West Virginia

Top 10 Places

(Pictures and places in bold are places I have been to.)

10. Beartown State Park

9. Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

8. The Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs in the Allegheny Mountains – Greenbrier Peaches

7. Fayetteville

      • Fayetteville Historic District
      • Fayette County Courthouse
      • Fayetteville Town Hall
      • Fayetteville Post Office
      • Cathedral Cafe & Bookstore – Pot Roast Melt
      • Secret Sandwich Society

6. Hatfield and McCoy Country

      • Hatfield McCoy Country Museum in Williamson WV
      • Hatfield McCoy Feud Marker and Ellison Hatfield Cemetery in Matewan WV
      • “Devil” Anse Hatfield Grave in Sarah Ann WV
      • Ellison Hatfield Home in Delbarton WV
      • The Wash Stand/Hatfield Cemetery and the Hatfield McCoy Monument at Blackberry Park in Ransom KY
      • Historic Dils Cemetery in Pikeville KY

5. Charleston

      • West Virginia Capitol Building
      • West Virginia Governor’s Mansion
      • Downtown Charleston Historic District
        1. Charleston City Hall
        2. Kanawha County Courthouse
        3. Kanawha County Public Library
      • Criel Mound
      • Daniel Boone Park
      • Tudor’s Biscuit World – Mountaineer Biscuit

4. National Coal Heritage Area – Coal Heritage Trail National Scenic Byway

      • Whipple Company Store
      • Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine & New River Park – The Mountain Homestead
      • Itmann Company Store
      • Ashland Company Store
      • Bramwell

3. Monongahela National Forest

      • Birthplace of Rivers (a proposed national monument, BirthplaceofRivers.org)
      • Dolly Sods Wilderness
      • Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area
      • Seneca Caverns

2. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (including part of the Appalachian Trail), and in nearby Berkeley Springs, along the Historic National Road All-American Road byway, is Berkeley Springs State Park

1. New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

      • New River Gorge Whitewater
      • New River Gorge Bridge
      • Canyon Rim Visitor Center
      • Long Point Trail (1.6 miles)
      • Endless Wall Trail (2.4 miles)
      • Kaymoor Mine Site
      • Nuttallburg Mine Site
      • Thurmond Depot Visitor Center
      • Bank of Glen Jean Visitor Center
      • Grandview
      • Sandstone Falls Visitor Center
      • Brooks Falls
  • Nearby: 
      • Babcock State Park – Glade Creek Grist Mill
      • John Henry Monument – John Henry Statue at the Great Bend Railroad Tunnel in Talcott
      • Gauley River National Recreation Area (NPS)
      • Bluestone National Scenic River (NPS)
      • Hawks Nest State Park
      • Bluestone State Park
      • Pipestem Resort State Park

State Info

A) State Nicknames+

      • The Mountain State
      • Motto: Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers [are] Always Free)

B) State Symbols

      • Flower: Rhododendron
      • Tree: Sugar maple
      • Bird: Cardinal
      • Animal: Black bear
      • Fruit: Golden Delicious apple
      • Fish: Brook trout
      • Butterfly: Monarch butterfly
      • Reptile: Timber rattlesnake
      • Rock: Bituminous coal

C) Major Metros

      1. Huntington (largest metro & second city)
      2. Charleston (state capital & largest city)
      3. Wheeling

D) Just for Fun (and a little spooky)

      • Mothman Museum and Mothman Statue in Point Pleasant

E) Spooky

      • Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
      • West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, plus Grave Creek Mound

F) Iconic Foods

      • Pepperoni Rolls
      • Fresh Rainbow Trout
      • Fried Fish Sandwich
      • Ramps (wild mountain leeks)
      • Morels (Molly Moochers)
      • Biscuits and Gravy
      • Buckwheat Pancakes
      • Grape & Gorgonzola Pizza
      • Beans and Cornbread
      • Skillet Cornbread
      • Apple Dumpling

G) Other Top Places

      • Blackwater Falls State Park
      • Pipestem Resort State Park
      • Canaan Valley Resort State Park
      • Wheeling National Heritage Area