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.
GAULEY BRIDGE, W.Va. — Though beautiful, the following tale of Kanawha Falls in West Virginia may not have originated with the Shawnee, as its unknown author purported, but around the campfires where storytellers practiced their art. The tale appears to show up in no other circumstance in Mountain State lore.*Kanawha Falls and nearby Cathedral Falls … Read more
WESTON, W.Va. — Nothing speaks to West Virginia tradition quite like a homemade pie, and this year’s jubilee at Jackson’s Mill is serving up plenty of homestyle flavor with its much-anticipated annual pie contest.Scheduled for Saturday, August 30, 2025, near Weston, the annual bake-off promises a friendly-yet-fierce competition celebrating traditional West Virginia ingredients and the … Read more
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — The eastern panhandle of West Virginia reaches more than 100 miles across the eastern U.S. from the quiet springs of the Potomac River in central West Virginia to the urban edge of Washington, D.C.How did this oddity come to be? More than anything else, according to a resident historian of the region, … Read more
WEIRTON, W.Va — West Virginia’s remarkable shape is partly defined by its odd northern panhandle, a finger of land that extends northward more than 60 miles from the central region of the state.The early history of the northern panhandle of West VirginiaHome to its first capital, at Wheeling, the origins of the northern panhandle of … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — August in West Virginia is a time of celebration. Its hills and hollows awaken to a season steeped in rituals of music, harvest, craft, and community. Old‑time Mountaineers historically marked August as a time of summer’s end and a season of festivals, fairs, and regional traditions passed down through generations.Summer’s Yield: Harvest … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — While known for its forests and cool mountain air, West Virginia has nonetheless endured its share of blistering summer heat. The following is an overview of its most significant heat waves and an examination of how West Virginia can benefit economically from investing in its traditionally cool summer temperatures. Early 20th Century … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will make history in 2025 when it becomes the first U.S. location to host the Spartan Trifecta World Championship, a world-renowned endurance event that challenges elite athletes and weekend warriors alike.The two-day event will take place September 6-7, 2025, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve on the edge of the New … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Mountain State is a land stitched together by rugged mountains, close-knit towns, and a complicated economic past. Yet for generations, one thread has consistently united its people—basketball in West Virginia.The legacy of Jerry West and basketball in West VirginiaFrom the dusty courts of coal camps to the polished hardwood of the … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Shaped by rugged mountains and winding rivers, West Virginia has endured some of the most catastrophic floods in American history.Its five worst floods—measured by lives lost, destruction caused, and lasting impact—include the Buffalo Creek Disaster of 1972, where a coal slurry dam failure killed 125 people; the Election Day Floods of 1985, … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Completed in 1954, the West Virginia Turnpike, twisting like a ribbon through 88 miles of the Appalachian Mountains, is not just a feat of 20th-century engineering; it’s one of the most important interstate corridors in the eastern U.S.And when night falls, it turns eerily haunting, especially along those mountain stretches where the … Read more
