For Aaron and West Virginia

[TheAbe]

Abe’s Guide to West Virginia - For Aaron


Hello and welcome to a quick little guide I am making for WV. This will include things to do and tips as I think of them. Here we go.

It appears, based on our conversation, that you are interested in WV for its nature and beauty. That’s a great thing about WV! From history to arts to the wilderness, there are a ton of things to do here, and I’ll make sure to include several on the trip, but I will focus on the natural beauty of your trip.

I would recommend giving WV a week. Frankly, there is so much to do here that you could spend an entire season and not get everything done. On every trip I take, I see something new each time.



WV is about the grandeur of the people and the terrain. My guide will keep you largely off the interstates and in the country, where the fun occurs. Take your time, don’t be afraid to not see it all, take side trips whenever you want, and have fun.


Here is my recommended, natural oriented travel recommendations, along with some other fun stuff tossed in.

Day One - relax. You want to drive down to WV which takes a few hours. Drive down to Dayton, OH, and then drive the state route that takes you to Point Pleasant WV (I forget which one, but it’s a straight shot). You will cross the Silver Memorial Bridge, and you want to arrive at Point Pleasant in late afternoon or a bit before. Around 3 to 4 pm would be perfect.

Get off the road and drive into the downtown area of Point Pleasant. This is where the Mothman sightings took place, and it is also the location of the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Check out the Mothman Museum, the Mothman Statue, Tu Endie Wei state park, and there is also a fort nearby, plus you have a beautiful Ohio River waterfront. If you want, you can hike out the old TNT trail, which is near the original sightings of the Mothman.

You will want to stay the night at the Lowe Hotel, an independantly owned hotel downtown, which is supposedly haunted. There have been numerous sightings there including room 314 and upstairs in the ballroom. The hotel is a combination of class, character and age, and you will love it.

Eat dinner at the Iron Gate Steakhouse (or perhaps it is called the Iron Grill). Make sure you enter the steakhouse and not the fancy dining room. Get the Mothman Platter, a lovely dish with green peppers and steak and rice.

Point Pleasant is where the Kanawha River meets the Ohio, and you will get to learn and love the Kanawha River for your trip.


Day Two - You are going to drive down to Charleston. There are two ways there, the scenic way along the Kanawha River or just take the Interstate. You want to drive along the river, and drive through Frazier’s Bottom, a lovely little town with a nice antique store right on the road if you are interested.

When you arrive in Putnam County, hit the interstate because you are entering the metropolitan area of Charleston, over 200k in the main cities. Once you arrive in Charleston, there are several decisions to make - namely, what are you interested in doing in Charleston?

Charleston has the pretty Kanawha State Forest, the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, the Civic Center, minor league sports teams including soccer, the State Capital and museum, and so forth. I suspect that you will want to skip this and go elsewhere, so get of the interstate to Beckley, about a hour south,

In the Beckley area are several things worth doing. Thurmond is an abandoned ghost town, that was used as the location for filming for Matewan. It will take about a half hour to 45 minutes to get there, and it is absolutely worth it.

Also here is the Exhibition Coal Mine, which Heather absolutely loved. An old coal mine in Beckley has been converted and has tour guides who used to be coal miners, showing you the old mining mechanisims used. It also has the buildings from an old coal camp that you can go through.

Daniel’s Vineyard specializes in making a nice Blueberry wine, and you can also pay to get a basket and go berry picking if you prefer. Taste some wine, buy a bottle or two, and tour the area.

West Virginia Theatre is an outdoor theater which shows a variety of plays during the summer months. I recommend watching Honey in the Rock or Hatfields and McCoys if you are there, which will also give you something to do in the evening.

While in the area, do not miss out on Tamarack. You cannot miss it, because signs along the interstate will show you where it is. This is a place to buy crafts handmade by West Virginians, and the food is prepared by chefs employed by the Greenbriar, a five star resort in the state. The food is amazing and you can always find something you want. I recommend the Raspberry Honey Mustard and one of the baking mixes, such as Gingerbread.

Find a hotel off the interstate and do not make the mistake of going into downtown Beckley, because it can be very hard to get out, it is poorly designed.


Day Three - Today is the beginning of the nature tour. Get up early. You are going to drive back to Charleston on the interstate. Once there, get off and drive along the Kanawha river, this time on the other bank than before, driving upriver. This road is called the Midland Trail Scenic Byway. You will find some nice towns. The Kanawha River is formed by the confluences of the New and Gauley River, and about a mile after they form, you will come across Kanawha Falls. Get off here.

This is a wide waterfall, and very picturesque. Check out the buildigns built into the falls themselves. You can walk along the area, take a dip, fish, boat, and note that you can walk up to the falls along the left edge. Pretty.

Drive for another mile or two and on the left will be Cathedral Falls, a giant waterfall right beside the road, where the water falls perhaps fifty to one hundred times off a small cliff, so instead of one fall, you have dozens. Beautiful.

Note some things you pass along the way. You’ll regularly see three crosses, two white on the ends and one larger yellow one. You’ll note them on an island on the Gauley river.

Continue in the area, and you’ll start going up a hill towards Hawk’s Nest State Park. On the way, you will find the Mystery Hole, the tourist trap of tourist traps. Pull over and take the tour, you will love the cute and quaintness of it.

Then keep driving up until you reach Hawk’s Nest and get off. Walk the path and see a lovely sight. There are some hiking trails here, but I recommend you skip them, because the best is yet to come. There is also a tram you can take down to the river and is totally worth the trip, so take the Aerial Skyway down, walk around for 15 -30 minutes and take it back up again.

Use your map to plot a course to Babcock State Park, about twenty miles and forty five minutes away and drive there. Here is the Grist Mill, the most pictured building in the state after the Capital. It is an operational water mill, built from the parts of several old mills. Stop in the shop here and buy some corn meal that was ground at the mill. There are tons of hiking trails and scenic overlooks here, plus a beautiful creek you can follow and play it.

I hope you are tired and hungry. Bring a cooler of food including meat for the grill. If you planned ahead, reserve a cabin here at the park, which is in a nice and quiet place off the road. Get your meat out and grill, take a hike, play some cards, and rest up, because tomorrow will be very exhausting.


Day Four - Today you are doing two things. Drive back from Babcock State Park to a town on your map called Fayetteville. Along US Route 10 (I believe) is the New River Gorge Bridge, the longest single arch bridge in the Americas. Drive across it, which is nice, then get off at the overlook right after the bridge.

Follow the path down a few flights of stairs and gaze at the most breathtaking view of West Virginia. You will see this massive amount of steel just jutting from the mountainside. Artifice and nature stand contrasted against each other, and you will not be surprised to note that this view is on the WV quarter.

When you reach Fayetteville, you will notice that it is very wilderness oriented. This is called the Colorado Springs of Appalachia. From hikes and backpacking to camping and RVing, this is the center of it all. You did reserve sets on a Whitewater Rafting trip, right? Well, today is the day, and there are numerous places in and around Fayetteville for you to raft. Go raft and have fun. You’ll be exhausted at the end of the day, so get some rest here locally.

Day Five - Today you need to decide if you want to visit Summersville Lake or not. It’s gorgeous, and a lot of fun, but there are tons of other things on the list and you might be water sport out.

Drive up to Summersville and either hit the lake or don’t. If you do, call ahead and reserve a boat. Then go out on a beautiful and different lake. Unlike many lakes, this one has tons of islands and nooks and crannies. There are places on the lake where rock meets water that do not look like you are in the continental US.

Drive up to the interstate, and go north. You will get off and head to the Monongahela National Forest. Once there, there are tons of things to do. Do as many as you can before hitting Seneca Rocks. Take a look at your map and your time. You want to get to Seneca Rocks at dinner time, so plan accordingly.

Places you want to visit here include Blackwater Falls, Spruce Knob, Cranberry Glades, Dolly Sods, Canaan Valley and Smoke Hole Canyon (not Smoke Hole Caverns). Do what you can today before getting to Seneca Rocks by dinner.

Seneca Rocks is a beautiful rock formation with a hotel at the base called Yokum’s. Stay there for the night.


Day Six - Do what you did not do yesterday. Spruce Knob is the tallest point in the state and it is beautiful. The drive can take a half hour up and back down again, but there are hiking trails and beauty to be seen. It is not to be missed.

Near the north end is Blackwater Falls, a beautiful area with a trail to hike down to the falls. Absolutely gorgeous.

Cranberry Glades is a bog like alpine area with a board walk and some hiking trails. Includes very unusual flora such as insect eating plants like the Pitcher Plant that naturally grow here. Not to be missed!

Dolly Sods is a wilderness that is good for hiking. If you are rushed, skip it.

Smoke Hole Canyon is another nice hiking place, but again, if pushed for time, skip them.

You’ll see signs for other places, including Seneca Caverns and Smoke Hole Caverns. These are touristy, not scientific, but go if you are interested.

This is the most beautiful place in the state, bar none. You will love it here.

Stay the night wherever you end up. Note that cities like Davis and Elkins are probably where you will find a hotel.


Day Seven - Drive back home. You had a blast and will want to come back.

Other Sights:

If you have an extra day, or find yourself in these areas of the state, you will want to do these things:
Eastern Panhandle:

Harper’s Ferry - Found at the conflux of the Shenendoah and Potomac rivers in the far tip of the eastern panhandle, this has a lot of old buildings and people in period costumes. This is where John Brown attacked the military outpost and tried to ignite a slave uprising and then about eight Civil War battles were fought here. Very historic and educational and fun. Way off the trip though.

Nancy Hanks Memorial - Abe Lincoln’s mother was born in an out of the way place in the eastern panhandle of WV. Don’t go too far out of your way to get here, but it is nice to see if you are nearby.

Berkeley Springs - While here there are several things, including a major overlook, a castle, and the Berkeley Springs State Park, which includes George Washington;s bath, natural springs, a spa, and about five antique stores. An amazing little town.

Charles Town - The charming downtown area includes a museum, the courthouse where John Brown was tried, and the place where he was hung.


Northern Panhandle:

All three of these things are near Moundsville:

State Penitentiary - The old, supposedly haunted, place has a tour with a lot of details about prisoners and prison life. Lots of fun.

Mound - Right across the street is a mound from the native american mound builders, with a museum, park, and tour of the mound.

Prabupada’s Palace of Gold - Once of the best things in the state! The hare krishnas have an enclave here and have built an ornate Hindu inspired Palace right in the hills of West Virginia, and they have a tour and gift shop if interested. Beautiful and one of my favorite things in the state.


Ohio River -

Blennerhasset Island - Parkersburg is about a mile up the Ohio River from Point Pleasant and has this island, where Aaron Burr and others hatched plans to create a new country. It includes a pleasant sterwheel ride to the island, a house and buggy tour and mansion tour - all cost money, but very educational and fun.

Fenten Glass Company Tour - Tour the famous factory and see glassblowing. Interesting.


Greenbrier Area -

Green Bank National Observatory - Major satellite dishes are out in the middle of nowhere WV, and the tour is free. You will see these giants up close, and learn about astronomy, radiography and science. This is a lot of fun, and it is nearer places you might be.


When you are in the state, check out a list of festivals and activities. There is always something worth doing, and it is nice to swing by a town with a festival. From the Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood to Railroad Days in Cowen to a reenactment of the first battle of the Revolutionary War in Point Pleasant, there are tons of festivals to do. If planning your trip in advance, check out the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, for a really interesting one.


While in WV, especially in the northern part of the state, make sure to ask for Pepperoni Rolls in convienance stores. A proper Pepperoni roll is just break and pepperoni and deliciousness all rolled into one.

Make sure to eat at the locally own chain of fast food places called Tudor’s Biscuit World. Handmade biscuits made fresh each day, and include traditional fare like corn dogs, hot dogs, beans, and so forth in addition to hamburgers and fries.

Remember to enjoy your trip! I’m sure that won’t be a problem, and before you know it, your time is gone.

[TheAbe]

You mentioned that you might, some day, be interested in visiting West Virginia as a vacation. Excellent! I took an hour to write up my basic outline that I would suggest for you for your first trip. It includes tips, places to eat, what to pack, and so forth. I did not do any research to find out what road to take or anything, and this is all from memory. Here you go

[TheAbe]

Monongahela National Forest

Linkies:


Spruce Knob:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/spruce_knob.html


Blackwater Falls:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Falls

http://www.blackwaterfalls.com/


Seneca Rocks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Rocks


Cranberry Glades:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry_glades

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/cranberry_glades.html


Dolly Sods:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Sods


Smoke Hole Canyon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_Hole_Canyon

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/smoke_hole.html

[TheAbe]

Other Places:

Linkies:


Babcock State Park:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babcock_State_Park

http://www.babcocksp.com/


Hawk's Nest State Park:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_Nest_State_Park


The Mystery Hole:

http://www.mysteryhole.com/


New River Gorge Bridge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_River_Gorge_Bridge


Kanawha Falls:

http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Kanawha_Falls


Cathedral Falls:

http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Cathedral_Falls


Lowe Hotel:

http://www.thelowehotel.com/


Mothman:

http://www.mothmanlives.com/


Point Pleasant:

http://www.pointpleasantwv.org/


Exhibition Coal Mine:

http://www.beckleymine.com/


Thurmond:

http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Thurmond,_West_Virginia


Theatre West Virginia:

http://theatrewestvirginia.com/


Tamarack:

http://www.tamarackwv.com/


Daniel's Vineyard:

http://www.danielvineyards.com/


Fayetteville:

http://www.visitfayettevillewv.com/


Summersville Lake:

http://www.summersvillelakeretreat.com/index.htm


I'd rent a boat or scuba gear from:

http://www.sarges.net/

[TheAbe]

To show you other options, allow me to give you my itinerary for this weekend:


Thurs

We leave tomorrow morning. Arrive at Dayton a little after noon, have lunch with Heather's family, then drive to Huntington.

Stay tonight at the Blackberry Lodge in Heritage Farms, a log cabin out on the woods.

Fri

Check out Heritage Farms, then head out to Milton, about fifteen or twenty miles away where there is a farm with a corn maze, haunted hayride, and other Halloween themed events.

Then around dinner time, we hit up Camden Park for their Halloween Spooktacular. Camden park is an amusement park in Huntintington with an old Americana feel to it, like the parks of old. It is not a modern day metal metropolis like Six flags or Cedar Point. Instead is features traditional carnival rides, food and fun. It is decked out in Holloween gear for October and open just from 6-11 on weekends.

Then we drive, late to Point Pleasant and stay in the Lowe Hotel for the night. Perhaps we will be really tired and stay in Huntington for another night.

Sat

Spend the morning in Pt Pleasant or driving there. Check out some of the things I didn;t get to do last time, like the replica fort they have there.

At 2, my father is having a surprise celebration for his 50th anniversary of his service in teh ministry, and I am speaking. afterwards some snacks and socializing until 5ish.

Drive to Parkersburg for Mansion by Candlelight, a special event on Blannerhassett Island with late night period events rolling back the calender to 1805.

Stay the night in Parkersburg.


Sun -

Do anything we want to cover, perhaps drive back to Pt Pleasant (an hour) to go to my dad's church service, then drive back home.

[TheAbe]

Note on this weekend:

We went to the Black Walnut Festival in Spencer, totally awesome. From music to food to a carnival to markets and exhibits and races and contests, it was a blast!

I got a jar of homemade pear jelly at a farmer's market in Huntington.

The Heritage Farm and Museum is a fun place with amazing cabins. Very very awesome.

I bought a homemade Lime Coconut candle at a flea market in Huntington.

We toured two glass factories in Milton, WV, but the second one was in a guy's huge garage, and he showed us what he did and brought us up the kiln and the process and walked us through it. It was amazing. Also walked along a covered Bridge in Milton but we were unable to do the Corn Maze and stuff there due to time.

Totally worthwhile.

[TheAbe]

Preparations:

I would pack the following:

First Aid Kit

Swimming Gear - You never know when you are driving down a road beside a river or creek and say, let?s go swimming in it! Happens all of the time.

Sunscreen if in summer or winter

A couple of guidebooks and a nice map. I recommend West Virginia, An Explorer?s Guide, by Leonard Adkins, which I found in the travel section of a local bookstore

A pocket knife

A deck of cards

One camera per person - have at least one be digital so you can use your pictures as wallpaper, screensavers and such.

Before you come down, make sure you:


Watch the Mothman Prophecies

Watch Matewan

Read up on how to use a Walking Stick. You?d be surprised how many people don?t know how to use a walking stick, which is a necessity in some places in WV.

[TheAbe]

Just spent another 9 days in WV and had another blast. We did a lot of things we had not done before, and it was great.

I finally did Dolly Sods. It was nice to do, but I'd put it last in my list of things to do.

Cass Scenic Railroad is great, but do a 2 hour tip, not a 4 hour one. It is one of the major attractions in the state. It does mad business in the fall with the foliage color changes.

There is a nice independant hotel in Webster Springs, so if you are in the area, feel free to stay there.

There are a lot of great places to eat, but Hillbilly Hot Dogs near Huntington is awesome and The Custard Stand in Webster Springs is nice too.

The Falls of Hills Creek are right by Cranberry Glades and totally worth doing if you head down there. Also there is Green Bank Observatory and you aren;t too far from Cass, so you could hit a lot of those in one trip. Make Marlinton your base of operations for that. Eat at the Greenbrier Grill and Lodge and grab the West Virginia Special for a nice taste-tastic meal. Another couple of nice places in teh area are the awesome Beartown State park with beautiful rock formations and Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, the site of the last civil war battle in WV. Check out the tower at Droop Mountain. Beartown was amazing and takes about an hour to 75 minutes, so it's totally worth doing for the scenic lovers in you.

There is a small classic americana Amusement park near Huntington called Camden park. It's small, much like a large country fair, and lots of fun, but you can do it in 2-4 hours.

In Beckley there is a nice putt putt course in a guy's backyard with 18 holes themed with various WV themes. You'd love it. Check it out.

I won;t mention everything I've done. Some are for you to discover and some are not exactly what I think you might be looking for.