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Clyde CraigClyde Craig

Clyde Craig is a staff writer for West Virginia Explorer. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, he traveled with his family across the globe with the U.S. Army before returning to the Mountain State in 2011. He has been a writer with the explorer since 2018. He can be reached at 304-575-7390 or at craig@wvexplorer.com.
West Virginia Paranormal Tour
Culture

Why paranormal tourism is booming in almost heaven West Virginia

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Paranormal tourism is booming across West Virginia, but the increase in ghost tours, haunted history walks, and supernatural-themed events doesn’t necessarily reflect a rise in belief in the paranormal. According to David Sibray, publisher of West Virginia Explorer and a long-time interpreter of Appalachian folklore, the state’s growing ghost-themed tourism sector has … Read more

Attractions

Woodside Fire in West Virginia national forest reaches 75% containment

by Clyde Craig

CIRCLEVILLE, W.Va. — Firefighters in West Virginia continue to make progress in ending the Woodside Fire in the Monongahela National Forest, with containment now at 75 percent. Cooler temperatures and weekend precipitation have helped moderate fire behavior. Crews used the favorable conditions to construct additional handline and dozer line along the 385-acre fire’s perimeter, according … Read more

Directors gauge lighting while filming a scene from the comedy "Ambrosia!"
Arts

West Virginia-made comedy “Ambrosia!” nominated at Delaware film festival

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va. — The momentum behind “Ambrosia!”—an award-winning West Virginia–made screwball comedy—continues to build as filmmakers announced that the film has been nominated for Best Picture at the Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival. A contingent from the production that was filmed in Beckley will attend the festival screening in Rehoboth Beach, with hopes high for … Read more

In "Self Help, Landry Bender plays a college student who infiltrates a self-actualization group after her mother becomes entangled with its enigmatic anti-cult leader.
Arts

Horror film shot in West Virginia, ‘Self Help’ to hit theaters nationwide on Halloween

by Clyde Craig

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A horror-thriller filmed in Huntington in 2024, “Self Help” is set for a nationwide theatrical release on Halloween through Mainframe Pictures. The rollout will include “Mischief Night Sneak Previews” on Thursday, Oct. 30, followed by a digital release from Cineverse in early 2026, according to Dave Lavender, director of the West Virginia … Read more

The Nuttalburg tipple greets visitors to a remote corner of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Recreation

Eight ghost towns in southern West Virginia worth visiting

by Clyde Craig

THURMOND, W.Va. — One of the richest aspects of history in southern West Virginia involves coal mining. Following the Civil War, coal production in much of the region boomed. Railroads were soon built along the New, Coal, and Guyandotte rivers to transport the coal out to mills in the Ohio Valley. Coalfields were plentiful throughout … Read more

Condé Nast Traveler has recognized The Greenbrier, Stonewall Resort, and Snowshoe Mountain in its 2025 awards. (Photo courtesy West Virginia Tourism)
Communities

Three West Virginia resorts ranked among best in U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Top travel destinations in West Virginia are once again receiving national recognition, with three of the state’s premier resorts named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. The Greenbrier, Stonewall Resort, and Snowshoe Mountain all earned high marks from readers in this year’s rankings, underscoring West Virginia’s growing reputation as a … Read more