From coal to tourism
Mountains, mining and mound builders come to mind when describing West Virginia. Many consider this the most beautiful state in the Union and like the fact that its peaks and river valleys aren’t overrun with tourists.

Coal mining supported the state for many years; the demand is still there and so are the mines. But recreation and tourism are becoming more important in West Virginia, and its terrain makes this a natural for those who like outdoor activities — which can range from golf to whitewater rafting, foliage viewing to rock climbing.

About West Virginia
When Virginia decided to secede from the Union in 1861, a number of western counties seized their long-awaited opportunity to determine their own destiny and formed the state of West Virginia. That spirit of independence and determination still characterizes this destination.

It’s called Mountain State for a reason. Located in the Appalachian Highlands, it is covered with mountain chains in its eastern and central regions, and the rest is steep and rolling hills. There is not much that is level, except for the river valleys where cities are located. The cities are the centers for some heavy industry.
Tourists come for the natural beauty, and active travelers of all personality types relish the outdoor activities.

West Virginia may be south of the Mason Dixon Line, but its numerous and steep mountains translate into options for skiing and other winter sports. The state, also heavily forested, is attractive as well for fishing, hiking, biking, climbing, canoeing and other pursuits.
East Coast residents know that White Sulphur Springs, site of the Greenbrier, has been a high-class spa and resort for more than two centuries. Berkeley Springs offers another and even older spa option. Visits to a coal mine or one of the state’s coal houses recall for travelers another side of the state’s history.

Looking farther back, tourists can view Native American burial mounds. A prehistoric indigenous culture occupied the area and left the mounds, some with skeletons and artifacts, for scientists and more casual visitors to study.

Not a lot of people visit, even with the state’s reputation for great scenic beauty, but it is worthwhile for any traveler — venturer or authentic, spender or budget-minded — to take a look at West Virginian activities and attractions, as well as historic B&Bs, that can pleasantly divert and entertain. Most of West Virginia’s visitors come from adjoining states. Skiers come for the snow; most others visit in the summer.

• Take an autumn whitewater rafting trip on the Gauley River, or choose any of a number of other rivers. The state offers nearly 2,000 miles of mountain streams racing through the Appalachians.

• Travel the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, almost 500 miles available to those on ATVs, dirt bikes and mountain bikes, as well as hikers and those on horseback.

• Be fascinated by a tour of a long-secret bunker built in 1959 to 1962 under the posh Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, a bunker meant to house the U.S. Congress in case of a nuclear attack. The bunker ‘s duties were ended in 1995.
You can arrange to hold a corporate get-together in the bunker’s five meeting rooms.

• Sign on for a rock climbing expedition up the 1,000-foot face of Seneca Rocks.

• Attend the annual Bluegrass Festival, held in May in North Bend State Park. Plan to camp out in the park during the event. Or, reserve space in one of the park’s cabins.

• Take a guided backpacking tour in the Potomac Highlands and the New River area.

• Bring your motorcycle and attend one of the state’s summertime motorcycle rallies. Or, bring the Jeep to the Jeep Jamboree in Snowshoe and plan to explore the Allegheny Mountains in your vehicle.

• Head to Snowshoe Mountain for downhill skiing, snowboarding and even a little snow tubing on the side. In fact, the state boasts several alpine ski areas.

• See a decommissioned coal mine, the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, on a tour led by a former miner. You travel on an authentic man-carrying car through low-ceilinged tunnels for a sobering look at a tough work environment. Also, see the historical coal camp on the grounds for more on the life of coal miners early in the 20th century.

• Attend the summertime West Virginia Harley Owners Group Rally, hosted by the Canaan Valley Resort at Davis, and plan to take your Harley out for some sightseeing time, too.

• Travel on a historic steam train, formerly used to haul logs, in the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. You can reserve a private caboose for your trip, or rent the caboose for an overnight stay atop Cheat Mountain.

• Attend a murder mystery or other dinner theater in one of West Virginia’s state parks.
Or, consider the Fiddles & Vittles Dinner Train which includes a train ride, dinner and live bluegrass music. Check www.wvstateparks.com/Dinner_Theater.html for ideas.

• Take a kayak tour on the peaceful Monongahela River. Canoeing is an option on many other rivers and on the state’s lakes, too.

• Attend the July American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, devoted to new American plays and support of American playwrights, directors and artists.

• Visit Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex at Moundsville for a look at a huge grave mound (900-foot circumference, 69 feet high) built by Native Americans more than 2,000 years ago. See artifacts found there in the adjacent Delf Norona Museum.

• Take a float trip on the New River to fish for smallmouth bass. Also, more than 180 West Virginia streams are stocked with trout.
If a hunter, you can target deer, small game and waterfowl on nearly 1.5 million acres of public land.

• Ride horseback along the Cheat River’s Shavers Fork.

• Plan a self-drive fall foliage tour that includes at least one fall festival and, maybe, a stay in a country cabin or homey inn. When the season is right, click through from www.wvtourism.com/spec.aspx?pgid=69 for fall driving tours and the foliage report.

• Rent a bike and travel the C&O Canal towpath, which is a short distance from Harpers Ferry. Then, see Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

• Visit Lost World Caverns, Smoke Hole Caverns or a number of other underground sites.

• Play golf. See www.wvgolfing.com to find courses anywhere in the state.

• Visit at least one glass making factory, then buy samples to take home. A list of glass makers appears at www.wvtourism.com/glass.htm.

• Sit in on a live broadcast of Jamboree USA, a country music program held every Saturday night at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling.
Or, sit in on a live radio performance of Mountain Stage, which presents culturally diverse and contemporary music. The show usually broadcasts from Charleston.

• Buy quilts, for which West Virginia is well known, at Cabin Creek Quilts in Malden.

• Attend a production at the Historic Fayette Theatre in Fayetteville and stay at the Historic White Horse B&B in town.

• Relax at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs. Or, enjoy the benefits of a mineral spa, but in a quaint historic setting in the Berkeley Springs State Park, the nation’s smallest state park, at 4.5 acres.
Then drive the Berkeley Springs area’s 127-mile Washington Heritage Trail, named for the first U.S. president because he frequented the counties of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle and owned land there.

• Fish for rainbow trout at the Buckhorn Trout Farm in Fort Seybert. You pay only for what you catch, and no license is required.

• See a Civil War reenactment at Pipestem State Park.

• If the timing is right, take a Christmas home tour in Bramwell, a historic town noted for the mansions built by coal barons when Bramwell was a “millionaire coal town.”
Numerous other towns — Bluefield, Helvetia, Parkersburg and Shepherdstown among them — boast historic town centers. Walk through the one nearest you.

• Look for houses made of coal; two are in White Sulphur Springs and one in Williamson.