Friday, August 1, 2025
70.9 F
Beckley
More

    West Virginia resorts shift focus to groups, meetings off-season

    FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — As autumn approaches and tourist season winds down in West Virginia (except near its , which are nearing their winter boom), operators of tourism businesses are working to attract groups and conferences.

    Advertisement

    Thanks to the discovery of the Mountain State as a vacationland during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses with outdoor recreation options have found a healthy market to appeal to.

    Corporate groups regular participate in outdoor adventures such as hiking and canopy touring. (Photo: Jay Young / Adventures on the Gorge)

    One of the state's best-known outdoor adventure resorts, perched on the rim of the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia, is opening its meeting centers to conference organizers who seek a rejuvenating atmosphere for guests.

    Roger Wilson, its CEO, says has established meeting spaces at the resort's "Lookout Post" that take advantage of its proximity to a national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

    Advertisement

    “We built the Lookout Post with the intention of providing a space for inspiration and rejuvenation,” Wilson said.

    “Few meeting places in the U.S. offer such a stunning combination of natural beauty and a national park vibe.”

    The Lookout Post is a small-group conference center overlooking the park and offers a combination of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces and after-meeting activities for planners.

    Year-round, the space is combined with the resort's restaurants, swimming pool, and various decks to create an overall venue with more than 5,000 square feet of multi-use space. The conference center provides an integrated meeting venue featuring up to five meeting rooms with a flexible design that can accommodate 200 people theater style.

    Advertisement

    Renowned as a destination for outdoor recreation, Wilson said resort activities work well for group events. The resort is best known for its whitewater rafting excursions on the New and Gauley rivers, but it also offers canopy tours, an obstacle course, rock climbing tours, and an opportunity to walk the catwalk beneath the nearby New River Gorge Bridge.


    Sign up to receive a FREE copy of West Virginia Explorer Magazine in your email weekly. 

    Clyde Craig
    Clyde Craighttp://wvexplorer.com
    Clyde Craig is a writer for West Virginia Explorer. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, he traveled with his family across the globe with the U.S. Army before returning to the Mountain State in 2011.

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Hot this week

    Wild and Wonderful: A journey through West Virginia’s most beautiful places

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In the wild heart of Appalachia,...

    Historic West Virginia heat waves and how the state can recover its coolness

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — While known for its forests and...

    West Virginia to host first-ever Spartan Trifecta World Championship in the U.S.

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will make history in...

    Nature’s classroom in the Kanawha Valley: A vibrant trail system blossoms in Buffalo

    BUFFALO, W.Va. — Among the fields and wetlands of...

    From Jerry West to Best Virginia, basketball in West Virginia is a unifying force

    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Mountain State is a land...

    Topics

    Related Articles

    Popular Categories