Wayne County cabin resort hopes to have a ripple effect on local economy

Genoa, W.Va. (WOWK) A relatively new cabin resort in Wayne County offers its guests the opportunity to get away from it all, but one of the owners said the resort is also creating new opportunities for the small communities that surround it.

Rustic Ravines -cabin resort is secluded in the hills of Genoa,WV

Joe Boffo, COO of Rustic Ravines and part owner, said the cabin resort is a great weekend getaway for people who have a love for the outdoors and want to keep city life in their rear view mirror.

“There isn’t any place like this around here. We are the only private investors to come in here and build cabins in this area”.

The resort opened its doors in 2017 and is small right now with only nine cabins, a pavilion, and gazebo.

Boffo said that so far more than 600 guests have stayed at the resort, to take part in ATV tours, hunting, hiking, and fishing.

Guests can stay for the day, weekend, or even a month.

The resort is open year round, and it is in the business of accommodating to its guests needs.

Boffo said right now most of the guests are young with deep pockets who can afford to rent out cabins that go for more than $200 a night, but there are discounts for extended stays.

“We get a lot of millennials. . . we get a lot of baby boomers. . . a lot of people from Columbus, OH and the Midwest. . . they are coming from everywhere”.

Starting next weekend (August 24 and 25) Rustic Ravines will be offering its guests a new experience, “The Big Zipper”.

It’s a half mile long zip line, 200 feet off the ground, and patrons will be riding up to 60 mph, while getting one heck of an adrenaline rush.

“We felt we needed to have at least one attraction or super attraction. There is fishing and hunting but we needed something that was unique for us,” said Boffo.

The West Virginia native said he originally saw the resort as a great investment opportunity, but now he is seeing it as a gateway attraction that all the small communities in county in need of economic boost can feed off of. 

“Lavalette, Wayne, Genoa, Dunlow, Fort Gay, East Lynn are all going to prosper from this. I think there’s going to be a ripple effect,” said Boffo.

He also said that he has heard that local businesses like Wallace Country Boy Market in Genoa are already seeing some benefits from the resort.

“I think there business is up, and I think other people are starting to notice,” said Boffo.

The COO said he and his partners, Paul and Christy Liimata, have even more development planned for the resort, such as a sports bar, RV park, and Alpine Coaster.

Boffo said he and his partners own about 300 acres and have invested $2.1 million into the resort so far, and plan to invest $20 million in the next few years.

He said they have filed for a grant to fund some of their future projects, and they are still waiting to hear back on it.

Stay with 13 News for the latest on this developing story