West Virginia culture is a captivating blend of rich Appalachian traditions and vibrant high culture infused with the jazz of surrounding U.S. cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The state is renowned for its deep-rooted Appalachian heritage, which is showcased through folk music, storytelling, and traditional crafts such as quilting and woodcarving. Visitors can experience this authentic culture at local festivals and heritage museums throughout the Mountain State. At the same time, West Virginia also embraces high culture, with world-class performances at the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed theater productions at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and art exhibitions at the Huntington Museum of Art. This unique mix of mountain traditions and refined artistic offerings makes West Virginia a true cultural gem in the heart of Appalachia.
PINE GROVE, W.Va. — Short-line railroads in West Virginia were built to serve communities and industries not reached by significant railroad companies. While the Baltimore & Ohio and Chesapeake & Ohio built robust rail networks where they benefited most, other areas relied on smaller rail enterprises. One of the best-known in the Mountain State was … Read more
MOUNT HOPE, W.Va. — Though details are obscure, one of the first UFO sightings reported in the U.S. may have originated in West Virginia over the region that’s now part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The encounter allegedly occurred in January 1950 near Beckley, West Virginia, and over what is now … Read more
WEBSTER SPRINGS, W.Va. — Perhaps no county in West Virginia is as isolated as Webster County. Entirely mountainous, no expressway or U.S. highway ventures into it, and many densely forested sections haven’t been explored in years except by enterprising hunters and foresters. Only three percent of its 356,000 acres are in farmland—a remarkably small amount—and … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — To the average motorist hurtling through the City of Wheeling on Interstate 70, nothing about the place might seem particularly nefarious. An old rust-belt city, one might suppose its name, “Wheeling,” is associated with the wheel. The city is inextricably tied to the history of American travel and has always been a … Read more
RODES, W.Va. — Tales of a shadow alleged to haunt part of the Grey Flats Trail area near Beckley, West Virginia, could be tied to the ruins of an old farmstead there, say trail builders who have noticed an uptick in hikers in the woods. “I began seeing more hikers there once the story went … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Historian and journalist Jim Comstock battled ceaselessly to keep alive the memory of the West Virginia “mountaineer”— the independent, Union-loyal resident of the state’s mountain regions. Comstock pointed out that misconceptions about them have developed over the years. They didn’t wear beards. They opposed slavery. And they were no friends to the … Read more
CENTRALIA, W.Va. — While there are many remote campgrounds in West Virginia, few are as remote as Baker’s Run Campground and boast their own ghost. Though only 30 minutes from Interstate 79, this forest campground near Sutton, West Virginia, may feel remote due to how it tucks into the hills on the Elk River at … Read more
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — The National Park Service is hosting special events in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle to commemorate abolitionist John Brown’s attempt to launch a nationwide anti-slavery uprising. In October 1859, Brown and 21 co-conspirators attacked the armory in Harpers Ferry, then part of Virginia, which was then the largest slaveholding state in the … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — A flock of oversized birds has descended on this West Virginia city at the edge of one of America’s newest national parks, attracted by one of the region’s growing arts initiatives. Six large, colorful birds now perch on buildings in and near downtown Beckley, adding color and interest where urban decay had … Read more
ARTHURDALE, W.Va. — The Kingwood Pike climbs slowly from the valley of the Monongahela River at Morgantown into the Allegheny highlands atop the Chestnut Ridge. There, travelers are provided with eastward vantage points across the open farmlands of Preston County, long renowned as the heart of West Virginia’s Buckwheat Belt. To the southeast of the … Read more
