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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

Cyclists cross a bridge on the Clear Fork Rail Trail, one of several recreation projects helping expand outdoor opportunities in Raleigh County.

Economic Development

Beyond the New River Gorge: Raleigh County is reinventing itself through outdoor recreation

July 13, 2026 by David Sibray

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Millions of travelers have heard of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, where one of the world’s oldest rivers cuts through the rugged Allegheny Mountains in southern West Virginia. Far fewer know the neighboring communities that surround it. Among them is Raleigh County, home to the city of Beckley, the … Read more

Diners gather inside Oddfellers in downtown Richwood, where locally sourced Appalachian ingredients and from-scratch cooking have helped make the restaurant a destination for visitors exploring the surrounding mountains, trout streams, and hiking trails.

Dining / Nightlife

Food historian says West Virginia’s culinary scene is finally finding its flavor

July 12, 2026 by David Sibray

WHEELING, W.Va. — For generations, ambitious chefs were expected to leave Appalachia to make a name for themselves. Big cities offered larger markets, broader audiences, and greater opportunities than West Virginia’s small cities and mountain towns. But according to West Virginia food historian and chef Matt Welsch, that narrative is beginning to change. Rather than leaving … Read more

Mountain bikers enjoy one of Putnam County's growing trail systems. Local officials say expanding outdoor recreation opportunities are helping redefine the county as a destination for hiking, biking and other outdoor adventures in West Virginia.

Travel / Transportation

Once known for sports tourism, Putnam County is becoming an outdoor recreation destination

July 11, 2026 by David Sibray

WINFIELD, W.Va. — For generations, Putnam County was a place travelers passed through rather than a destination in itself. Positioned between the Charleston and Huntington metropolitan areas, the county became known for youth sports tournaments, shopping, and suburban growth rather than mountain adventures. Today, that identity is changing. As West Virginia gains national attention for … Read more

Attractions

The hidden mountain behind West Virginia’s Pinnacle Rock State Park

July 10, 2026 by David Sibray

BRAMWELL, W.Va. — For nearly a century, visitors have stopped beside U.S. 52 to admire Pinnacle Rock, assuming it is an isolated sandstone tower. It isn’t. The famous landmark is only one visible fragment of a giant geologic structure that stretches more than 25 miles across southern West Virginia and into Virginia—a mountain-sized fold created … Read more

A young girl gathers ripe blackberries from a fencerow during the height of midsummer berry season, a tradition that has marked summers in rural America for generations. (Getty Image)

Food

How midsummer wild berries connect people, wildlife, and West Virginia’s forests

July 9, 2026 by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In midsummer, West Virginia’s forests yield one of their richest annual harvests. Blackberries spill over abandoned fence rows. Raspberries brighten sunny hillsides. Blueberries and huckleberries ripen on the state’s highest mountains. For generations, families have carried buckets into the woods to gather berries for cobblers, jams, and pies. Yet these fruits nourish … Read more

A black bear crosses a rural West Virginia road. While bears now occupy every county in the state, wildlife officials say the recent surge in social media sightings is also driven by the widespread use of smartphones and home security cameras.

Wildlife / Conservancy

Why more West Virginians are seeing black bears this summer

July 9, 2026 by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — From doorbell videos to cell phone clips shared on Facebook, black bears seem to be appearing almost everywhere in West Virginia this summer. The surge in online sightings has many residents wondering whether the state’s bear population has suddenly exploded. According to Colin P. Carpenter, black bear project leader for the W.Va. … Read more

An illustration depicts Deputy Sheriff T.S. "Flintlock" Perry confronting an angry mob outside the Kanawha County jail. According to later accounts, Perry offered his own life in an attempt to prevent a lynching. (WVExplorer Illustration)

History / Prehistory

The West Virginia deputy who stood between a lynch mob and justice

July 8, 2026 by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On a cold winter night in 1875 in West Virginia’s capital city, an angry mob surrounded the county jail demanding justice. Inside stood Deputy Sheriff T.S. Perry, determined to protect the prisoners entrusted to his care. He lost that battle. Years later, faced with another mob intent on taking lives, Perry made … Read more

Whitewater Rafting

West Virginia teachers invited to discover the New River Gorge as an outdoor classroom

July 8, 2026 by David Sibray

OAK HILL, W.Va. — Teachers who first experience the New River Gorge on a recreational whitewater rafting trip often return with their students, turning one of Appalachia’s best-known adventure destinations into an outdoor classroom for lessons in geology, ecology, hydrology, and teamwork. That’s one reason ACE Adventure Resort is launching a new Teachers Raft Free … Read more

David Sibray visits the historic Peter Tarr Furnace near Weirton, one of the oldest surviving iron furnaces west of the Allegheny Mountains and an important landmark in the early industrial history of the Ohio Valley.

Landmarks / Museums

Why the Peter Tarr Furnace is one of West Virginia’s most important historic landmarks

July 7, 2026 by David Sibray

WEIRTON, W.Va. — At the edge of a quiet suburban neighborhood in Hancock County stands what appears at first glance to be a weathered stone tower. It isn’t a tower, however, but the remains of an iron furnace. Marked only by a modest historical sign, the Peter Tarr Furnace played a surprising role in shaping … Read more

A map highlights West Virginia's Northern and Eastern panhandles, two regions created by remarkably different chapters in the state's history. (WVExplorer Illustration)

History / Prehistory

Here’s why West Virginia has two panhandles and why they couldn’t be more different

July 7, 2026 by David Sibray

WHEELING, W.Va. — A glance at a map of West Virginia raises an obvious question. Why does the Mountain State have two narrow strips of land reaching toward opposite corners of the eastern United States? One extends northward for more than 60 miles between Ohio and Pennsylvania. The other stretches eastward from the Allegheny Front … Read more

West Virginia town built as Great Depression experiment wins national honor

New River Gorge ranks among 20 most-visited national parks in North America

Winter comes early to West Virginia’s highest mountains as forest sites begin closing

Civil War-era stone well hides in plain sight in this West Virginia tourist town

West Virginia’s fall colors can defy the forecast, forester says

West Virginia has been discovered; new tourism chief says what comes next

Fall has already begun in West Virginia. On Tuesday, it begins again

More than 2,000 gathered to watch one of West Virginia’s greatest trees fall

Before Devil Anse Hatfield, there was a giant

How did West Virginia’s Gauley River get its unusual name?

Before funeral homes, burying the dead in West Virginia was a community undertaking

West Virginia Civil War battlefield known for ghost stories joins paranormal trail

Want your children to spend more time outdoors? Start with yourself, educator says

Rabbit pot pie, venison chili, duck tacos on menu at West Virginia outdoor celebration

West Virginia city eyes 40-mile trail network near New River Gorge

West Virginia eliminates minimum age for youth hunting seasons