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Amanda Larch Hinchman

Amanda Larch Hinchman is a freelance journalist and editor and graduate of W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, antique shopping, reading, and baking. She resides in Hurricane. She is a regular contributor to West Virginia Explorer. She can be reached at amandajlarch@gmail.com.

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 Endless Wall follows the rim of the … 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

Most visitors never see this side of the New River Gorge National Park

The forgotten story behind Wheeling’s historic Madonna of the Trail monument

Road closures to affect access to Cranberry and Williams River recreation areas

Ancient river once flowed across West Virginia before vanishing during the Ice Age

West Virginia affordable housing group expands team as demand for rural development grows

More hotels are using AI this summer. Here’s what travelers should expect

Fireflies are peaking across West Virginia this week. Here’s where to see them

Why West Virginia may be the East’s best escape from the Fourth Of July heat

How hot can West Virginia get? A look at the Mountain State’s worst heat waves

George Washington’s secret agent is remembered at West Virginia’s Champe Rocks

Why visitors to Berkeley Springs in eastern West Virginia keep asking, “Where’s Bath?”

Where to watch Fourth of July fireworks in West Virginia in 2026

New West Virginia hunting rules could affect thousands of hunters this fall

Here’s why West Virginia is the East’s premier whitewater rafting capital

West Virginia’s wild turkeys have made one of America’s greatest wildlife comebacks

More New River Gorge hikers are leaving Endless Wall for the Grandview Rim Trail

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