Attractions in West Virginia offer something for every traveler, from stunning natural landscapes and historic landmarks to family-friendly adventures and vibrant cultural sites.
Visitors can marvel at iconic destinations such as the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, explore Harpers Ferry’s rich history, or enjoy the scenic beauty of Blackwater Falls and Seneca Rocks. Charming mountain towns, local museums, unique shops, and lively festivals add to the state’s welcoming atmosphere. Outdoor enthusiasts will find endless opportunities for hiking, rafting, rock climbing, and wildlife watching. With its blend of outdoor fun, heritage, and small-town charm, West Virginia’s attractions make every trip unforgettable, showcasing the best of Appalachian adventure and hospitality. Be sure to visit our Attractions Travel Guide for more information about attractions in West Virginia.
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Behind stone walls 24 feet high, as many as 2,000 people at a time were once confined in a massive Gothic prison that spanned three city blocks in the heart of this Ohio River community. For 129 years, the West Virginia Penitentiary operated in Moundsville, growing from an institution created shortly after … Read more
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
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Torrential rainfall has washed out roads, triggered slides, and toppled trees in the northern New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, closing several routes into the gorge and cutting off access to popular river and camping areas. The park service reported Sunday evening that the road to Nuttallburg was impassable, and … Read more
VALLEY GROVE, W.Va. — Fishing access at Bear Rock Lakes Wildlife Management Area near Wheeling will temporarily close as the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources begins modifications to two dams at the popular Ohio County fishing area. The work aims to bring the dams into full compliance with the West Virginia Dam Control and Safety Act, according … Read more
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Few travelers expect to find West Virginia’s only Smithsonian Institution affiliate tucked into the hills outside of one of its largest cities. Yet Heritage Farm Museum and Village has become one of Appalachia’s most distinctive destinations, combining seven museums, an interpretive 19th-century village, artisan demonstrations, wildlife encounters, mountain biking, zip lines and … Read more
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Hidden beneath the forests of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is one of the easiest ways to experience one of America’s newest national parks. Unlike many of the gorge’s steep, rugged trails, the Rend Trail follows the nearly level grade of a former railroad line. Families, cyclists, older hikers, … Read more
THURMOND, W.Va. — As the National Park Service moves forward with plans to demolish more than a dozen deteriorating historic buildings in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, a new proposal argues that Washington and West Virginia need not choose between preserving unsafe structures and tearing them down. Instead, advocates say the park … Read more
PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Long before the first plate of crawdad fritters reaches the table, dinner at Mountain Creek begins with a remarkable descent. Visitors board an aerial tram at Pipestem Resort State Park in the mountains of southern West Virginia and glide 1,200 feet into the forested depths of the Bluestone Gorge, where a secluded … Read more
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — The duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton remains a defining episode in early American history. Even those with only a passing knowledge of the nation’s founding may remember how the sitting vice president fatally shot Hamilton in 1804, ending the life of one of America’s foremost statesmen and bringing Burr’s own … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — West Virginia is rarely considered a destination for Catholic pilgrimage. Settled largely by Virginians and Scots-Irish pioneers before later immigrant communities arrived, the Mountain State has long been associated more with frontier Protestantism than with Gothic cathedrals or sacred shrines. Yet veteran ABC News correspondent Peggy Stanton found enough remarkable stories here … Read more
