suited for that.

We had Tyler Childers in for a conference a few years ago.

My favorite concert that has ever been here.

Not a country music star, but Weird Al was incredible.

There's also an in-house theater group called the Paramount Players that puts on shows for the community.

For many northeast Kentuckians, the Paramount is an irreplaceable piece in the region's puzzle.

That of of all the places in town, that may be my favorite place, just to kind of.

Be music and the arts continue to shape for Boyd County tourism.

The county is now host to two major music festivals.

Rock the Country and Healing Appalachia.

Both events bring in world class musicians and many out of town visitors.

Being able to have Tyler Children's and Chris Stapleton perform.

Being able to have Nickelback and Kid Rock here, and a slew of other artists and just welcome people from all across the world to Boyd County.

We got a 50 mile radius of people staying in hotels.

For these festivals, but it's super cool just people coming from California, people coming from Ireland.

You couldn't get a hotel room from Mount Sterling to Charleston, West Virginia because of those events.

And in case the crowds of people don't sell the impact, the county has the dollar figures to back it up.

We'll probably add 50 to $55 million on economic impacts, specifically and tourism to our region because of two festivals.

Now, besides music, Boyd County also touts its adventure tourism.

One piece of that is Camp Landing.

The entertainment district has a Malibu Jax theme park, ax throwing movie theater, sports simulator and more, all on one property.

And they're still growing, with plans to add a sports complex, horse racing track and hotels in the near future.

For one piece of land.

It will be the biggest entertainment facility in the state of Kentucky.

The masterminds behind Camp Landing are Elizabeth and Jason Camp, who moved from coastal Florida to Boyd County.

We love the small town atmosphere.

We love the friendly people that are here.

But there was a lack of, you know, doing some things.

So the camps bought what was a vacant mall and turned it into an entertainment district.

We never in our wildest dreams would have thought we would have bought a dead mall and turned it into something like this.

I think it could be a model for all of Kentucky or Appalachia or even the country.

You know, retail is is struggling all over.

So, you know, just reinventing it.

And as visitors get further outside the city limits, they'll even find an off road track in rush, which is an unincorporated community on the edge of Boyd and Carter counties.

It's a 7000 acre off road park.

They have over 100 miles of trails.

We're going to welcome 50, 60,000 unique visitors a year to rush.

So with all the industries and attractions at hand, what helps Boyd County tourism stick together?

There was one loud answer.

It's the people.

It's always going to be the people.

The community is the one that keeps it going.

Tourism director Andrew Steele said if Boyd County prospers, then their neighbors in surrounding counties and states will succeed as well.

For Kentucky edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

Thank you Emily.

Beginning in 2026, the Paramount Arts Center in Boyd County will be operated by an Iowa based management company rather than the local board.

The city of Ashland announced the decision at the end of November.

And to see the full episode of Kentucky Tonight all about Eastern Kentucky tourism.

You can visit Katie Dawgs K-Y tonight.