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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
Recreation
Help us build town info, and enter to win a West Virginia raft trip!
We need help spotting errors among our 380 Cities & Towns pages (some of the more-than-3,000 pages we publish), and we’re providing a whitewater trip as incentive for folks who are ready to help. Find a town, find an error or omission there, and report it through our Contact Us page. Whether your suggestion is … Read more
Attractions
Spring 2014 park specials include cabin discounts
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Birding programs, wildflower walks, and discounted cabin rates are among the spring tonics being proffered in West Virginia state parks and forests in 2014. Fifteen state parks are offering discounts of 20-percent off of mid-week rates at cabins through May 2, according to Sissie Summers, programming coordinator for the state park system, … Read more
Attractions
State parks seek lifeguards for summer swimming areas 2014
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With warm weather approaching, West Virginia State Parks are looking for certified lifeguards for many of the areas that offer public swimming during the summer, according to a press release published April 9, 2014, by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. The state parks system manages 26 public swimming facilities, including Tygart … Read more
Culture
New River wildflower walks set for April 25-27
GRANDVIEW, W.Va. — Now in its eleventh year, the New River Gorge Wildflower Weekend in southern West Virginia has become a tradition and continues to attract more participants each spring. The three-day celebration, set for April 25-27, guides guests through woodlands in four state parks and in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in … Read more
Attractions
Tell us about your West Virginia ramp feast or festival
West Virginia Explorer has unveiled its new Guide to Ramp Feasts & Festivals, but our work is not yet done. Visit our guide to explore ramp feeds throughout West Virginia, and keep coming back as we add more to our roster. Please also let ramp dinner hosts know of our list and urge them to … Read more
Culture
Join WVExplorer prehistoric landmarks initiative!
Burial mounds, mysterious carvings, inexplicable stone walls — relics of the prehistoric past are found throughout West Virginia, but perhaps too few people know of them, and West Virginia Explorer would like to change that. This week we’ll launch an eight-month initiative to locate every protected public landmark of native and prehistoric origin and publish … Read more
Communities
WVExplorer celebrates 100K pageviews over four days
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — I and other developers at West Virginia Explorer would like to thank the sponsors, advertisers, visitors, and everyone else who helped us break a 14-year record this week, accruing more than 100,000 pageviews in a four-day period. Visitors who shared and reposted stories we’ve published through Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have pushed … Read more
Attractions
Carnifex Tunnel to close, deemed irreparably unsafe
Long a highlight of a trek along a remote reach of the Meadow River in the Gauley River National Recreation Area, the Carnifex Tunnel will close permanently at the end of March after having been deemed irreparably unsafe. Located along the grade of a former railroad, the tunnel had been used chiefly in recent decades … Read more
Botany and Forestry
Wildflowers on track for spring 2014 in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Spring wildflowers are on track for a timely blossom in West Virginia, according to staff at state and national parks. Unseasonable temperatures in recent years had thrown cycles off, but barring exceptional weather, 2014 should be normal. It could even be very good, thanks to ideal precipitation. I think this could be a very … Read more