West Virginia Explorer - A guide to whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, skiing, travel and history and culture in WV

2007 - 2008
 West Virginia
Ski Season

West Virginia Skiing

 

West Virginia New River Gorge
Attractions

National parks preserve much of West Virginia's New River Gorge wilderness regions for exploration. The sandstone cliffs overlooking the immense New River Gorge at Grandview, Hawks Nest, and Canyon Rim are among the region's most  popular natural sites. The New River itself host thousands of whitewater thrill-seekers every summer. 

New River Gorge


Visit New River WV for comprehensive information on West Virginia's New River Gorge and the Beckley, WV vicinity, including a section devoted to
attractions near the New River Gorge.

Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

Beckley, West Virginia (WV)
museum, renovated buildings, railcar tour

Travel beneath the City of Beckley, WV on a railcar tour of a remodeled coal mine. Former miners host the tour of 1,500 feet of underground passages. Outside the mine, visit a reconstructed company town, featuring a church, schoolhouse, miner's cottage, and superintendent's house.

Journey by rail underground and through the history of pre-mechanized coal mining.
Beckley Exhibition 
Coal Mine

A frontier village and the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia welcome visitors next door. The mine is closed Nov. 2 'til this first weekend of April.

304/256-1747 or 1-800-CALL-WVA

For more information, see WV e-Postcard's photo tour Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine.  In addition, NewRiverWV.com's guide to the New River Gorge provides more information regarding  history and heritage, coal mining history, railroad history, and folklore in the New River Gorge region.


Grandview

Beckley, West Virginia (WV)
hiking, overlooks, outdoor dramas

The National Park Service's Grandview Visitor's Center features spectacular overlooks of the New River Gorge at its deepest point. Hiking trails of every variety explore the upland forests and the park's unique rock formations. Each summer, the park's Cliffside Amphitheatre hosts the outdoor dramas "Honey in the Rock," the story of West Virginia's tumultuous birth, and "Hatfields and McCoys," the legend of its most infamous feud.

304/465-0508 or 1-800-CALL-WVA

For more information, visit: Grandview

For further information on the Grandview area of the New River Gorge, see NewRiverWV's guide to New River Gorge, which features information on theater, outdoor dramas, night life and entertainment; restaurants and dining; B&Bs, cabins, camping, motels and hotels and other lodging near Grandview.

New River Gorge Bridge

The annual Bridge Day Festival takes place on the 3, 030-foot-long  New River Gorge Bridge Fayetteville, West Virginia (WV)
exhibits, driving tour, hiking trails

Spanning the New River Gorge National River on U.S. 19 near Fayetteville, WV,  the highest bridge east of the Mississippi River is as breath-taking as the scenic canyon beneath it. The National Park Service's adjacent Canyon Rim Visitor Center provides visitors an overview of the history of the New River Gorge Bridge and the region.

Pedestrians are permitted on the bridge only during the annual Bridge Day Festival (3rd Saturday in October), but some of the best views of the bridge can be had from scenic Fayette County Route 82 (Fayette Station Road), which descends and ascends the gorge beneath the bridge.

1-800-CALL-WVA

For more information on attractions and lodging near the New River Gorge Bridge, see: New River Gorge Bridge Day Festival; The New River Gorge Bridge;  Fayetteville, West Virginia (WV) ;and  Bridge Day Photos.


Tamarack

Tamarack's studios host glass-blowers, potters, sculptors, weavers, and other scheduled demonstrators.Beckley, West Virginia (WV)
native arts, foods, live entertainment

Shop West Virginia's largest collection of native art -- Tamarack. The fanciful $32-million center on I-77 at Beckley includes 59,000 square feet of foods, live entertainment, and artwork by more than 1,800 juried artisans and craftsmen -- more than 20,000 products in inventory.  Its conspicuous red-peaked roof allows brilliant lighting while protecting the works inside from the sun's harmful rays.

1-800-CALL-WVA -- Visit: Tamarack

For further information West Virginia native crafts and the arts in the New River Gorge, see NewRiverWV's guide to New River Gorge, which features info on: the arts, musictheater productions and outdoor dramas; and restaurants and dining and night life and entertainment  near Tamarack and Beckley, WV.


Theatre West Virginia

Near Beckley, West Virginia (WV)
The Outdoor Dramas at Grandview

Phone: 304-256-6800 or toll free: 1-800-950-0250

For almost half a century visitors have been enjoying the summer outdoor dramas “Honey in the Rock” and “Hatfields & McCoys” at the Cliffside Amphitheatre at Grandview.  Both historical musical dramas are performed nightly, except Mondays, under the stars in this beautiful natural preserve, part of the National Park Service’s New River Gorge National River.

Visit:   Theatre West Virginia 


For further information on the theater, the performing arts and entertainment in the New River Gorge, see NewRiverWV's guide to New River Gorge, which features info on: the arts, music, nearby theater and outdoor dramas; restaurants and dining and night life and entertainment; B&Bs, cabins, camping, motels and hotels and other lodging  near Theatre West Virginia's outdoor dramas
and Beckley, WV.


West Virginia Whitewater Rafting

Experience - West Virginia Whitewater Rafting!New River Gorge and Gauley River Canyon
guided tours, travel packages

Whether you're an expert or a first-timer, you'll enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime whitewater rafting journey down the whitewater rivers of the New River / Greenbrier Valley region of West Virginia. Dozens of full-service rafting outfitters and guide companies are available to pilot your large or small group through the New River Gorge and the Gauley River Canyon. Whitewater companies provide transportation to the river from base camps which include restaurants, shops, lodging and camping facilities.

The whitewater rafting season on New River spans May through September. Focus shifts to the Gauley River in October.  For more info on West Virginia whitewater rafting: 1-800-CALL-WVA

For more online  information, see our guide to Whitewater Rafting in West Virginia for   information on West Virginia whitewater rafting rivers and whitewater outfitters and guide companies.  Visit WVa Whitewater to sign up for free West Virginia whitewater rafting info or to view the current streamflow conditions for New River and Gauley River.  And visit WV Bridge Day for a list of companies offering special deals on whitewater rafting trips and for further information on Gauley River and New River whitewater rafting trips.

Winterplace Ski Resort

Tubers careen down the slopes of Flat Top Mountain at Winterplace, one of the most accessible ski resorts in the Mideast.Between Bluefield and  Beckley, West Virginia (WV)
snow tubing and boarding, skiing, ski  shops, restaurants

Capping the heights of Flat Top Mountain adjacent to I-77, Winterplace features 27 trails, nine lifts, and an eight-lane snow tubing park. Food courts, restaurants, and lodges cluster along the trails.

Winterplace opens December 24 or earlier, based on weather and closes at the end of March. Daily hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.

1-800-CALL-WVA

For more information, see Skiing WV's guide to  Winterplace Ski Resort which features information on nearby ski shops and skiing outfitters; dining, entertainment and restaurants; and info on  lodges, B&Bs, cabins, motels, hotels and other lodging near Winterplace.



 

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