Summer officially starts June 21, but Canaan Valley Resort marks the season Memorial Day with an eventful long weekend that includes hikes, wagon rides, dinner theater, and a golf tournament.
General manager Steve Drumheller said the staff has designed the weekend to introduce or re-familiarize visitors with the resort and Canaan Valley Resort State Park as well as the Canaan Valley itself.
“Ignore the calendar, because we know summer really begins the last weekend in May,” Drumheller said. “We plan to kick things off with a weekend of outdoor activities that will showcase the region’s beauty. Personally, I can’t wait to find out ‘Who dun it.’”
All the summer-season activities will open that weekend,Drumheller said, including the resort's outdoor pool, turtleslide, and scenic chairlift at the ski area. The golf course and sporting clay range have already opened for the summer season. Weekend events include the following:
Friday, May 26
Early arrivals may meet at the club-house parking lot at 10 a.m. for a hike. At 2 p.m. resort instructors will lead craft-making, and wagon rides through the park will depart from the main lodge from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 27
A six-mile, physically challenging hike between Blackbird Knob and Canaan Valley provides hikers the opportunity to witness spectacular vista and high-meadow views. The resort will shuttle participants from the main lodge at 9 a.m. Hikers are encouraged to pack a lunch, snacks, and water. The cost is $15 per person, and the hike is limited to eight participants. Pre-registration is required.
Ladder-ball, cornhole and yard-dice games will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From noon to 3 p.m. guests can learn “Zentangled,” a relaxing and easy-to-learn way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Wagon rides through the park will depart from the main lodge from 4 to 6 p.m.
“The Murderer Who Came to Dinner” will begin at 7 p.m. and will include dinner and a dramatic performance. Guests who solve the mystery win a prize. Tickets to the show and dinner are $50 per person plus tax. Lodging specials featuring the mystery dinner are available as well. Advanced ticket purchase is suggested by calling 304-866-4121.
Sunday, May 28
Another hike starts the day with participants meeting at the resort’s ski shop for a Bald Knob Hike and scenic chairlift ride. This moderately strenuous hike is guided by park staff at $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children.
Ladder-ball, cornhole and yard-dice games will resume from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and “dot-to-dot” games will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. At 1 p.m. the fun continues with a pie-eating contest followed by bingo at 2 p.m. Wagon rides through the park will depart from the main lodge from 4 to 6 p.m.
Monday, May 29
The annual Memorial Day Golf Scramble is open to guests and course pass-holders and begins with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. A variety of prizes will be awarded. The basic entry fee is $55 per person with a discounted entry fee of $35 for season pass-holders. Golfers may register at the Canaan Valley Pro Shop or by calling 304-866-4121, ext. 2632.
About Canaan Valley Resort
Canaan Valley Resort completed a $34 million renovation that included construction of two new wings with all-new guest rooms.
Resort accommodations also include restaurants, a lounge, a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, an 18-hole championship golf course, a tennis court, a miniature-golf course, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, a soccer field, a softball diamond, a basketball court, a corn-hole toss, clay trap shooting, a euro-bungy, a scenic chairlift, and tubing on a turtleslide.
Canaan Valley is a three-hour drive from Pittsburgh, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Washington, D.C., and a two-and-three-quarter-hour drive from Charleston, W.Va.
Drumheller said the drive from D.C. to the valley has recently become quicker and easier with the near-completion of the section of “Appalachian Corridor H” in West Virginia between Bismarck and Davis.
