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.
SAINT MARYS, W.Va. — West Virginia has always been reasonably peaceful. Violence erupts occasionally, though one might say it’s sleepy in a home-spun Andy Griffith Show way. It had been remarkably free of violent crime during the Great Depression when most folks were too occupied with the business of surviving to carry out a murder. … Read more
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — An open house for historians and history buffs will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the historic Level Tavern on US-219 at Organ Cave near Lewisburg, West Virginia. Being hosted by Foxfire Realty and the Greenbrier Historical Society, the event will provide visitors the opportunity to explore … Read more
OAK HILL, W.Va. — Historians in West Virginia say they’re baffled by a strange arrangement of monuments in a cemetery near the New River Gorge. They hope to discover why the graves are interred under remarkable wedge-shaped concrete forms. “Something very unusual has gone on here,” says David Sibray, the publisher of West Virginia Explorer … Read more
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — Enthusiasm for attending ramp festivals in West Virginia is growing along with tourism, says the publisher of the state’s leading travel publications.More than ever, visitors are searching for information on ramps and ramp festivals online at West Virginia Explorer Magazine, according to publisher David Sibray, where more than 50,000 interactions have been … Read more
CENTRALIA, W.Va. — The ghost town of Centralia, with no more than a dozen houses and a country store, might seem one of the most isolated communities in West Virginia (though it’s a drive of only 20 miles from the nearest interstate).Now the site of a popular campground bordering the backwaters of scenic Sutton Lake, … Read more
SUTTON, W.Va. — Locals know there’s a Bigfoot, or several of the creatures, living in the forests of central West Virginia, according to the curator of the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum in Sutton, West Virginia.David Petolicchio says that when he established the museum in the town’s historic district in 2021, he had only a vague … Read more
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — While the interior of West Virginia remained a virtual wilderness through the late 1800s, wharves along the Ohio River bustled with commerce. Communities such as Wheeling and Parkersburg blossomed into mighty cities. Before the advent of railroads and locks, steamboats plied the river in great numbers, transporting many passengers from the East … Read more
BURNT HOUSE, W.Va. — Motorists traveling WV-47 between Weston and Parkersburg are sure to have noticed the sign for the village of Burnt House and wondered about the name. Like every good town name in West Virginia, there’s a story behind it. In this case, it’s a ghost story. The tale goes something like this: … Read more
SILVER VALLEY, W.Va. — Is there silver in the hills of West Virginia? Parts of what’s now western West Virginia enjoyed a kind of silver rush in the late 1800s, and many prospectors opened mines, though geologists say their efforts were for naught. Geologists seem to agree that strata underlying the valley of the Ohio … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tucked away in a wooded gorge near the West Virginia Capitol, one of the highest waterfalls in the region also powered one of its first mills. However, its history had faded into obscurity until a rare map led historians to a remarkable manuscript.Though the falls and mill were the source of the … Read more
