RENICK, W.Va. — Some of the most precious of West Virginia wildflowers are spring ephemerals. Fleeting in nature, they are gone in a heartbeat. Though they may seem to have vanished by… Read More
Blog Directory > Travel Blogs > West Virginia Explorer travel Blog >
West Virginia Explorer Blog
1
Tags:
historical outdoor dramas
west virginia
solar energy
horse creek
west
flatwoods monster
west virginia
hills creek
bear encounters
west virginia
solar
lovehate tattoos
west virginia
ideally suited
calhoun county
west virginia
river gorge
west virginia
west virginia
outdoor dramas
historical outdoor
native american
carvings
estate market
west virginia
west virginia
virginia
gorge
industry
tavern
waterfalls
bear
west
flatwoods
seal
starspangled
creek
fountain
marshall
castle
coalfields
river
copley
quiet
spring
wildflowers
summer
west
horse
historian
virginia
west
calhoun
tale
symbols
lovehate
greenbrier
beneath
caverns
West Virginia Explorer is a guide to news and information regarding travel and recreation in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Established in 1999, the Wordpress-based guide includes more than 2,000 pages of information written by journalists, historians, and tourism-industry experts to help guarantee reliability. The guide is funded largely by advertising and contributions from state and local government agencies. The guide also features the work of photographers and photojournalists, the works of which are employed to complement its editorial and advertising content.
COPLEY, W.Va. — In a quiet meadow along the upper reaches of the Sand Fork of the Little Kanawha River, it's hard to imagine that there was ever more hustle and bustle than the crow of… Read More
LYNCO, W.Va. — Scientists studying ancient carvings in West Virginia say stories that propose a non-native origin for prehistoric landmarks ignore evidence and may dishonor Native Amer… Read More
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s newest historical sites is also one of its most unusual. At the heart of the Marshall University campus, a fountain shaped from a mass… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — From increases in diversity to an uptick in female groups, the outdoor adventure industry in the New River Gorge region in West Virginia has witnessed significant… Read More
PAX, W.Va. — Of the many kinds of ghosts said to haunt the hills of West Virginia, among the most anxiety-provoking may be those thought to be portents of death. And among the most inf… Read More
GRANT TOWN, W.Va. — If you've had the opportunity to descend into a West Virginia coal mine, you might have come away with a new sense of the absolute darkness. The coal itself absorbs… Read More
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Nights in rural Calhoun County are counted among the darkest in West Virginia, so it's little wonder that the tale of one of the state's strangest hauntings comes… Read More
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — One of the strangest tales to come out of Greenbrier County may be the legend of the Sinking Creek caverns. Little information exists outside of one harrowing accoun… Read More
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Much of West Virginia enjoys about 85 percent as much sunlight as Miami, Florida, which means it's ideally suited to solar energy use, says the founder and CEO of W… Read More
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — After learning about my series of articles on West Virginia prehistory in West Virginia Explorer Magazine, Olivia Jones, an adjunct anthropology instructor wh… Read More
HILLSBORO, W.Va. — Hill's Creek in eastern West Virginia is more than just a pretty stream. Though its waterfalls have won fame worldwide, scientifically speaking, there's more to the… Read More
PINEVILLE, W.Va. — If it's May or June in West Virginia and you've noticed an uptick in bear encounters on social media and in person, don't be surprised. Young black bears are venturi… Read More
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Settlers who pushed westward across the Alleghenies in the 1700s engaged in a deadly gamble. Despite the threat of attack by the Shawnee, the daring few who took the… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Great Seal of West Virginia may be as fascinating to some West Virginians as the U.S. dollar bill is for other Americans. It's full of symbolism, the origins of… Read More
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The iconic LOVE-HATE tattoos that adorn many thuggish fists in the U.S. are tied to one of the most horrific events in West Virginia history and a blockbuster movi… Read More
ANSTED, W.Va. — Historians investigating the history of a landmark tavern in southern West Virginia have uncovered evidence that explorer William Clark, of the Lewis & Clark Expedi… Read More
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The historical outdoor dramas "Hatfields & McCoys" and "Honey in the Rock" will return to the Cliffside Amphitheater at Grandview this week and run through the end… Read More
MARLINTON, W.Va. — Located entirely within the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia includes some of the darkest regions of the night sky in the eastern U.S. While regions near its lar… Read More
ITMANN, W.Va. — A tourist attraction in West Virginia's southern mountains, the landmark Itmann Company Store — also known as the "Castle in the Coalfields" — has returned… Read More
FLATWOODS, W.Va. — In the annals of West Virginia lore, the Flatwoods Monster sighting of September 12, 1952, remains one of the most captivating and controversial reports of an extrat… Read More
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — The tale of the "Ford Ghost" southwest of Summersville, West Virginia, appears several times in local lore. This telling by J.W. Benjamin, published in the W.Va… Read More
HINTON, W.Va. — Far from crowds that visit some of its most popular tourist attractions, the National Park Service at the New River Gorge has preserved an old-time mountain farm, provi… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Which are the best hiking trails in West Virginia's new national park? Deb Moses Lamey, president of Friends of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, is… Read More
THURMOND, W.Va. — Victims of a smallpox pandemic that swept through the New River Gorge in the late 1800s may have been buried in a remote cemetery on what many now call the 'Island of… Read More
WESTON, W.Va. — Minutes away from one of West Virginia’s most popular tourist destinations—The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum—one of the most extensive glass museums… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Nearly all who cross the towering New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia are affected by the journey. Soaring 876 feet above the New River, its span affords moto… Read More
It’s fair to say that almost anyone who has listened to or read the history of American folk songs is familiar with the haunting melody and words of “Shenandoah.” “Oh… Read More
NORTH RIVER MILLS, W.Va.— One of West Virginia's most fascinating natural wonders, Ice Mountain, where winter ice can be found lingering in crevices until summer, is now open to guided… Read More
PAX, W.Va. — West Virginia is warm enough to welcome family camping at least six months out of the year, and there's little more exciting about a night under the stars than campfire ta… Read More
DAVIS, W.Va. — An almost 2,000-acre property purchased by The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia is preserving habitat adjoining the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and will en… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Communities across West Virginia are turning to their scenic potential to bolster local economies. They've discovered that beauty spots attract tourists and increas… Read More
FAIRPLAIN, W.Va. — Carved on a hillside by an eccentric sculptor in the 1950s, a curious rock face near Ripley, West Virginia, is attracting a larger audience than ever, thanks to soci… Read More
GREEN BANK, W.Va. — A renowned paranormal investigator says West Virginia has a remarkable association with UFO activity because of its role in the search for extraterrestrial life and… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — For millions of tourists, Fayette County and its New River Gorge is a destination for healing and rejuvenation—a wonderland of hiking trails and kayaking st… Read More
ELKINS, W.Va. — Lilacs bloom in April and May in West Virginia, which may be a good time to recall one of its best-known ghost stories — that of the tell-tale lilac bush, a story… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginians are increasingly turning to their native resources for diversion and sustenance, and bee-keeping has certainly enjoyed renewed interest. More than 1… Read More
SAINT MARYS, W.Va. — West Virginia has always been reasonably peaceful. Violence erupts occasionally, though one might say it's sleepy in a home-spun Andy Griffith Show way. It had bee… Read More
ROANOKE, W.Va. — According to West Virginia officials, the state’s National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration will return to Stonewall Resort State Park in Roanoke in September… Read More
MILTON, W.Va. — Breece D’J Pancake soared like a meteor through the American literary universe in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Kurt Vonnegut wrote of him, “I give you my… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has announced the allocation of funds for 61 outdoor recreation projects across West Virginia, banking on recreation efforts in 34 counties, includ… Read More
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — An open house for historians and history buffs will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the historic Level Tavern on US-219 at Organ Cave near Lewisbu… Read More
PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Almost all of the thousands of people named "Farley" in the New River valley region in southern West Virginia come from one early settler, Drewry Farley. He and his w… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Sightseers in search of a view of the world-famous New River Gorge Bridge — though without the challenges of whitewater rafting — can board a speciali… Read More
OAK HILL, W.Va. — Historians in West Virginia say they're baffled by a strange arrangement of monuments in a cemetery near the New River Gorge. They hope to discover why the graves are… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Enthusiasm for attending ramp festivals in West Virginia is growing along with tourism, says the publisher of the state's leading travel publications. More than eve… Read More
MARLINTON, W.Va. — Traveling through a windswept landscape of spruce and cranberry, a scenic parkway that explores some of the highest elevations in West Virginia is attracting more vi… Read More
SUTTON, W.Va. — Sharp-eyed travelers visiting the historic district in downtown Sutton may observe two streams tumbling out of the hills to join the Elk River there. The uppermost stre… Read More
MARLINTON, W.Va. — When spring is in the air in West Virginia, black bears come out of hibernation and begin a desperate search for food. Because bears become more active during this t… Read More
HARTFORD CITY, W.Va. — Old-timers still tell of the ghosts that are said to haunt Sliding Hill in Mason County, though only the very oldest now recall it. But a historian who hopes to… Read More
HINTON, W.Va. — Blossoming across the eastern U.S. in spring, redbud trees were notably important during the settlement of the Appalachian Mountains, where they indicated the presence… Read More
SANDYVILLE, W.Va. — Seasons can come and go in the temperate regions of the world with many false starts, but in the Appalachian Mountains, folks know spring has arrived when the tiny… Read More
TWIN FALLS STATE PARK, W.Va. — Registration has opened for the "Becoming An Outdoors Woman" spring workshop at Twin Falls Resort State Park on May 3–5, 2024. According to Ashley… Read More
THURMOND, W.Va. — Programming through a preservation organization in West Virginia will support leasing in this historic town where the National Park Service had considered demolishing… Read More
ELKINS, W.Va. — To help educate the public about the value and stability of historic stone walls, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has declared those in historic districts ac… Read More
WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. — As interest in kayaking on the Ohio River in West Virginia increases, officials advise paddlers to be especially attentive to safety. While the river may seem a s… Read More
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Surprising as it might seem, the iconic image of Chef Boyardee that adorns so many food packages worldwide is that of a genuine person. Moreover, Ettore… Read More
SUTTON, W.Va. — Locals know there's a Bigfoot, or several of the creatures, living in the forests of central West Virginia, according to the curator of the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum… Read More
CENTRALIA, W.Va. — The ghost town of Centralia, with no more than a dozen houses and a country store, might seem one of the most isolated communities in West Virginia (though it's a dr… Read More
SAULSVILLE, W.Va. — Perhaps no other form of architecture is more strongly associated with West Virginia than the old-fashioned log cabin. New England has saltboxes, and the South has… Read More
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — While the interior of West Virginia remained a virtual wilderness through the late 1800s, wharves along the Ohio River bustled with commerce. Communities such as W… Read More
BURNT HOUSE, W.Va. — Motorists traveling WV-47 between Weston and Parkersburg are sure to have noticed the sign for the village of Burnt House and wondered about the name. Like every g… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Prehistoric West Virginia was not an uninhabited hunting ground, according to an archaeologist who says the idea is one of several popular fallacies she's encounter… Read More
FLAT TOP, W.Va. — Worms are already making their presence known in the upper layers of the soil in early March, says a West Virginia permaculturist who can attest to the lore of the Wo… Read More
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The fantastic recreational opportunities in the New River Gorge in West Virginia are no longer a secret. Since becoming one of America’s newest national parks, t… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Only the most sharp-eyed outdoor enthusiasts may have spotted this remarkable one-leafed orchid hiding in the West Virginia woodlands in winter. While most plants… Read More
Glen Jean, W.Va. — According to park officials, visitation increased across the board at all three national park sites in southern West Virginia in 2023. Visitation remains high and co… Read More
WHEELING, W.Va. — West Virginia may best be known for its vast mountain forests, but its northern panhandle was once a grassland clipped low by sheep. Part of the vast Ohio market area… Read More
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Once counted among the most gracious homes in the Greenbrier Valley, the historic Level Tavern on scenic US-219 is being rediscovered, thanks to its recent introduct… Read More
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — A monument raised in memory of an escaped nanny goat is attracting the attention of motorists on US-19 in central West Virginia. The roadside curiosity stands alo… Read More
SILVER VALLEY, W.Va. — Is there silver in the hills of West Virginia? Parts of what's now western West Virginia enjoyed a kind of silver rush in the late 1800s, and many prospectors op… Read More
PAX, W.Va. — Few motorists traveling the West Virginia Turnpike between Beckley and Charleston may know that one of the state's most beautiful trout streams lies hidden in the mountain… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The legend of a now well-publicized West Virginia monster known regionally as the "White Thing" may have first been documented by a student of folklore from Kanawha… Read More
BECKLEY, W.Va. — A stone's throw from one of the busiest traffic centers in West Virginia, a spring house and one-room cabin are all that remains of a farm that was long a favorite sto… Read More
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A West Virginia University urban forester is developing a method, with the help of artificial intelligence, to identify trees at risk of falling on power lines and… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tucked away in a wooded gorge near the West Virginia Capitol, one of the highest waterfalls in the region long powered one of its first mills, but much of its histo… Read More
WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. — Hidden in plain sight, the islands in the Ohio River in West Virginia are a Noah's Ark for wildlife that has managed to escape development elsewhere. As the Ohio… Read More
WHEELING, W.Va. — There was a time when Wheeling was being proposed as the location for a new capital of the U.S., though the idea never attracted much interest. Situated at the juncti… Read More
BEAVER, W.Va. — Spring ramp festivals are drawing more attention than ever, thanks to a renewed interest in West Virginia and Appalachia, says the publisher of West Virginia Explorer M… Read More
KENOVA, W.Va. — Every summer for nearly a century, people have flocked to Dreamland Pool in the small city of Kenova, West Virginia. On US-60 in Wayne County, it's the first landmark d… Read More
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Possibly because of a resurgence of ideas about chivalry and codes of conduct, dueling surged in popularity in the U.S. in the late 1700s, especially in the Deep So… Read More
GEORGE TOWN, W.Va. — Finding the monument on a map is difficult enough. Finding it in the steep woodlands is even more challenging. But on a remote hillside at the southeast corner of… Read More
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Occasionally, you might hear old-timers speak of a time when herds of wild hogs were hunted in the West Virginia hills. Chances are, they never witnessed such a hu… Read More
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Whitewater rafting in the New River Gorge in West Virginia has been named one of National Geographic magazine’s “Best of the World” Top 20 Trave… Read More
FRAZIER'S BOTTOM, W.Va. — One of the most scenic pastoral landscapes in the eastern U.S., the valley of the lower Kanawha River in West Virginia is attracting the attention of tourists… Read More
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Questions may always surround a mysterious boulder in southern West Virginia inscribed with the characters "S. Ferguson F. County 1814." Long known simply as Ferguson'… Read More
A West Virginia University plant pathology professor emeritus who has spent more than 70 years developing hearty tomato varieties for home gardeners has created his fourth and final tomato … Read More
PRUNTYTOWN, W.Va. — If you were an unruly boy growing up in West Virginia before the 1980s, there's a chance your misbehaviors were met with the threat of banishment to "Pruntytown." P… Read More
HUNDRED, W.Va. — There was a time soon after the completion of the B&O Railroad when passengers would clamber to the car windows to catch a glimpse of "Old Hundred." He was a marve… Read More
WITCHER CREEK, W.Va — It's likely that few English speakers who have observed the "Witchers Creek" road sign on US-60 have done so without considering the association with the word "wi… Read More
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Far from the city lights that shimmer about its mouth at the Golden Triangle at Pittsburgh, the Monongahela River rises more than 200 miles away in some of the most r… Read More
SLATYFORK, W.Va. — Snowshoe Mountain in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia has been ranked among the most affordable ski resorts in the U.S. by The Discoverer. In additio… Read More
DROOP, W.Va. — Among the smallest state parks in West Virginia, 110-acre Beartown State Park is nevertheless among its most fascinating. For decades, it's inspired visitors as a natura… Read More
CANVAS, W.Va. — Mountainous and often remote, West Virginia may enjoy more than its fair share of strange stories. Still, the tale of the woman whose feet never touched the ground is u… Read More
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — The word "hillbilly" was a term of endearment in the southern Appalachian Mountains region in the early 1800s, though it later developed negative connotations. The fo… Read More
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Some of the most chilling tales of hauntings in West Virginia are based on actual events, and one of the most horrific is that of the Screaming Lady of Mason Co… Read More
LOGAN, W.Va. — The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources is reviewing bids for constructing an elk viewing tower and visitor center to be built in the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources will introduce 40 new elk to the Mountain State’s growing herd in 2024 and create a visitors center and observation to… Read More
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council announced $22 million in funding for sewer and water projects around the state. Kanawha Public Service… Read More
WHEELING, W.Va. — After more than 100 years, a West Virginia-based glassware manufacturer is carrying on the legacy inherent in a more-than-century-old pattern—the Moon & Sta… Read More