Clyde Craig
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Lost River State Park and Cass Scenic Railroad State Park will enjoy nearly $13 million in expansions to be completed in 2025. According to Gov. Jim Justice, the projects are part of West Virginia’s ongoing investments to enhance outdoor recreation and tourism. The governor announced that Cass is adding its first campground … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The producers of the West Virginia-made comedy film Ambrosia! have announced a September release that will be followed by a series of statewide and national screenings. Afterward, the feature-length independent film will be released on streaming platforms globally, though producer Saja Montague says those details are still being established. “We’ve had many … Read more
ITMANN, W.Va. — The historic Itmann Company Store complex in southern West Virginia has been purchased by a Texas investor who says he’ll work with state and local officials to develop the landmark. Gary Drabek, of Houston, Tex., closed on the property today in Beckley but has been meeting for months with potential partners to … Read more
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — From increases in diversity to an uptick in female groups, the outdoor adventure industry in the New River Gorge region in West Virginia has witnessed significant shifts in guest participation in recent years, according to an industry spokesman. Those trends have been evident at Adventures on the Gorge, an adventure resort on … Read more
ITMANN, W.Va. — A tourist attraction in West Virginia’s southern mountains, the landmark Itmann Company Store — also known as the “Castle in the Coalfields” — has returned to the real estate market and is attracting more interest than ever. Parties negotiating the purchase of the property earlier in the year could not reach an … Read more
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Sightseers in search of a view of the world-famous New River Gorge Bridge — though without the challenges of whitewater rafting — can board a specialized boat to travel into the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. The two-hour, 16-passenger scenic tours travel into the park from the … Read more
OAK HILL, W.Va. — Historians in West Virginia say they’re baffled by a strange arrangement of monuments in a cemetery near the New River Gorge. They hope to discover why the graves are interred under remarkable wedge-shaped concrete forms. “Something very unusual has gone on here,” says David Sibray, the publisher of West Virginia Explorer … Read more
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — Enthusiasm for attending ramp festivals in West Virginia is growing along with tourism, says the publisher of the state’s leading travel publications. More than ever, visitors are searching for information on ramps and ramp festivals online at West Virginia Explorer Magazine, according to publisher David Sibray, where more than 50,000 interactions have … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — To help educate the public about the value and stability of historic stone walls, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has declared those in historic districts across the Mountain State “endangered.” According to Danielle Parker, the organization’s executive director, “statewide, hand-cut stone walls aged 50 years or older are part of this … Read more
THURMOND, W.Va. — Programming through a preservation organization in West Virginia will support leasing in this historic town where the National Park Service had considered demolishing several nationally historic buildings it had formerly promised to save. Following a groundswell of public aversion to a proposal to demolish more than 20 historic structures in the town, … Read more
