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.
WITCHER CREEK, W.Va. — It wasn’t long ago that country folk in West Virginia might tell tales of a turkey witch. Of all the forms a witch could take, that of a wild turkey was the most feared, especially among the farms at the edge of the deep forests where turkeys are most at home. … Read more
MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Tales of supernatural lights are not uncommon in the Appalachian Mountains. While science has dispelled some of these phenomena, the lore remains, and one example in West Virginia has yet to be studied and solved. In the case of the Brown Mountain Lights of western North Carolina, scientist George R. Mansfield in … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in West Virginia before being celebrated nationally, thanks to a politician who hoped to provide some potential for peace during the U.S. Civil War. The anniversary of the first Thanksgiving was not nationally celebrated until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared a day of “thanksgiving and praise” to … Read more
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV—Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War will host a free author’s talk with historian Curtis Older on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in the center at 136 W. German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Older will present from his book “Hood’s Defeat Near Fox’s Gap: Prelude to … Read more
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the West Virginia Makes Festival, scheduled for Oct. 6, 2023, the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center is offering $10,000 in cash prizes to winners of this year’s design challenge. According to Kara Mullins, coordinator of the festival, makers of all kinds — artisans, inventors, manufacturers, and students … Read more
ONA, W.Va. — In a nondescript woodland along US-60 (with a modern concrete bridge looming in the background) lies the site of what was once a major tourist attraction in the pleasant valley east of Huntington, West Virginia. On an overgrown patch of hillside, ruins remain of a luxury spa and resort that once drew … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The figure of a heroic female was proposed to be added to the State Seal of West Virginia in the 1990s, though the effort died in the statehouse, and the matter ended without explanation. West Virginia artist Earl Ferguson, who was commissioned to design the new seal, said he was disappointed never … Read more
GASSAWAY, W.Va.— Is West Virginia monster lore going corporate? A new commercial app that features the Mountain State’s most famous monsters suggests it could become big business. Long the subject of campfire stories, the monsters that allegedly haunt the West Virginia hills may have gone fully mainstream with a new rewards system instituted by GoMart, … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice is inviting all West Virginians to the state culture center at the capitol complex in Charleston, West Virginia, at noon today for a day of fun in celebration of West Virginia’s 160th birthday. The first 160 people to arrive will receive a limited edition 160th birthday commemorative gift handmade … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — “King Coal,” a feature-length documentary by West Virginia-raised and Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Curren Sheldon and Elaine McMillion Sheldon, makes its home-state premiere at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 8 at 6 p.m. The West Virginia International Film Festival presents the event and will feature the 75-minute … Read more
