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.
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
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 … Read more
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
In Fallout 76, abandoned mine shaft story-lines play an important role, yet beyond the video game, abandoned coal mine openings in West Virginia pose a real-world problem. While many mine openings have been sealed or gated, historian and publisher David Sibray says abandoned mine openings are a concern for law enforcement in the Mountain State. … Read more
Winter in West Virginia may be more varied than in any other eastern U.S. state: Its northern panhandle suffers the brunt of lake-effect snows, while its Potomac lowlands and sheltered southern valleys witness only a few blanketing snows per season. Rising to more than 4,000 feet above sea level, its Allegheny Mountains are practically Canadian in climate … Read more
Three holiday light displays near Point Pleasant, West Virginia, are attracting sightseers to one of the most scenic sections of the Ohio River valley. Exhibits at Point Pleasant’s Krodel Park, at the West Virginia Farm Museum, and at Gallipolis City Park in Gallipolis, Ohio, have become part of the circuit of displays favored for their … Read more
Many monsters featured in the Fallout 76 video game are based on real-world West Virginia legends, about which David Sibray, publisher of West Virginia Explorer, has had much to say. A folklorist and historian, Sibray has been featured on many interviews since news of the game’s release was announced in early 2018. What are the … Read more
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
