West Virginia Explorer West Virginia Explorer News
Browse

David Sibray

David Sibray is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390 or at editor@wvexplorer.com
Rev. Dyke Garrett, the mountain preacher who rode horseback through the rugged hills of southwestern West Virginia for more than 50 years, ministers to a gathering of Appalachian families. Garrett became one of the few trusted figures among both the Hatfield and McCoy families during the infamous feud.
History / Prehistory

Devil Anse Hatfield’s mountain preacher ended America’s most famous family feud

by David Sibray

SARAH ANN, W.Va. — Long before highways reached into the mountains of southwestern West Virginia, people traveled narrow creek bottoms and mountain paths threading through some of Appalachia’s most rugged country. Families identified with the watersheds where they lived as much as with any town or county. That landscape, in some senses quintessentially Appalachian, fostered … Read more

Tourists arrive at the historic Elkins passenger station, a gateway to the Monongahela National Forest and one of the communities participating in the Mon Forest Towns partnership. A new West Virginia University study is helping rural destinations balance tourism growth with the needs of local residents.
Economic Development

WVU researchers help tourism communities grow without losing what makes them special

by David Sibray

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As tourism continues to reshape rural communities across Appalachia, researchers at West Virginia University in Morgantown are helping local leaders answer a difficult question: How can towns welcome more visitors without sacrificing the qualities that make people want to live there? A new study led by West Virginia University Extension found that … Read more

Excitement builds as Scouts check in for Scouting America's National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in southern West Virginia. The 10-day event introduces thousands of young people and their families to the Mountain State through outdoor adventure, leadership, and service.
Festivals / Events

Thousands gather in W.Va. for the Jamboree, America’s largest outdoor youth adventure

by David Sibray

MOUNT HOPE, W.Va. — Tens of thousands of scouts, volunteers, leaders, and family members are arriving in southern West Virginia this week as Scouting America’s National Jamboree transforms the mountains of the New River Gorge region into one of the nation’s largest youth adventure camps. Held at the 14,000-acre Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County, … Read more

A smiling child with colorful face paint enjoys a day at the State Fair of West Virginia. Fair officials and community partners are providing complimentary all-day midway ride passes to eligible foster children during this year's event, helping more young people experience one of the state's most cherished summer traditions. (Photo courtesy Jeremiah Lawrence)
Festivals / Events

State Fair of West Virginia, state’s biggest festival, opens its midway to foster children

by David Sibray

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — For many West Virginians, memories of the state fair begin in childhood—first rides on the midway, cotton candy shared with family, prize-winning livestock, and long summer evenings spent beneath the glow of carnival lights. For some children in foster care, those memories have never had the chance to begin. This August, a … Read more

A driver approaches a busy interstate interchange, where merging traffic, unfamiliar routes and a loss of control can trigger anxiety for some motorists. Researchers at West Virginia University say driving anxiety is more common than many people realize. (Photo: Samuele Errico Piccarini)
Health and Medicine

You’re not alone: Why driving anxiety happens—and how to keep it from taking over

by David Sibray

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For many Americans, summer means road trips, family vacations, and weekends on the highway. For others, simply getting behind the wheel can trigger a racing heart, sweaty palms, and an overwhelming sense of panic. Researchers at West Virginia University say driving anxiety is far more common than many people realize. It affects … Read more

Appalachian Escapes: Straight out of the ’80s: David Sibray, Nate Adams, and Rachel Adkins swap stories in a replica Pizza Hut. (Photo: Holly K. Clark)
Communities

This may look like a 1980s Pizza Hut, but it’s a vacation rental in West Virginia

by David Sibray

Fayetteville, W.Va. — What began as a search for an affordable retirement option has become one of southern West Virginia’s most imaginative tourism ventures. Nate Adams and his wife, Rachel Adkins, founded AppalachianEscapes, a growing collection of themed vacation rentals near the New River that blend art, storytelling, and Appalachian culture. The turning point came … Read more

Bob and Jeff Tinnell speak about their filmmaking.
Arts

Netflix success gives West Virginia filmmakers new credibility in Hollywood

by David Sibray

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia filmmakers have reached a milestone few would have imagined a decade ago. Earlier this year, two films produced by the Morgantown-based Allegheny Image Factory—Gaslit and The Bad Guardian—simultaneously ranked among Netflix’s five most-watched movies in the United States, an achievement that producer Jeff Tinnell believes is unprecedented for a homegrown … Read more

George Washington meets Seneca leader Guyasuta beside the Ohio River during his 1770 expedition into the western frontier. Washington later wrote that Native ceremonial customs delayed his departure as the two men discussed the country beyond the Ohio, a meeting that reflected the diplomacy shaping the future American frontier.
History / Prehistory

Before he was president, George Washington explored the Ohio Valley of today’s W.Va.

by David Sibray

RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — Six years before the Declaration of Independence and nearly two decades before he became the first president of the United States, George Washington embarked on one of the most remarkable journeys of his life. The 38-year-old Virginian rode horseback across the Allegheny Mountains, climbed into a canoe at Fort Pitt, and spent … Read more