David Sibray
Increased storefront space and a growing demand for antiques more than doubled traffic through an Oak Hill antiques store over the past year. Jack Kelley, co-owner of J&J Antiques and More, says he thinks the move into a larger location one door along Main Street is part of the reason business has blossomed, though he … Read more
Many communities that depend on warm-weather tourism suffer through winter, but one West Virginia town renowned as a destination for whitewater rafting is breaking out of that cycle. Hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking have increased year-round in the Fayetteville area, benefiting a growing number of eclectic shops, restaurants, and cultural venues that are particularly attractive in … Read more
A pioneering team of scholars who are dating old log structures in West Virginia has discovered rare, previously undocumented examples of log construction and a mysterious lack of early cabins. Dr. Kristen de Graauw, of the Historic Timbers Project, says she and research partner Shawn Cockrell have notably found two extraordinary diamond-notched structures, of which, … Read more
Daytripper magazine has agreed to sponsor the launch of a new directory of waterfalls at WVExplorer.com. The magazine based in Lewisburg, W.Va., will help provide information on 25 waterfalls in West Virginia to be published in March. Other contributors and sponsors are encouraged to provide content on many of the other accessible waterfalls in the Mountain … Read more
Sponsoring a page at WVExplorer.com is a great way to recognize a friend or loved one while sharing your love for the Mountain State. Sponsorship makes an ideal Christmas gift. For $100 your name or theirs will appear on the sponsored page in perpetuity. Here’s an example page sponsored by Beckley native Bill Shaver, who … Read more
SANDSTONE, W.Va. — Native inhabitants of what would become West Virginia were preparing in late summer for the onslaught of winter — the subject of a September 5 program at the National Park Service’s Sandstone Visitor Center off I-64. The 10 a.m.-4 p.m. interactive program is free and open to the public and will feature reenactors renowned … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — After years spent in cafes and kitchens across the West, blogging chef Matthew Welsch has returned to his native Ohio Valley, where he says the economic atmosphere is ripe for diversified business. “There’s new energy in Wheeling that extends throughout the upper valley — through Moundsville, Weirton, Chester, New Martinsville and Parkersburg,” … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 2014 ginseng harvest will open Monday, Sept. 1, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 30, according to Leslie Fitzwater Smithson, public information specialist with the W.Va. Division of Forestry. The native herb grows in all 55 counties in West Virginia and is ready to harvest when its berries turn red. State law … Read more
Every year for more than a decade West Virginia Explorer contributor Blair Frier has documented the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio, through exceptional photography. Though dedicated to promoting fairs and festivals in West Virginia, we annually feature the results of his excursion as a speciall feature. Dublin (Ohio) Irish Festival — August 2014 Photographer … Read more
Few of the trails I’ve walked compare to the Sunrise Carriage Trail, once the winding approach to Sunrise, the stately residence of William Alexander MacCorkle, ninth governor of West Virginia. Now a municipal thoroughfare, the trail ascends 180 feet over a .65-mile route from MacCorkle Avenue (US-60). Have an hour to spend immersed in exercise … Read more
