Culture

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.

A screenshot from the new game Fallout 76 appears to show a ruined New River Gorge in the background.

Fallout 76: Which West Virginia landmarks can you find?

In time for Christmas 2018, Bethesda it will unleash “Fallout 76,” a video game of enormous proportions that appears to be entirely centered in a post-apocalyptic West Virginia set in the 2076. The trailer for the video begins to pay homage to the Mountain State from the state, invoking the state song “Country Roads, Take … Read more

The Depot Produce More in West Virginia

Looking for a business boost?

If you own or manage a West Virginia business associated with travel and tourism, look no further than West Virginia Explorer. Our $200 business spotlight provides you a feature story crafted by journalists and published at WVExplorer.com. “We saw immediate results,” said Joyce Brenemen of The Depot Produce & More, in Oak Hill. “They figured … Read more

Easter Egg Hunt in West Virginia

Fayetteville, W.Va., to host glow-in-the-dark egg hunt

To raise money for a March 31 children’s egg hunt, organizers in Fayetteville, West Virginia, will host a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt for adults on March 24. Given the community’s penchant for the uncoventional, the event should be an enormous success, and 100 participants as well as spectators are already expected, says Tabitha Stover, executive director … Read more

Five for Fighting to perform March 8 in Huntington, W.Va.

Singer, songwriter, and record producer Vladimir John Ondrasik III, known by his stage name Five for Fighting, will perform Thursday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center in Huntington, W.Va.Presented by Cabell Huntington Hospital, the Grammy-nominated Ondrasik, perhaps best known for his hits “What If,” “100 Years,” “The Riddle, and “Superman … Read more

Opera Marnie To Be Performed At Greenbrier Valley Theatre

Lewisburg theater announces Met opera broadcast schedule

Lewisburg may seem a world away from New York City, but its arts scene is not so far removed. The Greenbrier Valley Theatre today announced its schedule of live Metropolitan Opera broadcasts for 2018-2019, to be transmitted in real time to the theater Saturday afternoons.Each high-definition transmission from the Met will be introduced by Dr. … Read more

Jacksons Mill Jubilee in West Virginia

Jackson’s Mill Jubilee to feature new layout in 2018

The annual Jackson’s Mill Jubilee at historic Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia, will feature a new layout in 2018, a spokesman for the organization announced, also addressing rumors that the event had been cancelled.The festival, which attracts 10,000 visitors to historic Jackson’s Mill near Weston, in Lewis County, is one of three celebrations that bring thousands … Read more

This haunting portrait of "Annie" is spooking visitors at a museum in Moundsville, West Virginia.

Reputedly haunted portrait spooking visitors at W.Va. museum

Of more than 400 artifacts collected in this museum of the paranormal in West Virginia’s “city of the dead,” one is attracting more attention than all others, though curators are at a loss to explain why.“You can see why the lost execution-cap from the penitentiary’s electric chair is popular,” says Steve Hummel, referring to a … Read more

BIG Something performs at Mountain Music Festival

Mountain Music Festival adds rafting, zip-lining options

Now in its fifth year, West Virginia’s fast-growing Mountain Music Festival, scheduled for May 31-June 2, is adding zip-lining and whitewater rafting to its high-end ticket packages.Organizers are expecting a 30-percent increase in attendance in 2018 and are improving systems that will allow more than 2,500 expected guests to enjoy the venue’s waterpark, campgrounds, and … Read more

Flatwoods Monster Illustration in West Virginia

New film to investigate W.Va. legend of Flatwoods Monster

A new film aims to tell the true story behind what happened in a rural West Virginia town when a group of locals encountered a monstrous being moments after seeing strange objects in the sky.“The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear” is a new documentary from director Seth Breedlove, which will unlock a decades-old mystery … Read more