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.
Editor’s note: The sixth installment in John Barton’s examination of a map of the soon-to-be-released Fallout 76 video game investigates The Forest, based principally on the large, hilly heartland of central West Virginia. When players first set foot outside Vault 76, they’re blinded by sunlight then overwhelmed by the natural beauty that opens around them. … Read more
A science-fiction author who popularized monsters featured in the Fallout 76 video game also penned a story set in a future West Virginia that survives a nuclear apocalypse. Both the story and the game take place in versions of central Appalachia insulated by mountain ranges that protect it from atomic blasts — explosions that decimate eastern … Read more
Perhaps there’s no better time than fall to visit the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: Dry leaves skittering along like skeletal fingers and the howl of autumnal winds add to the inherent eeriness of the edifice that overlooks the historic town of Weston, West Virginia. Halloween marks the height of the season of ghostly ghastliness here where … Read more
Braxton County’s monster is unique among legendary West Virginia creatures in that its origins are quite clear: it came from outer space! Beyond that, little is known of the monster, also known as the “Green Monster” or “Flatwoods Monster,” or of what became of it, at least as far as the legend goes, says David … Read more
Need to stretch your legs Halloween night? Two proponents of active living in southern West Virginia are leading a group hike to what’s been called one of West Virginia’s most chilling locales — the old farm at Grey Flats in Beckley. Levi Moore, senior community captain for Active Southern West Virginia, and David Sibray, a … Read more
Wheeling Heritage is asking artists to share their vision of Wheeling, West Virginia, for a mural to be installed in the city’s Kossuth Park, a downtown greenspace at the junction of W.Va. 2 and I-70. Alex Weld, project and outreach manager for the Wheeling National Heritage Area, said the organization will enlist the community to … Read more
Looking for the ideal spooky venue for Halloween in West Virginia? West Virginia Explorer, in cooperation with WVGhosts.com, Saturday unleashed its list of the 10 most popular Halloween attractions in the Mountain State for 2018. Traffic at both websites was increased this year by interest in spooky West Virginia folklore brought on by the Fallout … Read more
Editor’s note: The fifth installment in John Barton’s examination of a map of the soon-to-be-released Fallout 76 video game investigates The Savage Divide region, which is based on the Allegheny Mountains region and its lofty Allegheny Front. The Savage Divide cuts across what’s being called “Appalachia” in Fallout 76. The name alone suggests a unforgiving … Read more
Information being updated. New locations added. Last update 11/15/2018 The new virtual map for the Fallout 76 video game is filled with real-world locations in West Virginia (WV), many of which may or may not exist in their game-world form. Nate Purkeypile, Fallout 76 world artist, says developers have in some cases changed the locations … Read more
The new Fallout 76 video game — to be released by Bethesda Softworks on November 14, 2018 — might have been set in Pennsylvania rather than West Virginia. However, one of the game’s developers says he found West Virginia’s landscape more alluring. “We were considering either West Virginia or Pennsylvania, but I decided I liked … Read more
