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 first documented use of indirect artillery fire in modern warfare is credited to an 18-year-old Confederate gunner on a wooded hillside above today’s New River Gorge. FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive in Fayetteville to climb cliffs, ride bikes, raft the New River, and explore the forests surrounding the … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia filmmakers have reached a milestone few would have imagined a decade ago. Earlier this year, two films produced by the Morgantown-based Allegheny Image Factory—Gaslit and The Bad Guardian—simultaneously ranked among Netflix’s five most-watched movies in the United States, an achievement that producer Jeff Tinnell believes is unprecedented for a homegrown … Read more
RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — Six years before the Declaration of Independence and nearly two decades before he became the first president of the United States, George Washington embarked on one of the most remarkable journeys of his life. The 38-year-old Virginian rode horseback across the Allegheny Mountains, climbed into a canoe at Fort Pitt, and spent … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If you’re organizing a fair, festival, concert, race, museum exhibit, or community event, you know that attracting visitors can be as challenging as planning the event itself. Social media no longer reaches people the way it once did, and too often, great events go unnoticed beyond their own followers. That’s why West … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Long before hydrogeologists, groundwater maps, or drilling contractors, families across Europe and North America sometimes sought the help of a water diviner before digging a well. Few places, however, embraced the tradition as enduringly as Appalachia. Carried to the mountains by English and German settlers, water divining became part of everyday rural … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In midsummer, West Virginia’s forests yield one of their richest annual harvests. Blackberries spill over abandoned fence rows. Raspberries brighten sunny hillsides. Blueberries and huckleberries ripen on the state’s highest mountains. For generations, families have carried buckets into the woods to gather berries for cobblers, jams, and pies. Yet these fruits nourish … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On a cold winter night in 1875 in West Virginia’s capital city, an angry mob surrounded the county jail demanding justice. Inside stood Deputy Sheriff T.S. Perry, determined to protect the prisoners entrusted to his care. He lost that battle. Years later, faced with another mob intent on taking lives, Perry made … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The foods people choose each day may play a bigger role in their emotional well-being than many realize, according to nutrition experts at West Virginia University, who say diets rich in whole foods and healthy fats may help reduce inflammation and support the brain chemicals that regulate mood. The experts encourage people … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — A glance at a map of West Virginia raises an obvious question. Why does the Mountain State have two narrow strips of land reaching toward opposite corners of the eastern United States? One extends northward for more than 60 miles between Ohio and Pennsylvania. The other stretches eastward from the Allegheny Front … Read more
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — From prize-winning quilts and homemade jams to champion livestock and towering garden vegetables, the competitive exhibits at the State Fair of West Virginia have long been among the event’s biggest draws. With the fair’s 101st annual celebration just weeks away, organizers are reminding exhibitors that entry deadlines are rapidly approaching. Livestock entries … Read more
