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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.

Festival-goers relax around a bonfire at Waynestock, celebrating its 20th year at River Expeditions.
Culture

Outdoor festival organizer lauds West Virginia’s tourism potential

by David Sibray

The organizer of one of West Virginia’s longest-running outdoor-recreation festivals says the Mountain State is an ideal travel destination and is encouraging its communities to explore tourism as an economic option.Wayne Lesperance, a veteran marketer from Harrisburg, Pa., who’s organizing the 20th annual “Waynestock” in Fayetteville, says West Virginia has everything it needs to move … Read more

The Powell Mountain goat once grazed the cliffs along US-19.
Culture

Fans of Powell Mountain goat concerned about its absence

by David Sibray

Fans of a solitary nanny goat that’s become a celebrity in central West Virginia are concerned about its apparent absence and are hoping someone can provide clues as to its whereabouts. Anne Johnson, a writer and photographer who’s become one of the goat’s best known protectors and devotees, spent Friday afternoon roaming the summit of … Read more

Model of Glade Creek Gristmill
Culture

W.Va. youth kinship with nature demonstrated through art

by Bianca Bosworth

Children raised in rural West Virginia have advantages that many others may not. Strong familial units and low-crime are commonly accounted for, but they also have the advantage of access to nature.Richard Louv, 2008 Audubon Medal Recipient and author of “Last Child in the Woods,” says children who spend time in nature demonstrate improved concentration, … Read more

Cleaned ramps in Bowl
Culture

W.Va. ramp feasts 2019: submissions for online guide sought

by Clyde Craig

Is your organization sponsoring a ramp feast or festival in 2019? More than 30,000 readers used West Virginia Explorer’s 2018 guide to ramp feasts to locate ramp-dinner locations in West Virginia in 2018 Traffic is expected to double in 2019 as the site’s staff reaches out to more potential customers, according publisher David Sibray. “We’re … Read more

No longer standing, a large home in Stotesburg was among few structures the remained after coal played out in the Winding Gulf in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
Culture

Historian looks for patterns in vanishing town names

by David Sibray

Bacontown, Battleship, Black Oak Bottom — though they no longer exist, these vanished communities are among nearly 300 towns that historian Carl Wolfe has cataloged in Raleigh County. And he’s asking past and present county residents to help find more.Having witnessed the boom-and-bust economy of coal mining, Raleigh County, in southern West Virginia, is an … Read more

David Sibray, editor and publisher of West Virginia Explorer, explores a mountain stream.
Culture

WVExplorer.com breaks million annual readers mark

by David Sibray

West Virginia Explorer is now reaching more than a million readers annually! If you’re an advertiser, you’ll be happy to know that visitors had 1,170,018 opportunities to click-through to your website this month (as of 8 a.m. this morning). If you’re a reader, it means there’s plenty of fun in store as we travel the … Read more

Wolf Moon over West Virginia
Culture

Wolf Moon once shone on wolf-haunted West Virginia hills

by David Sibray

January’s Wolf Moon recalls a time when wolves roamed the hills of West Virginia. Though the idea may seem as remote as the dark forests through which wolves roamed, West Virginia’s rugged interior was the final eastern stronghold of the Canis lupus in the eastern U.S.As far as is known, the last wolf that lived in … Read more

Surrounded by kin, "Devil Anse" Hatfield engaged in a feud that brought worldwide attention to Appalachia.
Culture

New performance of Hatfield-McCoy feud to debut in July

by David Sibray

Performed among the very mountains over which Devil Anse Hatfield walked, a new, historically accurate retelling of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud will debut this summer as an outdoor drama at Chief Logan State Park in Logan County. The new-written play breaks from previous performances of the tale that simplified the story of clans engaged … Read more