"Historically speaking, at least, there was been little to do in rural communities apart from hard labor and procreation and the occasional country fare or folk traditions."

That's a bunch of nonsense. How about hunting and fishing? How about rodeo and horse racing? How about making and enjoying cider and whiskey? How about cock and dog fighting? How about wrestling and gouging? How about quilting bees and church suppers? How about side hustles like tanning, harvesting maple syrup, and beekeeping? How about swimming and playing sports, since they had the water and the room? People could also gamble and read books just like the people in the city. The wealthy always had a country house for a reason.

Resorts began in the Catskills in the 19th Century so that people from the cities could escape to the countryside to do something besides work and drink. Of course when the automobile came along they could go somewhere in the countryside that didn't have a train station. The idea that people had to be talked into buying automobiles once they could afford them is nonsense too.