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Amanda Larch Hinchman

Amanda Larch is a freelance writer and editor and a 2020 graduate of Marshall University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, antique shopping, reading, and baking. She resides in Hurricane.

Huntington Childrens Museum By Leo Rivas

Attractions

Huntington children’s museum harbinger of growth in West End

August 9, 2023 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Western West Virginia’s new children’s museum is expected to contribute to revitalizing Huntington’s West End and benefit families in an area where such advantages were traditionally few. Tosha Pelfrey, president of the board of the Huntington Children’s Museum, says she wanted to establish the museum where it could provide opportunities that otherwise … Read more

David Sibray Installs Gomart Cryptid Quest in West Virginia

Culture

W.Va. monsters going corporate? GoMart app suggests so

June 28, 2023 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

GASSAWAY, W.Va.— Is West Virginia monster lore going corporate? A new commercial app that features the Mountain State’s most famous monsters suggests it could become big business. Long the subject of campfire stories, the monsters that allegedly haunt the West Virginia hills may have gone fully mainstream with a new rewards system instituted by GoMart, … Read more

Communities

“Airbnb” for recreational properties to launch in West Virginia

May 17, 2023 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

A new mobile application that will allow landowners to lease their properties for outdoor recreation is currently accepting participants for a beta test. Officials at “Bluebirding” are looking for 50 to 100 participants from anywhere in the nation to test the application. CEO Peyton Ballard says he’s encouraging West Virginians to partake. The test will … Read more

Decorative glassware has been fired in West Virginia throughout much of the century.

Communities

West Virginia once among chief manufacturers of glassware

March 29, 2023 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

West Virginia was once among the world’s chief exporters of glass, supporting more than 400 factories through the 20th century. Now, only a handful of manufacturers remain, though its glass museums and exhibits are growing as destinations for collectors. What circumstances caused West Virginia to excel, and why did the industry wane? Historians say three … Read more

Agriculture

Rich West Virginia honey benefitting consumers, producers

March 24, 2023 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

West Virginia is a prominent producer of Appalachian honey, churning out almost 245,000 pounds annually from 13,300 registered bee colonies. It ranks 40th in the nation among producers, though the honey it produces is renowned for its richness. Most of the state’s honey is produced from black locust, tulip poplar, and basswood blossoms—nectar sources that … Read more

New River near Grandview, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, New River Gorge Region

Hiking

West Virginia hiking blogger says New River Gorge tops inquiries

October 20, 2022 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

GRANDVIEW, W.Va. — Though travel to West Virginia is increasing statewide, a blogger best known for helping families with children find good hiking options says she’s fielding more inquiries about the nation’s newest national park. Ruthie Witmer, who operates the Instagram page at Mountainmamahiking, says the newly designated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve … Read more

Orchid At Cranberry Glades Botanical Area in West Virginia

Attractions

Unique, nearly Canadian environment found at Cranberry Glades

August 23, 2022 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

HILLSBORO, W.Va. — Five hundred miles south of the Canadian muskegs, visitors to the highest mountains in West Virginia may be surprised to find a uniquely similar highland botanical area. Supported by the cool climate of the lofty Allegheny Mountains, the 750-acre Cranberry Glades Botanical Area includes plants that aren’t otherwise found so far south … Read more

Members of the Trash-Your-Kayak Cleanup Crew paddle at a launch on a West Virginia stream.

Kayaking and Canoeing

Kayakers battling to clean littered West Virginia streams

July 23, 2022 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

While West Virginia boasts some of the cleanest mountain streams in the U.S., there’s work to be done on rivers in formerly industrialized areas of the state where conscientious kayakers are working to remove debris. Since its inception in 2016, the Trash-Your-Kayak Cleanup Crew has removed more than 3,000 tires and three-and-a-half tons of trash … Read more

Tracy Toler and his daughter bike a forest trail in southern West Virginia.

Biking

West Virginia an ideal statewide destination for mountain biking

July 14, 2022 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

With its ideal mix of terrain, elevation, and untouched beauty begging to be discovered, West Virginia is an ideal destination for mountain biking, according to one of its chief proponents. Tracy Toler, co-owner of Adventure Trail Systems, says that while there are great mountain biking opportunities out West, it’s one of the fastest-growing sports in … Read more

Visitors cavort in the wave pool at the Waves of Fun waterpark at Hurricane, West Virginia.

Attractions

Expanded park in Teays Valley attracting new out-of-state visitors

June 30, 2022 by Amanda Larch Hinchman

Residents of the Teays Valley in western West Virginia have been taking advantage of Valley Park at Hurricane since it opened in 1978, but now the park off Interstate 64 is attracting more visitors from out of town, thanks in part to renovations and new sports fields. Long known for its wave pool, the park … Read more

West Virginia State Parks Foundation launches online merchandise store

Inside West Virginia’s National Radio Quiet Zone, where scientists listen to the universe

West Virginia Pepperoni Roll Museum to open this spring in Fayetteville

West Virginia state parks, Smooth Ambler expand branded bourbon partnership statewide

Nightfall’s Value: Light pollution can diminish real estate worth in W.Va.

Inside Appalachian Escapes: Themed rentals, escape rooms, and a love letter to West Virginia

West Virginia uniquely prepared to dominate 21st-century outdoor economy

We asked AI how its own data centers could pollute West Virginia. Here’s what it had to say

West Virginia bottler wins silver award at international water competition

Did Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis secretly meet in West Virginia?

Here are the top 10 winter snows that shaped West Virginia history

The house that vanished overnight: West Virginia’s Neerly House haunting

Black bear harvest remained steady in West Virginia in 2025 as predicted

West Virginia announces winners of 2025 West Virginia Big Buck Photo Contest

W.Va. DNR to sponsor West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show in Charleston

West Virginia trout stocking Jan. 5: biologists stock 46 waters statewide

Amanda Larch Hinchman

Huntington children’s museum harbinger of growth in West End

W.Va. monsters going corporate? GoMart app suggests so

“Airbnb” for recreational properties to launch in West Virginia

West Virginia once among chief manufacturers of glassware

Rich West Virginia honey benefitting consumers, producers

West Virginia hiking blogger says New River Gorge tops inquiries

Unique, nearly Canadian environment found at Cranberry Glades

Kayakers battling to clean littered West Virginia streams

West Virginia an ideal statewide destination for mountain biking

Expanded park in Teays Valley attracting new out-of-state visitors