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.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Glance at a road map of West Virginia, and you’ll spot a striking blank space just east of the state’s capital.Although the valley around Charleston ranks among the most densely populated regions in West Virginia, the land to the east tells a different story. Few roads cut through its thick forests—a rugged … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Meteorologists mark September 1 as the first day of fall, even though the astronomical equinox doesn’t arrive until later in the month. For West Virginia, that date rings true in a way that many residents feel almost immediately.The sticky, thick August air begins to lift, nights turn cooler in the hollows, and … Read more
STANAFORD, W.Va. — A quiet residential community outside the city of Beckley, perhaps best known for its scenic views of the Piney Creek Gorge, Stanaford today gives little hint of the labor-related violence that once stained its soil.More than a century ago, on February 25, 1903, this village was the site of one of the … Read more
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — In a ravine beside the U.S. 19 expressway near Summersville Lake, 48 graves lie beneath the trees, marked by small stones. Paddlers and kayakers by the hundreds walk past on their way to the water, rarely pausing at the modest memorial.Few may realize that beneath this quiet ground are the remains of … Read more
MOUNTAIN COVE, W.Va. — In a remote wilderness near the New River Gorge in what’s now West Virginia, a mysterious experiment in religion and community emerged in the early 1850s. Known as “Mountain Cove,” the short-lived settlement sought to bridge the earthly and the divine through Christian Spiritualism. Two ministers from New York—James L. Scott … Read more
JOLO, W.Va. — On a warm Sunday in late May 2012, a locally well-known Pentecostal pastor named Mack Wolford invited friends and family to what he billed as “a homecoming like the old days,” a day of music, prayer and the spiritual “signs” drawn from the King James Bible—speaking in tongues, healing by the laying … Read more
THURMOND, W.Va. — High above the abandoned rail town of Thurmond, West Virginia, a weathered stone face gazes silently across the New River Gorge. Known as McKinley Rock, this haunting natural profile has been a source of local legend since its accidental creation in 1901 — the very day President William McKinley was shot. Though … Read more
MARTINSBURG, W.Va — The prosperous manufacturing town of Martinsburg in Berkeley County, West Virginia, was thrust into turmoil at the outset of the Civil War, and its citizens had to decide where their allegiance lay. As the secession movement gathered steam in Virginia in the early months of 1861, most of the county’s residents opposed … Read more
QUNNIMONT, W.Va. — The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia is a treasure trove of sights, where forested mountain walls conceal ghost towns, industrial ruins, and lost historical gems.An overlooked monument in the gorgeSome sights require more effort to find than others, however, though travelers on WV-41 passing through the gorge … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — National Hunting and Fishing Day 2025, the state’s largest annual celebration of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation, will return to Stonewall Resort State Park in Roanoke, West Virginia, on Saturday, September 6.Hosted in partnership with the West Virginia Wildlife Federation, the family-friendly outdoor festival will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. … Read more
