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
A vehicle promoting Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, passes Independence Hall in Philadelphia as part of a 12-week tourism campaign connecting the spa town's 250th anniversary with the nation's semiquincentennial. Photo courtesy Travel Berkeley Springs.

Berkeley Springs takes 250th birthday campaign to Philadelphia as tourism grows

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — A 24.5% income increase over eight consecutive quarters is helping a historic West Virginia spa town bring its 250th-anniversary tourism campaign to Philadelphia during the nation’s own 250th year. Travel Berkeley Springs has launched a $36,000 campaign that will put 10 wrapped rideshare vehicles on Philadelphia streets for 12 weeks, according … Read more

A new statewide multiple listing service is challenging the traditional way real estate listings are shared across West Virginia, arguing that today's digital market no longer requires brokers to rely exclusively on regional systems.

West Virginia brokers challenge state’s patchwork of real estate listing services

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A longtime West Virginia real estate broker is challenging the way property listings are shared across the state, arguing that agents no longer need to belong to multiple regional organizations to market properties effectively in an increasingly digital industry. David Chinn is among the brokers behind All-West Virginia Multiple Listing Service, or … Read more

Students train at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry in Morgantown. WVU operates the state's only dental school and says more than 85% of dentists practicing in West Virginia are graduates of the school. (WVU Photo)

West Virginia’s only dental school expands as state faces shortage of dentists

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University has opened the first phase of a major expansion of the state’s only dental school, as federal figures show nearly 720,000 West Virginians live in areas designated as having shortages of dental health professionals. The newly renovated and expanded clinics at the WVU Health Sciences Center in Morgantown are intended … Read more

Autumn color brightens a morning near Cabins in Grant County, West Virginia, as fall foliage spreads across the Potomac Highlands.

West Virginia releases 2026 fall foliage map as autumn countdown begins

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia tourism officials have released the state’s 2026 fall foliage projection map, offering travelers an early look at when autumn color is expected to sweep across the Mountain State. The W.Va. Department of Tourism announced Wednesday that it will update its Live Leaf Map weekly throughout the fall, giving travelers current information … Read more

The New River winds through a landscape where railroads, communities, industrial history and outdoor recreation remain intertwined inside New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

National Park Week starts Saturday: Why West Virginia’s New River Gorge is different

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — National Park Week begins Saturday, spotlighting hundreds of America’s most celebrated landscapes. But in West Virginia, the national park experience is a little different. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve isn’t simply wilderness set aside from the modern world. Railroads still rumble along the New River, and communities and privately … Read more