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.
The potential economic impact of the newly released Fallout 76 video game in West Virginia is all-too-obvious to a graphic designer who has recently returned to invest in the Mountain State. Bowski Calhoun, who today launched several new lines of T-shirts for fans of Fallout 76 and West Virginia, says the video game set in … Read more
Historians from West Virginia State University are seeking historical information about the Wolf Creek plateau area in central Fayette County, particularly the 1,000-acre Wolf Creek Park development between Oak Hill and Fayetteville, West Virginia. According to Billy Strasser, a spokesman for the New River Gorge Trail Alliance, the team is conducting a research project and … Read more
It’s beginning to look like Christmas at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where the “Trees of Our Heritage” display is underway through Dec. 23, 2018. The annual event features 36 Christmas trees representing cultures around the world and memorials and holiday themed displays on the museum’s three levels. A new … Read more
Five nationally recognized authors who specialize in paranormal investigations will gather November 17 in Braxton County—home of the legendary Flatwoods Monster—for a public discussion of UFOs, hauntings, and the paranormal. Dave Spinks, Stan Gordan, George Dudding, Seth Breedlove, and Eric Altman will be speakers at the forum and meet-and-greet to be hosted from noon until … Read more
Editor’s note: The sixth installment in John Barton’s examination of a map of the soon-to-be-released Fallout 76 video game investigates The Forest, based principally on the large, hilly heartland of central West Virginia. When players first set foot outside Vault 76, they’re blinded by sunlight then overwhelmed by the natural beauty that opens around them. … Read more
A science-fiction author who popularized monsters featured in the Fallout 76 video game also penned a story set in a future West Virginia that survives a nuclear apocalypse. Both the story and the game take place in versions of central Appalachia insulated by mountain ranges that protect it from atomic blasts — explosions that decimate eastern … Read more
Perhaps there’s no better time than fall to visit the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: Dry leaves skittering along like skeletal fingers and the howl of autumnal winds add to the inherent eeriness of the edifice that overlooks the historic town of Weston, West Virginia. Halloween marks the height of the season of ghostly ghastliness here where … Read more
Braxton County’s monster is unique among legendary West Virginia creatures in that its origins are quite clear: it came from outer space! Beyond that, little is known of the monster, also known as the “Green Monster” or “Flatwoods Monster,” or of what became of it, at least as far as the legend goes, says David … Read more
Need to stretch your legs Halloween night? Two proponents of active living in southern West Virginia are leading a group hike to what’s been called one of West Virginia’s most chilling locales — the old farm at Grey Flats in Beckley. Levi Moore, senior community captain for Active Southern West Virginia, and David Sibray, a … Read more
Wheeling Heritage is asking artists to share their vision of Wheeling, West Virginia, for a mural to be installed in the city’s Kossuth Park, a downtown greenspace at the junction of W.Va. 2 and I-70. Alex Weld, project and outreach manager for the Wheeling National Heritage Area, said the organization will enlist the community to … Read more
