| Reviews and photos of West Virginia attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for West Virginia sightseeing. Map |
 | West Virginia Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 86 |  |
If you go, you should call and reserve a spot for you and your party. If just one or two people are going, you might not need to do this. But in Spetember I highly recommend doing so. Especially if you are driving a great distance to get there. Nothing would be worst than getting there and not being able to go rafting!!!
I use Appalachian Wildwaters. See link. Phone: 800-624-8060Directions: Outfitter is located about 20 miles north of Beckley West Virginia on state road 19. See website for additional directions.Website: http://www.awrafts.com/
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 Tamarack's main entrance on a
winter's night by kevanrijn, 4 more photos
You can shop, dine, watch craft demonstations, attend theatre performances & look at exhibits in the gallery. You will see stunning items for sale, including textiles, agricultural products, glass, pottery, wood, metal, jewelry, quilts, & wearable art. There are things available in a wide variety of price ranges. For example, Tamarack has coffee tables for sale which ring up at a mere $18,000--I've seen some of them--they are truly works of art! But there are more reasonably priced items too. There are six artisan studios at which resident artists pursue their craft. Currently they have a blacksmith, potter, woodworking husband/wife team who make musical instruments, a glassblower and a texile artisan in residence.
If you are hungry, the food court is called "A taste of West Virginia." This is no fast-food type food court--it's managed by the world famous Greenbrier Resort & is staffed with true chefs. The menu features regional specialties. A sample of the menu offerings and prices: "Appalachian Mountain Burger with Red Eye Country Ham, Fried Green Tomatoes, Swiss Cheese, and Real McCoy Mustard Sauce. Served with Golden French Fries and Dill Pickle Spear.....$7.95 Sandwich Only.....$6.95" Or how about "Pan-Fried Fillet of West Virginia Rainbow Trout with Your Choice of Two Side Dishes.....One Fillet $8.95..Two Fillets $13.95" You can get less expensive meals than these--the two fillets of rainbow trout are the only thing I've seen on the menu priced over $10.
This is a wonderful place to buy souvenirs of West Virginia. Check out the website listed below for current exhibits and events and further information. Address: One Tamarack Park, Beckley, WV 25801Phone: 304-256-6843Directions: From I-77/64 (WV Turnpike), take exit 45. Tamarack is the round building with the funky spiked orange/red roof on top of the hill at the end of the exit ramp. You can't get lost--from the interstate it dominates the landscape--you can't help seeing it.Website: http://tamarack.terradon.com/default.aspx Other Contact: 1-88 TAMARACK
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There's so much to do and see in Parkersburg, I have a separate travel page for it. Check out my Parkersburg pages for tips on where to eat, things to do, etc. No matter what your interests, you can find something to enjoy in Parkersburg & the surrounding areas.
Have daughters? They will probably enjoy a tour of the Middleton Doll Factory, just across the river in Belpre, Ohio. Sons? They might enjoy a visit to the People's Mortuary Museum in Marietta, Ohio or a visit to the Oil and Gas Museum in Parkersburg. Interested in glass? Fenton Glass Factory is 10 miles north of Parkersburg--and 2007 is their 100th anniversary year so they will be having special events and sales. Into woodworking? Woodcrafters has a shop in Parkersburg. Like to cycle? North Bend rail trail begins/ends in Parkersburg.
If you like history--tour the Blennerhassett Island, mansion & museum. If you are into architecture, Parkersburg has several historic districts, and one of them, Julia-Ann Square, has the largest concentrated grouping of Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne mansions in the entire state of West Virginia. Interested in ghost hunting? Parkersburg has active ghost hunting groups and a large number of haunted buildings/locales.
I've just scratched the surface...I could keep going but you have probably already quit reading! There are festivals galore: the Mid-Ohio Cultural Festival in June; West Virginia Interstate Fair & Exposition in July; the Parkersburg Homecoming Festival August 16-17, 2007; West Virginia Honey Festival on August 25-26, 2007; Harvest Moon Arts & Crafts Festival in September; and, of course, Holiday In The Park, Parkersburg's holiday season light display in City Park.
Then there's the shopping: Grand Central Mall with over 100 stores, theatre and food court; Coldwater Creek's clearance outlet, near the Mineral Wells area; the Middleton Doll factory outlet, Fenton glass factory outlet...and so on. There are lots of local merchants with boutiques and specialty shops that will well repay a visit too. Address: Parkersburg, WV I-77 and US 50Phone: 304-428-1130Directions: Parkersburg is roughly bordered by the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers and mostly lies between I-77 and US 50.Website: http://www.greaterparkersburg.com/index.html Other Contact: 1-800-752-4982
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 A night view of Lincoln
walks at midnight by kevanrijn,
2 more photos
A statue honoring Abraham Lincoln and telling of his role in the making of the state is placed outside the West Entrance to the Capitol in Charleston. Titled "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight" it portrays Lincoln in his bathrobe, pacing the floor (No, I am NOT making this up!) and is based on a poem written by Vachell Lindsay. Go see the statue...you get a real sense of him as human being and not such as sense of him being a giant magisterial presence (such as you feel after seeing the statue of him at the Lincoln Memorial). Address: 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305Phone: 1-800-CALL-WVADirections: Exit 99 on Interstate 77/64, one mile east of where I-64 and 77 join together in Charleston. The Lincoln statue is facing the Kanawha River.Website: http://www.wvtourism.com/spec.aspx?pgID=80
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 Vintage photo of the Fenton
glass factory by kevanrijn, 4 more photos
Fenton Art glass is one of the last family owned glass factories and the largest handmade glass factory in the United States. They make handblown and pressed glass both. Fenton offers free factory tours (highly rated) and has a gift shop and glass museum on site at their Williamsburg factory. Even if you aren't interested in actually learning to make glass yourself, Fenton is still a fascinating place to visit.
Contact Jena L Blair at 1-800-319-7793 extension 311 or jena@fentongiftshop.com for details on the Festival or on the glassmaking school. Visit my homepage and view my personal photo album on Fenton glass for more details on this delightful place. Address: 700 Elizabeth Street, Williamstown, WVPhone: 1-800-319-7793 ext. 311Directions: From I-77, take Exit 185. Follow WV Route 14 South through Williamstown. Stay on Route 14 South. Turn left on Henderson Avenue (at the stop light). Go two blocks, turn right on Elizabeth Street.Website: http://www.fentonartglass.com/news/fenton_fentonfest.htm Other Contact: email: jena@fentonigftshop.com
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 by lmkluqueLeave a Comment Address: I don't know the exact address--sorry!Directions: ...but I can tell you that the Church is on the highest hill in town!!
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 Blackwater Falls, West
Virginia by Stephen-KarenConn
The falls is surrounded by a State Park with a modern 54 room lodge, rental cabins, a campground, restaurant, indoor swimming pool, two gift shops, and picnic shelters. Hiking trails lead to two other waterfalls, Pendleton Falls and Elakala Falls, both within a half mile of the lodge. There are also several scenic overlooks along the gorge of the Blackwater River. Leave a Comment Address: P. O. Drawer 490, Davis, WV 26260Phone: 1-304-259-5216Directions: In the northeastern part of the state, off U.S. Hwy. 219Website: www.blackwaterfalls.com Other Contact: blackwtr@mountain.net
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The New River (which is in reality among the oldest rivers on the continent) is the site of a relatively new kind of National Park which encompasses the whole of a river. One of the Visitor's Centers is near Sandstone WV. The park contains over 70,000 acres of land along the New River.
The park is open year-round. Canyon Rim and Sandstone Visitor Centers are open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Thurmond Depot and Grandview operate seasonally from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Thurmond Depot's seasonal hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Grandview is open seasonally from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM.
You can see some of the park from the AMTRAK Cardinal which travels through New River Gorge on its route from New York, and some of the park is accessible from the road, but the majority of the river scenery and wildlife is only viewable from a boat. New River Gorge National River includes 53 miles of free-flowing New River, beginning at Bluestone Dam and ending at Hawks Nest Lake Leave a Comment
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Cathedral State Park, in the northeastern corner of West Virginia, contains one of the last remaining tracts of virgin timber in the state. Towering trees up to 90 feet in height and 21 feet in circumference provide a shady canopy for hiking, picnicking and nature study in this day-use park. Throughout the woods, eastern hemlock is the dominant species.
While passing through West Virgina on a road trip I stopped and hiked four of the six marked trails in this 133 acre park. The longest of the trails is just over one mile in length. Even though the eastern United States was in the grip of a heat wave at the time of my visit, the forest was relatively cool, being shaded and at an elevation varying from 2460 to 2620 feet.
More than 170 species of flowering plants have been catalogued in the park. I took photos of several, including hemlock trees, ferns and flowering rhododendron. More than 50 species of wildflower have been recorded here, plus numerous birds and animals. It is a great place to study nature in a setting so beautiful that it is called a Cathedral. Leave a Comment Address: Rt. 1 Box 370, Aurora, WV 26705Phone: 1-304-735-3771Directions: Cathedral State Park is located on U.S. Hwy 50 near Aurora, WV, a short distance west of the Maryland/West Virginia state line.Website: www.cathedralstatepark.com
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Fort Mulligan Civil War Site is a reminder that West Virginia saw much action during the War Between the States.
All that's left of what was once a very large "bombproof" fort is an impressive series of eatheworks. The Fort, as it exists today, was constructed from August through December 1863 by troops under the command of Colonel James A. Mulligan. He was from the Chicago, Illinois. Infantry, cavalry and artillery from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Illinois carried out the labor.
Easy walking trails lead the visitor around the ruins of Fort Mulligan and most of the site is accessible to wheelchairs. However, there are several areas that are inaccessible because of the steep terrain. Interpretative displays tell the story of both Union and Confederate troops who occupied this spot at various times, from 1861 - 1865.
The commanding views from the site of Fort Mulligan are reward enough for making a visit. The history of the things that happened here, and how they fit into the greater picture of the War Between the States, give cause for sober reflection. Leave a Comment
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