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Wild and Wonderful West Virginia!

	Country Roads John Denver Almost heaven, West Virginia : : Country roads, take me home :  :
A WV Country Road - Muddy Creek Mountain		The Bridge Over the New River Gorge

West Virginia is a well-kept secret and now that we've discovered it, we'd like to keep it that way! Of course, we do enjoy having family and friends come to visit so that we can share the many pleasures of WV. In addition to the wonderful activities in our local area, the rest of the state also has much to offer.

History: Originally part of Virginia, West Virginia became a separate state during the Civil War by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln (1863). In other words, when Virginia seceded from the Union, West Virginia seceded from Virginia! Sometimes described as the most southern of the northern states or the most northern of the southern states, sympathies with the Confederate cause are still in evidence, particularly in the more southerly part of the state where we live.

Many of the early settlers of West Virginia came from Ireland and Scotland, bringing their music with them. These roots are found in the regional Appalachian mountain music and many area musicians continue to play the traditional sound.


The Great Outdoors: Although some people may think that WV is one big coal mine, it is in fact a naturally beautiful state, lush with forests, rivers and lakes. (This is one of the secrets we want to keep!) Nearly 1.4 million acres in West Virginia are owned by the federal government and maintained as national forests and rivers, recreation areas and wildlife refuges, including the huge Monongahela National Forest. In addition, the state preserves over 180,000 acres in state parks, forests and wildlife management areas. There are 44 State Parks and Forests and four additional Wildlife Management Areas with facilities that range from rustic cabins and campgrounds to resort-style lodges, swimming pools and golf courses. Since we live in a log cabin in the forest, we're not likely to go camping but we've enjoyed day use of the parks and forests. So far, we've been to 11 of these areas so we have many yet to see. Hiking trails at Watoga and Beartown, lakes and rivers (Moncove, Bluestone and Little Beaver), a fall foliage ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and views from the observation towers at Droop Mountain and Hanging Rock are just a few of the offerings that we've enjoyed. Other recreational activities across the state range from downhill skiing at Snowshoe Mountain to world-class white water rafting on the Gauley and New Rivers to hiking, biking or horseback riding on the North Bend Rail Trail and the Greenbrier River Trail. One particularly memorable trip took us to watch white water rafting and kayaking on the New and Gauley Rivers, followed by a fabulous buffet at Smokey's on the Gorge restaurant and a scenic ride home that took us along the rivers and past the beautiful Cathedral Falls, pictured at right.


Arts and Entertainment: Culture, particularly the regional Appalachian music and arts and crafts, attracts much of our attention as well. One of our favorite places to visit is Tamarack, located in Beckley, which is only about 50 miles from our home. Tamarack is a huge, unusually designed structure housing a wide range of WV-produced products from furniture, food and the famous Fiesta dinnerware to quilts, sculpture (including an incredible glass-topped coffee table that is really an intricately detailed sculpture of a fly-fisherman in a trout stream -- ah, you really would have to see it to believe it!), all sorts of woodwork, musical instruments, weavings and clothing. Many of the artists represented at Tamarack present demonstrations of their work and a free weekly concert showcases the talents of West Virginia musicians. We've heard many wonderful groups during the Sunday @ Two concert series, including Morning Star Consort, the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys, WomanSong, Allegheny Echoes, the Lilly Mountaineers, and Heidi Muller and Bob Webb. Tamarack also sponsors annual events such as a Renaissance Festival, gardening workshops and other conferences.

Annual celebrations of mountain life in West Virginia include the Vandalia Gathering held on Memorial Day weekends on the State Capitol grounds and presented by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. One of the best things about this festival is that it is all free. We have seen some Morris and contra dancing and heard dulcimer competitions, among other events. Shown at left is "Dulcimer Dave" Haas, accompanied by his son Mark. The Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV offers an annual series of workshops, concerts and festivals. Included are a Spring Dulcimer Week, summer workshops that include Vocal & Guitar Week, Irish Week, Dance & Bluegrass Week, and Old-Time & Cajun/Creole Week. Public concerts, dances and jam sessions are given every week during the summer, followed by Old-Time Week and a Fiddlers' Reunion in October.


For more information about West Virginia, visit the WV Visitor Information site. Also check out the Wonderful West Virginia magazine.

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