The votes are in, and the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism is pleased to announce the winners of its third annual Oil Region Tourism Awards.

The winners are:
Best Dish – Breakfast Sandwich at Woods & River Coffee, Oil City; Best Drink – Cold Brew Coffee at Woods & River, Oil City; Best Room – Wildcat Mansion, Franklin; Best Shop – Cross & Co. Boutique, Seneca; Best Advocate – Jodi Baker Lewis; Best Partner – Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce; Best Must See/Do Attraction – Barrow Civic Theatre, Franklin; Best Landmark – Drake Well Museum & Park, Titusville

“This contest is really taking off,” said Emily Altomare, Communications and Tourism Manager for the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism (ORA). “We have more nominations than ever before, and it’s exciting to see so many first-time nominees.”

For the third year in a row, Best Dish and Best Drink was won by the same establishment. This year it was newcomer Woods and River Coffee, in Oil City. Previous winners were Trails to Ales in Franklin and Villa Italia Ristorante in Oil City.

Cross & Co. Boutique in Seneca won for Best Shop in 2021 and 2023, and Drake Well won for Best Landmark in 2021 and 2023, making them the first repeat winners in the history of the contest.

Winners from the 2022 contest were not eligible to be nominated this year in the same category.

As the designated tourism marketing organization for Venango County and the manager of the Oil Region National Heritage Area (ORNHA), the ORA facilitates the contest. Nominees and winners must be within the ORNHA, which includes all of Venango County, plus Titusville, Oil Creek Township, and Hydetown in Crawford County.

There are no cash prizes for the winners, but nominees and winners are promoted through the ORA’s social media and other marketing efforts.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners!

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s October 2023 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.