Two huge, multimillion-dollar developments - at the southern and northern fringes of the Four Rivers Business Journal coverage area - should go a long way to bolster the region’s already dynamic tourism industry.

Gov. Phil Bredesen will lead groundbreaking ceremonies at 10 a.m. July 1 for 50-acre, $100 million Discovery Park of America at 830 N. Everett Blvd. in Union City, Tenn. Slated to be open in 2010, the park will display the history of progress, art, nature and mankind. It will go up near the Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant, which draws about 20 percent of its workers from neighboring Fulton and Hickman counties.

A 15-story, multicolored observation tower will anchor a tourism center at the intersection of Interstate 69 and U.S. 51, which runs south from Fulton. Plans call for a world-class museum featuring regional, natural, transportation and Native American history; science, space and industry; military and wildlife displays; a congressional forum display; interactive section on alternate energy sources; an art gallery; and cafe/gift shop.

A conference and convention center will host trade and sports shows and business expos, stage entertainment events and seat 800 to 1,000 for banquets. Features of an outdoor park include antique car and aircraft displays, a pioneer village and botanical garden.

Union City businessman Robert Kirkland and his wife, Jenny, will use their foundation to pay for much of the work, backed by more than 300 volunteers.

“We truly believe that this is the biggest boom for tourism in this area since the earthquake that created Reelfoot Lake,” said Discovery Park Marketing Chairwoman Mary Nita Bondurant. Information: www.discoveryparkofamerica.com.

Two weeks ago, a group of firms used the Superman Festival in Metropolis, Ill., to announce a $100 million riverfront development project covering 35 acres near Harrah’s Metropolis Casino, which draws people from multiple states. The first phase of the project, expected to open in 2010, boasts an entertainment center and 140-room hotel. A second hotel, marina, conference facilities, retail space and riverwalk will follow in phases over the next four years, the group said.

“It’s the biggest thing I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I’ve been here all my life, 77 years,” Alderman Bill Carrell said.

This month’s journal is dedicated to tourism and its big economic impact on the region. Read more about the Metropolis project, as well as tourism trade in Paducah and the lakes area, in the pages to come.

Joe Walker is editor of the Four Rivers Business Journal. He can be contacted at 575-8656 or at jwalker@paducahsun.com