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Bianca BosworthBianca Bosworth

Born in Charleston, Bianca Bosworth spent years traveling the world as a travel nurse and freelance writer. In 2009 she returned to West Virginia to pursue a career in writing and mountaineering. She now calls Putnam County near Charleston home. She can be reached at 304-575-7390 or bosworth@wvexplorer.com.
A surviving version of West Virginia Explorer from Aug. 18, 2000, shows the website helping readers explore the Mountain State months before Wikipedia launched in January 2001.
Travel / Transportation

Before Wikipedia, this website was helping people explore West Virginia

by Bianca Bosworth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Before Wikipedia, WVExplorer.com helped people navigate the Mountain State. More than 25 years later, it reaches more than 100,000 monthly readers looking for places to visit, things to do, and communities to explore. “We bring businesses an audience that’s already interested in West Virginia,” said Lori Noble, the publication’s new advertising director. … Read more

August wildflowers in West Virginia: A butterfly feeds on blooming goldenrod during peak wildflower season in West Virginia. Goldenrod is among the state's most abundant late-summer native wildflowers, providing an important source of nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators as autumn approaches. (Photo courtesy Michael Barrick)
Botany and Forestry

Peak summer wildflowers are blooming across West Virginia; Where to find them this August

by Bianca Bosworth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For many travelers, spring gets all the attention when it comes to wildflowers. Yet some of West Virginia’s most spectacular wildflowers don’t arrive until summer is nearly over. As August settles across the Mountain State, hillsides, mountain meadows, wetlands, and stream banks burst with a final wave of color. Brilliant reds, deep … Read more

An aerial view of the historic Pence Springs Hotel in Summers County, W.Va., shows the former mineral springs resort surrounded by the forests and rolling hills that made it one of Appalachia's best-known mountain retreats. The 138-acre property is now being offered for sale through Foxfire Realty.
Lodging and Real Estate

One of America’s forgotten mineral springs resorts is for sale and awaiting its next chapter

by Bianca Bosworth

PENCE SPRINGS, W.Va. — Across the United States, historic hotels are finding new life. Grand railroad resorts have become boutique inns. Former sanatoriums have reopened as wellness retreats. Long-forgotten landmarks are being restored for a new generation of travelers seeking authentic stories rather than manufactured experiences. In the mountains of southern West Virginia, one of … Read more

A tourist photographs a historic home in the Middleway National Historic District in West Virginia.
Landmarks / Museums

National Trust joins legal fight over proposed plant near one of West Virginia’s oldest villages

by Bianca Bosworth

MIDDLEWAY, W.Va. — One of the nation’s leading historic preservation organizations has joined the legal battle over a proposed industrial water-extraction and bottling facility near one of West Virginia’s oldest villages, arguing that the project would irreparably damage a nationally recognized historic district and could weaken preservation protections statewide. The National Trust for Historic Preservation … Read more

A family watches an Independence Day fireworks display from a designated sensory-friendly viewing area while wearing hearing protection. More communities are adding quiet spaces, ear protection, and other accommodations to help people with autism, PTSD, and sensory sensitivities enjoy public celebrations. (WVExplorer Illustration)
Health and Medicine

West Virginia’s America250 celebration reflects trend to sensory-friendly Fourth of July events

by Bianca Bosworth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As thousands gathered at the West Virginia state capitol this weekend to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, organizers made a point of welcoming visitors who might otherwise avoid large Independence Day celebrations. Among the accommodations were designated sensory-friendly spaces to provide a quieter environment for children and adults with autism, post-traumatic stress … Read more

Just a few hours from Washington, D.C., West Virginia's high country offers cool summer evenings that have drawn Mid-Atlantic travelers for generations. (WVExplorer Image)
Travel / Transportation

As the eastern U.S. bakes, West Virginia’s mountains offer a cooler escape

by Bianca Bosworth

BECKLEY, W.Va. — By late afternoon in Washington, D.C., summer settles over the city like a heavy blanket. Heat radiates from sidewalks and office buildings. The marble monuments along the National Mall shimmer in the haze, while commuters hurry between air-conditioned offices, Metro stations, and cars. Even after sunset, the pavement continues releasing the warmth … Read more

Construction crews build new homes in West Virginia, where communities are working to expand affordable housing and meet growing demand for workforce housing and rural economic development.
Lodging and Real Estate

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

by Bianca Bosworth

ELKINS, W.Va. — As communities across north-central West Virginia continue working to address housing shortages, strengthen downtowns, and support locally owned businesses, Woodlands Development and Lending has expanded its leadership team to meet the growing demand for affordable housing and rural economic development. The Elkins-based nonprofit announced the hiring of McLain Saba as deputy director … Read more

Before air conditioning became widespread, families across West Virginia escaped oppressive summer heat by gathering at cool mountain streams, a tradition that reached its peak during the record-breaking heat waves of the early 1900s and Dust Bowl era.
History / Prehistory

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

by Bianca Bosworth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As another round of dangerous summer heat settles across much of the eastern United States, many West Virginians will find relief in the Mountain State’s mountains, forests, and cool streams. Yet history shows that the state has endured some of the nation’s most remarkable heat waves, including two days when temperatures soared … Read more