visit west virginia travel guide

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Grave of literary genius Breece D’J Pancake uncelebrated at Milton

Hewn log cabins are West Virginia's ultimate historic architecture

Pastoral beauty of lower Kanawha Valley broadcast by W.Va. painter

Moon & Star pattern glassware from W.Va. attracting new audiences

Boat tours transport sightseers to view of New River Gorge Bridge

This scenic parkway explores some of West Virginia's highest peaks

Monongahela National Forest sets opening dates for recreation sites

New River Gorge national park in West Virginia now attracting more...

Historians in West Virginia baffled by strange cemetery monuments

Preservation programs will support leasing in Thurmond ghost town

Alliance declares historic stone walls across West Virginia "endangered"

"Worm Moon of March" lore is accurate, says West Virginia gardener

Historical open house set at Level Tavern near Lewisburg April 27

Remote monument recalls origins of Farley family in New River valley

Sibray says enthusiasm for West Virginia ramp festivals growing

The name 'Old Woman Run' in West Virginia boasts a surprising...

First B&B established in New River Gorge now for sale

Capon Springs offers 30-percent state resident discount

Glade Springs resort suspends operations until April 20

Beckley tourism leaders welcome Hilton hotel, growth

Capon Springs celebrates 88th season by changing very little

Governor helps fund 61 outdoor recreation projects in West Virginia

Registration open for "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" spring workshop

Despite river traffic, the scenic Ohio can be a safe kayaking...

Unique, single-leafed orchid sprouts in winter woodlands in West Virginia

West virginia travel guide.

Our West Virginia Travel Guide includes everything you'll need to arrange a West Virginia vacation in a matter of minutes. West Virginia Explorer is, in effect, a travel guide of many thousands of pages, but here we've consolidated information to help make trip-planning fast and easy. Additionally, we maintain a compendium of travel sources who can send information your way in a matter of minutes.

West Virginia Travel Tips

West Virginia is an easy state in which to travel. Its interstate expressways and highways are modern and well-marked. Its people are also friendly and will go out of their way to help you navigate and find food, shelter, and fun. The following are also sure to help you navigate with minimal effort: West Virginia Travel Tips .

Convention & Visitors Bureaus

Are you interested in arranging a vacation for a large number of people? Convention & Visitors Bureaus across the Mountain State provide prospective travelers with travel resources, especially where conventions and group travel planning is concerned:  Convention & Visitors Bureaus .

Fallout 76 Travel

Bethesda Softworks in 2018 unveiled the most recent in its series of Fallout role-playing video games titled Fallout 76 , which plays out in an alternate version of West Virginia. Many locales in the game, however, are based on real-world locations that players now visit. Follow along with our guide: Fallout 76 .

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The essential guide to visiting West Virginia

Here’s everything you need to know about the mountain state’s rushing rivers, Appalachian hikes, and historic cities.

Why you should visit West Virginia  

Towering mountains . Rushing rivers ideal for white-water rafting   (one of National Geographic’s top 20 Best of the World travel adventures for 2024 ). America’s newest national park . Appalachian cuisine   and folk music .

Best time to visit West Virginia

Spring : Late April through May, yellow trout lily, purple larkspur, and other wildflowers frame hiking paths such as the Blackwater River Trail in Canaan Valley Resort State Park , the Stone Cliff Trail in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve , or the Central Trail loop in   Cacapon Resort State Park .   It’s also ramps season , when the foraged wild onions headline on restaurant menus, at the Ramps and Rail Festival in Elkins, and even in allium-forward wine .

Summer : With the highest average elevation east of the Mississippi River, West Virginia often has pleasantly cool summer temperatures. In steamier weather, visitors chill out by white-water rafting on the Lower Gauley or Cheat Rivers or by tubing in the Shenandoah or Potomac Rivers . The West Virginia Waterfall Trail   spotlights cascades in places including Babcock State Park   and   Monongahela National Forest .

July festivals include the Sternwheel Regatta with boat races along the Kanawha River in Charleston and the Contemporary American Theater Festival of new plays in Shepherdstown.

Autumn:   Gauley Season opens 25 miles of the legendary river to rafters   in September and October—arrange a trip with   ACE Adventure Resort   or Adventures on the Gorge . Also thrilling: watching BASE jumpers hurl themselves off of the 3,030-foot long, 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge during the Bridge Day festival in Fayetteville.

See September and October’s peak fall foliage on scenic drives, hiking trails, or by riding restored trains, the Potomac Eagle and the New Tygart Flyer .

Winter:   In the eastern part of West Virginia, mountainous terrain (40 peaks above 4,000 feet!) and high average snowfalls attract skiers, sledders, and tubers. Downhill schussers and snowboarders head to Timberline Mountain   and Canaan Valley Ski Resort . Nearby, Blackwater Falls State Park appeals to families with a quarter-mile-long sled run and cabins with wood-burning fireplaces.  

Lay of the land

Cities and towns:   West Virginia is within a day’s drive of nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population. In its eastern panhandle, mountain-framed Berkeley Springs has been a spa town since colonial times and Shepherdstown has Civil War history, restaurants, and shops in rehabbed vintage buildings.  

Along the Monongahela River   in the northern part of the state,   Morgantown is home to scenic covered bridges, museums, and green spaces such as the West Virginia Botanic Garden .

The state capital, Charleston , at the confluence of the Kanawha and Elk Rivers in the southwestern part of the state, has waterside trails, street murals, and the Capitol Market ,   a   food and crafts bazaar in a vintage train station.

Southeast of Charleston in the Appalachian foothills, Beckley has been a coal mining hub since the late 19th century. Visitors can take mine tours or browse for local crafts at the Tamarack cultural center.

In the south central part of the state, Fayetteville ’s breweries, restaurants, and gear shops appeal to adventurers headed to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve next door.  

Parks:   New River Gorge National Park and Preserve opened in 2020 on 72,000 acres of wooded hills, deep ravines, and Appalachian plateau. The 63rd U.S. national park is popular with hikers, rafters, and mountain bikers.  

At the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in West Virginia’s easternmost corner, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park recreates and preserves the 19th-century railroad town where John Brown staged the 1859 rebellion that sparked the Civil War. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail   crosses through town.

Nearly 80 percent of West Virginia is forested with 27 different tree species. In the state’s north central highlands, the Monongahela National Forest (including the pristine Dolly Sods Wilderness ) covers nearly a million acres ideal for horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, and cross-country skiing.

There are 35 state parks and nine state forests, including Coopers Rock State Forest   with its sandstone cliffs ,   and Blackwater Falls State Park with a 57-foot-high waterfall and hiking trails.

Getting around West Virginia

By car:   West Virginia is easily accessible by six interstates. You’ll need a car to explore its scenic highways and backroads. EV charging stations are available in most cities, many towns, and several state parks. Mountain areas may require AWD, 4WD, or chains during snowy weather.

By bus : Megabus has a station in Morgantown; there are Greyhound stations in Charleston, Huntington, Beckley, Bluefield, Morgantown, Fairmont, and Bridgeport.

By train: Amtrak’s   Capitol Limited   train   operates   daily to Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg; the Amtrak Cardinal   runs weekly to White Sulphur Springs, Alderson, Hinton, Prince, Thurmond, Montgomery, Charleston, and Huntington.

In town:   Larger cities and towns have bus service and bike share or rental programs, including the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority in Charleston, the Tri-State Transit Authority   in Huntington, and Morgantown’s Mountain Line Transit Authority .

Know before you go

Cultural History: West Virginia’s human history begins with nomadic Paleo-Indians who inhabited the area as early as 11,000 B.C. The historic peoples most associated with the region include the Cherokee , Delaware , Shawnee, and Iroquoian-speaking   peoples. Enslaved Africans   were forced to work in areas that include Greenbrier, Monongahela, and Kanawha in the 18th and 19th centuries.

West Virginia is the only state formed as a result of the Civil War , carved out of western Virginia and added to the union by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery here on February 3, 1865.  

LGBTQ+: Same-sex marriage wasn’t recognized in West Virginia until 2014. The state ranks 31st on Out Leadership’s annual State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index for 2023. Cities such as Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, and Harpers Ferry host Pride festivals .

How to visit West Virginia sustainably  

Help preserve habitat by sticking to designated trails and roads and leaving no trace. When visiting public lands , properly extinguish campfires. Eat at locavore restaurants and try foraged foods such as ginseng and ramps.

What to read and watch  

Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia. A queer Asian American teacher and writer hysterically and poignantly details her triumphs and struggles living in West Virginia.

Born in a Ballroom , directed by Clara Lehmann. This documentary introduces viewers to The Hütte —a Swiss restaurants and cultural icon in the remote mountain town of Helvetia—and its spitfire founder, the late Eleanor Mailloux.

Feast of the Seven Fishes directed by Robert Tinnell. Set in a mining town in the 1980s, this 2018 holiday film depicts Italian-American family life.

The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper   by Joy Callaway. A historical novel—set at White Sulphur Spring s ’ extravagantly decorated Greenbrier —imagines the life and love story of Draper, the mid-20th-century interior designer who decked out the resort.

Rocket Boys   by Homer Hickam. This memoir set in 1950s Coalwood traces Hickam’s early obsession with Sputnik, which led him to a NASA career. (This also inspired the movie October Sky .)

Related Topics

• NATIONAL PARKS
• HISTORIC SITES

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West Virginia

Ready for rugged East Coast adventuring with a gorgeous mountain backdrop? Then set your car toward wild and wonderful West Virginia, a state often overlooked by both American and foreign travelers. It doesn't help that the state can't seem to shake its negative stereotypes. That's too bad, because West Virginia is one of the prettiest states in the Union. With its line of unbroken green mountains, raging white-water rivers and snowcapped ski resorts, this is an outdoor-lovers' paradise.

Best Things to Do

Best neighborhoods, your next trip starts here.

Go from dreaming to planning with trip planning options made to help you craft your ideal itinerary.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Seneca Rocks

A striking rock formation rising 900ft above a fork of the Potomac River, Seneca Rocks is one of the most recognizable natural features in the state. Rock…

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Halloween is the busy season at this former mental hospital, when ghost tours of the massive facility will scare the living daylights out of you. The…

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Completed in 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge is the third-highest bridge in the US and the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Made…

Dolly Sods Wilderness

Red spruce trees, windswept boulders, valley views and boggy forests set a striking scene in the northern reaches of this remote but popular wilderness…

Harpers Ferry National Historic Park

Harpers Ferry

Historic buildings and museums are accessible to those with passes, which can be found, along with parking and shuttles, north of town at the Harpers…

Coopers Rock State Forest

One of the most photogenic spots in all of West Virginia is the main overlook at Coopers Rock. Picture a stone-and-log fence wrapped around a sandstone…

Beartown State Park

A wooden boardwalk drops, climbs and twists for a half-mile through a wonderland of moss-covered boulders in a leafy forest. On the slopes of Droop…

Green Bank Observatory

The enormous Green Bank Telescope is a radio telescope, so you won't be looking at the stars through any lenses here. But you can learn about radio…

Top picks from our travel experts

19 wild and wonderful west virginia adventures.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort

The largest ski resort in the region, Snowshoe attracts skiers and snowboarders from across the country with 59 trails across three ski areas. Twelve…

NROCKS Outdoor Adventures

The thrills begin the moment you clip into your harness for this rugged via ferrata adventure, a fixed-anchor guided rock climb that scrambles up and over…

Hatfield-McCoy Trails

Six-hundred miles of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trails are marked and patrolled in and around Williamson and Matewan. In Williamson, you'll see ATVs…

Purple Fiddle

One of those great mountain stores where bluegrass culture and hipster day-trippers from the urban South and Northeast mash up into a stomping good time…

Cathedral Café

Start the day with breakfast and coffee under stained-glass windows at this inviting cafe and former church. Local staff all seem to either work in, or…

Mystery Hole

See gravity and the known limits of tackiness defied at the Mystery Hole, one of the great attractions of roadside America. Everything inside this…

Stardust Cafe

The magic in the signature Trust Me Salad is the homemade granola. Or maybe it's the just-right mix of chevre and avocado. Oh heck, maybe it's the hearty…

Berkeley Springs State Park

Don't let the locker-room appearance deter you from the Berkeley Springs State Park's Roman Baths – it's the cheapest spa deal in town. Fill your water…

Pies & Pints

Oooh baby. Let's talk about the Gouda Chicken. Topped with gourmet cheese, chipotle crema, apple-smoked bacon and grilled yard bird, this decadent pizza…

Hawks Nest State Park

There are hiking trails, a nature center and an aerial tram, which runs from the lodge down to the river's edge for jet boat tours of the river and views…

Carnegie Hall

Industrialist Andrew Carnegie helped fund this 1902 Colonial Revival performance hall, one of only four Carnegie music halls still in continuous use. Stop…

Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

This mine in Beckley, 22 miles south of Fayetteville, is a museum about the region's coal heritage. Visitors can ride a train 1500ft into a former coal…

West Virginia State Museum

The voice of billionaire governor Jim Justice welcomes guests to this engaging museum, where a path winds past exhibit areas spotlighting key moments and…

Wow. The bird's-eye view of the New River from the catwalk running below the river's namesake bridge is amazing. And it's eerie to hear traffic rattling…

Greenbrier Bunker Tour

If you're in southern West Virginia, don't miss this unique guided tour. A top-secret relocation center was built at the resort in the 1950s for Congress…

Adventures on the Gorge

How many experiences does this reputable outfit offer? Well, their catalog is 63 pages long and covers everything from white-water rafting on the New and…

This oft-recommended spot is housed in an old newspaper building, but the hospitable vibe and cozy decor evoke the home of a close friend. Fresh and…

Secret Sandwich Society

If you're a connoisseur of sandwiches, or just super hungry, this easygoing spot is a must. The eatery has sandwiches slathered in tasty toppings,…

C&O Canal National Historic Park

The 184.5-mile towpath passes along the Potomac River on the Maryland side. From the historic downtown you can reach it via the Appalachian Trail across…

Cranberry Glades Boardwalk Trail

A half-mile boardwalk trails meanders through a mesmerizing swath of peat bogs, home to orchids and carnivorous plants. You'll want to photograph the…

Latest stories from West Virginia

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Apr 12, 2022 • 9 min read

With scenic, pristine rivers lined with surging rapids, West Virginia is one of the world's top spots to chase whitewater. Here's how to choose where to go.

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West Virginia and beyond

19 Top-Rated Attractions & Places to Visit in West Virginia

Written by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers Updated Apr 25, 2022

With some of the East Coast's most beautiful and rugged scenery, West Virginia is filled with year-round outdoor adventure opportunities. Its wild mountain country, densely-forested wilderness areas, and fast-running rivers are playgrounds for hiking, camping, caving, rock climbing, white water rafting, boating, and fishing. In the winter, ski resorts offer a range of snow sports .

Active travelers will never run out of things to do here. While many tourists come to the state for these outdoor activities and scenic landscapes, West Virginia offers much more in the way of tourist attractions, from the historic sights of Harpers Ferry and the elegant Greenbrier and its legendary golf courses to some very unusual attractions, including a penitentiary to tour.

You'll find plenty of vacation ideas with our list of the top tourist attractions in West Virginia.

1. Blackwater Falls State Park

2. monongahela national forest and seneca rocks, 3. the greenbrier, 4. ski & play at snowshoe, 5. berkeley springs, 6. new river gorge national river, 7. white water rafting, 8. harpers ferry, 9. west virginia penitentiary, 10. mothman museum and festival, 11. cass scenic railroad state park, 12. west virginia state museum at the culture center, 13. explore seneca caverns, 14. huntington museum of art & ritter park, 15. beckley exhibition coal mine, 16. grave creek burial mounds, 17. cathedral falls, 18. west virginia state capitol, 19. trans-allegheny lunatic asylum.

Named for the dark waters of the Blackwater River, colored by tannic acid from fallen hemlock and red spruce needles, Blackwater Falls drops 60 feet over sandstone ledges before the river continues to rush through an eight-mile-long gorge. Steps and viewing platforms make the falls accessible year-round.

Also popular places to visit in the park are Elakala Falls , which cascade down the wall of the canyon and can be reached by a short trail, and Pendleton Falls , easily seen from a roadside pull-off.

The view into the Blackwater Canyon from Lindy Point, one of the most beautiful places in West Virginia, is another park highlight, as is Pendleton Point Overlook, at the canyon's deepest point. The park has a boating lake, as well as swimming, fishing, and camping.

Address: 1584 Blackwater Lodge Road, Davis, West Virginia

Official site: http://www.blackwaterfalls.com/

With elevations ranging from around 1,000 feet to 4,863 feet above sea level, the Monongahela National Forest offers beautiful views, wildlife, and the highest point in the state. The variety of terrain and rainfall across its more than 900,000 acres gives it one of the most diverse forest ecosystems in the country, supporting more than 225 bird species; 75 species of trees; and 70 fish species, both game and non-game.

About 100,000 acres of the park are designated as the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area , offering some of the best traditional multi-pitch technical climbing on the east coast. Seneca Rocks is a distinctive 250-foot-deep formation of white and gray quartzite that stands almost 900 feet above the North Fork River. Some routes are moderate, but experts are challenged by the exposed summit pinnacle.

You don't need to be a climber to enjoy the park. Non-climbers can visit the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, stay in the campgrounds at Seneca Shadows and Big Bend, go fishing, or hike and spot birds in the park's thousands of acres of wildlands.

Address: 200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, West Virginia

Official site: http://www.fs.usda.gov/mnf

The Greenbrier has earned its designation as a National Historic Landmark several times over. Located at White Sulphur Springs, which have been in use as a natural spa since the 1700s, the grand hotel has hosted 26 presidents, foreign dignitaries, and royalty, including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

But however grand and luxurious it is as a resort, it has played other historic roles, too. Early in World War II, it was used as a detention center for German and Japanese diplomats who were in the United States when war was declared. Later in the war, it was commandeered by the U.S. Army to use as a hospital, where nearly 25,000 patients were treated.

During the Cold War, an underground shelter was built to house the entire U.S. Congress in case of nuclear attack. This shelter, given the code name "Project Greek Island," was decommissioned in 1992 and is open to the public for tours, as is the Presidents' Cottage Museum, with exhibits about presidential visits and the history of the resort.

More than 50 different activities are available in the resort and in the 5,100-acre Greenbrier State Forest . Along with horseback riding, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, adventure courses, and a 40,000-square-foot spa, the resort has multiple golf courses (even an indoor one for winter) and a distinguished golf history as the venue for numerous championships.

Greenbrier State Forest offers cabins and campsites, swimming, fishing, bike trails and hiking - the 78-mile-long Greenbrier River Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail that is also used for cross-country skiing in the winter. A getaway in one of the centuries-old Legacy Cottages is one of the most romantic things to do in West Virginia.

Address: 300 W. Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

This year-round resort is best known for its skiing, with three separate areas to choose from, all with 100 percent snowmaking. With an 800-foot vertical drop, Snowshoe Basin's 38 trails cover all experience levels, served by seven lifts, including a high-speed detachable quad. Of Silver Creek 's 18 trails, 12 are open for night skiing.

The Western Territory Area's steep, rugged terrain has 1,500 feet of vertical drop, the most advanced terrain in the region. Steeps on Cupp Run, designed by legendary Olympian Jean-Claude Killy, and Shay's Revenge reach 52 percent pitch.

In other seasons, activities include mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, geocaching, horseback riding, Segway tours, ziplining, trampolining, climbing, pedal boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, hiking, fishing, and golf at the Raven Golf Club. Not far away, in Greenbank, is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory .

Address: 10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe, West Virginia

Official site: http://www.snowshoemtn.com

Read More: Best Ski Resorts in West Virginia

The bathhouse at Berkeley Springs State Park , in the center of Berkeley Springs, first opened in 1930, but long before that bathing in the warm and effervescent mineral waters was popular. George Washington was a regular visitor and even earlier, the springs' restorative and therapeutic properties brought Native Americans here from as far away as southern Canada.

Baths and treatments take advantage of the five main springs and several smaller ones, flowing at a rate of 2,000 gallons of clear, sparkling water per minute at a constant 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Located in the center of the small town of Berkeley Springs, the state park facilities include the old-fashioned private bathing tubs, saunas, and massages at the Old Roman Bath Building and Main Bath House; elsewhere in town are more luxurious private spas with a range of health and beauty options.

Contrary to its name, New River is actually one of the oldest rivers on the continent. As it flows into West Virginia, it cuts through the Appalachian Plateau, forming the New River Gorge and plenty of white water for tubing, rafting, and canoeing. Other recreational opportunities are all around it: hiking, ziplining, hunting, fishing, bird-watching, camping, biking, and rock climbing.

One of the state's most photographed sights is the soaring New River Bridge , the longest steel span in the hemisphere and the nation's third highest, 876 feet above the canyon floor. The National Park Service maintains 70,000 acres of park lands along the river, and at Hawk's Nest State Park, you can ride an aerial tramway into the bottom of the New River Gorge, a prime spot for white water rafting.

South of New River Gorge National River at Bluestone State Park there is hiking, fishing, camping, and boating on the large lake behind the Bluestone Dam.

Official site: http://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm

It's no secret that West Virginia is one of the best places to go white water rafting. Several rivers offer world-class rapids for experts, and others are well-suited to less experienced and learning rafters. The most famous waters are in the Gauley River , between Summersville and Fayetteville, in the Gauley River National Recreation Area. Both the Gauley and New rivers are easily accessed from a base in nearby Babcock or Hawks Nest state parks .

Here, the 25-mile river flows at high speed through gorges and valleys, providing the thrill of a lifetime to experienced rafters; it's no wonder the Class V rapids are nicknamed the "Beast of the East."

Fall is the time to find the most challenging flow, but at any time it's a good idea to hire an experienced guide who knows the river and its quirks and can help you find the places that are best suited to your own experience level. Although it's known for its Class V rapids the Gauley has some stretches of Class III that are suitable for intermediate levels.

For those with less experience, the Tygart River, Cheat River, and Potomac River are good options, as is the Upper New River, which has good stretches for beginners. Lower New River has Class IV rapids that offer runs past the New River Gorge Bridge.

• Read More: Best White Water Rafting Rivers in West Virginia

The Shenandoah River meets the Potomac River at this small West Virginia town, which was the site of abolitionist John Brown's raid on the United States arsenal in 1859, an event that hastened the onset of the Civil War.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park has museums, historical exhibits, and programs, plus about 20 miles of hiking trails. You can explore the rocks where the rivers meet and walk up to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church and the old cemetery on the hill behind it.

Also in Harpers Ferry is the Appalachian Trail Visitors Center , from which you can take a hike on the Appalachian Trail for views of the town and rivers. Local outfitters offer tubing excursions in the river.

One of the most unlikely places to visit in any state, the West Virginia Penitentiary welcomes guests from April through November to tour the grim prison that sometimes held more than 1,000 prisoners at a time. The forbidding Gothic fortress opened in 1876, and the last prisoner left in 1995. Between those dates it was the scene of fires, escapes, prison riots, and almost 100 executions.

Visitors can tour the building and its claustrophobia-inducing five-foot by seven-foot cells during the day, or explore the reportedly haunted location at night. The penitentiary is a popular place for paranormal researchers looking for evidence of spectral phenomena.

Address: 818 Jefferson Ave, Moundsville, West Virginia

Official site: http://www.wvpentours.com

In 1966, reports of lights in the sky and a strange flying figure began circulating in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The figure was variously described, but most reported a winged human figure dressed in black, with red eyes. From there arose the local legend of Mothman.

Pop culture took up the myth as the story spread (there's even an exhibit on Mothman at the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine) and the town turned the legend into a museum, a statue, and a Mothman Festival . The popular free event is held on the third weekend in September and features costumes, activities, and vendors selling souvenirs depicting a bat-like cartoon Mothman.

Address: 400 Main Street, Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Official site: www.mothmanmuseum.com

At the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, you can relive the Golden Age of Steam on a line built in 1901 to haul lumber from the forest to the mill, riding in refurbished logging flat-cars pulled by an original Shay steam locomotive. The full 4.5-hour trip includes switchbacks that allow the train to climb grades as high as 11 percent to reach Bald Knob. At an altitude of 4,700 feet, this is West Virginia's third highest point , overlooking spectacular views.

At Whittaker Station, a 1940s logging camp has been recreated, with the living quarters and the equipment. At the base, you can tour a museum and the depot and see restored company houses that can be rented for overnight stays. On the train ride, be prepared for noise, black smoke, and chilly temperatures at Bald Knob.

Official site: www.cassrailroad.com

Among the free things to do in West Virginia is touring the West Virginia State Museum in Charleston to learn about the state's culture, history, art, paleontology, archaeology, and geology. One of the most popular of its 60,000 artifacts is a pair of dressed fleas from a 19th-century flea circus .

Well-designed exhibits of a more serious nature literally follow a path through the state's history, beginning with stone and dirt and ending in a paved highway. As visitors progress from room to room through the centuries, audio features augment exhibits and films.

Artifacts include everyday implements and items such as a telescope that George Washington used to survey land in West Virginia. In one section, you'll learn more about John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry, and elsewhere is an original settler's cabin reconstructed in the museum.

Address: 1900 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston, West Virginia

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Charleston, West Virginia

The formation of Seneca Caverns began 460 million years ago, when the cavern's limestone bed first formed. The native Seneca people are thought to have used the caves for shelter beginning in the early 1400s.

The caverns were later found by a local farmer, Laven Teter, while looking for water for his livestock, and the largest chamber, rising to 60 feet in places, is named Teter Hall in his memory.

You can visit these on one-hour guided tours that descend to 165 feet below the entrance. Pathways are well-lit, and cement steps with handrails help visitors navigate deeper into the caverns. The separate Stratosphere Cave is on the same property.

Address: 3328 Germany Valley Road, Riverton, West Virginia

Official site: http://www.senecacaverns.com

In addition to its 10 exhibition spaces, the Huntington Museum of Art maintains an interactive education gallery, a 287-seat auditorium, a conservatory for tropical and subtropical plants, a coral reef aquarium, two outdoor sculpture gardens, and two miles of hiking and nature trails. A quarter-mile paved accessible Sensory Trail is designed for the visually impaired.

Outstanding in its permanent collections of more than 16,000 objects are 4,000 pieces of glassware and the Touma Near Eastern Gallery, encompassing art from the Middle East, Ottoman Turkey, Central Asia, the Indian sub-continent, North Africa, and Moorish Spain.

Highlighting the Ritter Park Historic District is a 75-acre park with a walking, jogging, and biking trail and a garden of more than 3,000 roses that is considered one of the best rose gardens in America .

Address: 2033 McCoy Road, Huntington, West Virginia

Official site: https://www.hmoa.org

Coal mining is central to both the history and economy of West Virginia, especially in the region around Beckley. You can tour one of these mines, going deep underground in a cart that once carried the miners to work daily. Guided by a miner who tells about the work here, the tour gives you a feel for the lives of those who spent their daylight hours in these dark passages.

A recreated coal camp with the Coal Company House, superintendent's house, a church, and the school depict an early 20 th -century coal camp. The adjacent Mountain Homestead recreates a 19 th -century Appalachian frontier settlement, with a log home, barn, blacksmith shop, one-room schoolhouse, and general store. A Youth Museum has changing interactive exhibits.

Address: Ewart Ave., Beckley, West Virginia

Official site: https://beckley.org/coal-mine/

One of the free things to do in West Virginia, and one of its secret places, is also one of the most intriguing, a glimpse into a culture that thrived here 2,000 years ago. Grave Creek Archaeological Complex , near Wheeling, centers on the largest known burial mounds of the Adena people, built about 250-150 BC.

These mounds, as high as 62 feet and nearly 250 feet at the base, required moving more than 60,000 tons of earth, creating the largest conical type structure of any of the mound-building cultures.

The Delf Norona Museum on the site displays some of the nearly 450,000 artifacts found in the multi-level burial site and elsewhere in the area. The exhibits illuminate the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mounds.

Address: 801 Jefferson Avenue, Moundsville, West Virginia

Cane Brook joins New River a short distance east of Gauley Bridge, but before it does, the stream drops more than 100 feet from the mountains above. The lower 60 feet of its plunge are visible from a roadside stop on Route 60.

The water cascades down a canyon it has cut through the forested mountainside, dropping in a long series, splashing into a veil of foam at each successive level as it falls over the sandstone ledges. The waterfall, with its setting amid overhanging foliage, is a favorite for photographers, especially in the fall when the hardwoods are in their autumn colors.

Along with being one of the most beautiful waterfalls in West Virginia , Cathedral Falls is also the most accessible, with a roadside viewing area.

Location: Route 60, Gauley Bridge, West Virginia

Five feet higher than the dome of the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the 293-foot golden dome at the State Capitol in Charleston reflects Greek and Roman architectural influences. It was designed by Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Woolworth Building in New York City, the world's tallest building when it was constructed.

During the building process, from 1924 to 1932, more than 700 train carloads of Indiana limestone were used. White marble from Vermont and Italian travertine sheath much of its interior, which you can tour daily.

As unconventional a tourist attraction as the West Virginia Penitentiary, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is a landmark in the history of treatment for the mentally ill. Constructed between 1858 and 1881, the asylum is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in the hemisphere, and in the world it is exceeded only by the Kremlin in Moscow.

It was designed by the architect Richard Andrews, who arranged the long rambling wings in a staggered formation, so that each of the connecting structures received as much therapeutic sunlight and fresh air as possible.

Tours highlight a number of historical themes, including architecture, Civil War raids, treatment of the mentally ill, even the facility's agricultural history and place in the local community. Like the West Virginia Penitentiary, the asylum has also been a research location for paranormal investigators .

Official site: http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com

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More on West Virginia: For a luxurious and relaxing vacation, consider staying at one of the top resorts in West Virginia or enjoying some of the state's many outdoor attractions . If you have time to tack on one more stop during your trip, consider visiting the attractions of Charleston, West Virginia .

Where to Go Next: Bordering West Virginia on the east and south, the historic state of Virginia is scattered with charming small towns and other places for relaxing weekend getaways .

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Fayette County

Raleigh county, mcdowell county, mercer county, summers county, monroe county, nicholas county, greenbrier county, wyoming county, explore southern west virginia.

Welcome to Southern West Virginia! Our area is made up of nine unique counties, each with things to do and see and places to stay. Discover cities and small towns, railroad and coal history, adventure and art. Buckle up for an exciting tour of our rural areas and delightful downtowns. Here, every route offers new sights and experiences. Learn more about our region by clicking on the counties, and start planning your trip today.

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Outdoor thrills. Southern-style eats. Cozy hospitality. Unique tradition. Rich heritage. …and kind folks eager to share it all with you. Discover the heartland of “Almost Heaven.”

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From ATV excursions in small towns to scenic drives across the state, West Virginia is made for everyone. Rest and relax at a world-class resort or head out for a waterfall hike. It’s all waiting for you this summer in Almost Heaven.

Chase stunning fall foliage this season aboard a scenic train ride or ATV excursion. Reconnect with friends and family in a cozy cabin. From charming small towns to flavorful farm-to-table dishes, an autumn adventure awaits in Almost Heaven.

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Get a true taste of west virginia along this memorable route.

Less than three hours outside Roanoke, this stretch of West Virginia is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Shaped by the famous New River Gorge, you’ll find plenty of riverside activities, outdoor adventures and some of the most extraordinary views. Pair that with the region’s compelling historical past and vibrant small towns, and you’ve got one very memorable trip....

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Get a true taste of west virginia along this memorable route, a memorable trip through the potomac highlands.

Defined by its rivers and lush forests, this region in southern West Virginia has some of the most spectacular outdoor recreation.

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Just a short drive outside of the Washington and Baltimore metro areas, this loop through West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle is both a relaxing and enlightening weekend getaway.

You Can Take a Drive and a Dip Along This Historic Loop

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Whether you prefer a luxury retreat at a world-class resort or a rustic campsite stay under starry night skies, West Virginia has accommodations for every type of traveler. As you plan your mountain road trip, explore one-of-a-kind stays and traditional comforts along the way. The peace and solitude of Almost Heaven is just an overnight stay away.

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Blooming rhododendrons. Wildflower hikes. Rushing waterfalls. Welcome to spring in West Virginia. It's the season where Almost Heaven comes alive.

Escape the churn and burn of the daily routine and hit the road this summer. Explore wide open spaces with plenty of room to roam.

Nature works her magic every autumn in West Virginia. As the third most forested state, our country roads are vibrant with color and a sight to behold in the fall.

The wonder of winter in West Virginia is filled with untouched fallen snow, scrapes of skates along fresh ice and snow-capped mountain views you have to see to believe.

Plan Ahead: The Ultimate 2022 Vacation Bucket List

Are you coming into the new year with a slew of vacation days burning a hole in your pocket? Or has the late winter burnout already settled upon you? No matter what is inspiring your wanderlust, your dream vacation awaits in West Virginia.

From rustic adventures to luxurious getaways—rest assured your planning ends here, with this ultimate collection of Almost Heaven road trips. Celebrate National Plan For Vacation Day (January 25, 2021) the right way: by penciling in your next getaway.

1. From the town to the trail

A Scenic Drive to One-of-a-Kind Experiences in West Virginia

A drive along the western side of West Virginia is not only stunningly beautiful—with plenty of river views and towering mountain ranges—it is also full of hidden gems and unexpected surprises.

• The Blennerhassett Hotel, Parkersburg
• Mothman Statue, Point Pleasant
• Blenko Glass Company, Milton
• Capitol Market, Charleston
• Bearwallow Trail, Logan

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2. Water-filled fun in the sun

Lakes and Lighthouses Galore in the Heart of West Virginia

Winding your way along gentle mountain roads, this trip will take you to some of the state’s most famous—and most scenic—rivers, lakes and streams.

• Audra State Park, Buckhannon
• Lambert’s Vintage Winery, Weston
• Stonewall Resort State Park, Roanoke
• Burnsville Lake, Burnsville
• Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, Summersville
• Summersville Lake, Summersville

3. Foodie finds

A Foodie’s Long Weekend Road Trip in West Virginia

If a colorful plate full of Almost Heaven flavor is on your list this season, get ready to hit the road for a foodie adventure.

• Hill and Holler, Lewisburg
• Bridge Brew Works, Fayetteville
• Siriannis Cafe, Davis
• The Press Room , Shepherdstown
• Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, Shepherdstown

4. Historic sights and stays

You Can Take a Drive and a Dip Along this Historic Loop

• Historic Berkeley Springs, Berkeley Springs
• Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry
• Orr’s Farm Market, Martinsburg
• Capon Springs & Farms, High View

5. Mountain town magic

This stretch, from Lewisburg up to Marlinton, is sure to give you that pure, heartwarming experience that everyone loves about a small town.

• The Greebrier, White Sulphur Springs
• The French Goat, Lewisburg
• Hawk Knob Cider & Mead, Lewisburg
• Lost World Caverns, Lewisburg
• Beartown State Park, Renick

6. Boozy stops & scenic overlooks

A Trip to Morgantown and Fairmont Will Make You Feel Like a Real Mountaineer

Only a short drive over the Pennsylvania border, cities like Morgantown and Fairmont offer both the friendly intimacy and bustling activity that only college towns can provide.

• Forks of Cheat Winery, Morgantown
• Coopers Rock State Forest, Bruceton Mills
• Muriale’s Italian Kitchen, Fairmont
• Short Story Brewing, Rivesville
• West Virginia Botanic Garden, Morgantown

7. Iconic adventures

Get a True Taste of West Virginia Along this Memorable Route

Less than three hours outside Roanoke, this stretch of West Virginia is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

• New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Glen Jean
• ACE Adventure Resort, Oak Hill
• Pies & Pints, Fayetteville
• New River Gorge Bridge Walk, Lansing
• Hawks Nest State Park, Ansted

Does this fun-packed list have you ready to keep the vacation magic going? Explore the endless destinations that await your arrival in West Virginia this year.

This post was last updated on May 17, 2023

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