West Virginia for V-day

[put down the sabre]

Hi there!

Wonder if I could hit you up for some advice.

My GF and I live in North Carolina, and are thinking of taking a trip to West Virginia for valentine's day weekend. I'm a foreigner and one thing I'd like to do is see 'real' rural America, so I guess we'd like to drive through some very isolated towns. Plan is to get a very rural cabin somewhere, but I'd also like to see the mountain-top removal mining if possible. So the desiderata are...

- very rural
- rural cabin to stay in
- scenic drive (maybe blue ridge parkway?)
- mountaintop removal mining

any suggestions gratefully accepted!

Thanks,

pdts

[MickNickMaggies]

Originally Posted by put down the sabre

Hi there!

Wonder if I could hit you up for some advice.

My GF and I live in North Carolina, and are thinking of taking a trip to West Virginia for valentine's day weekend. I'm a foreigner and one thing I'd like to do is see 'real' rural America, so I guess we'd like to drive through some very isolated towns. Plan is to get a very rural cabin somewhere, but I'd also like to see the mountain-top removal mining if possible. So the desiderata are...

- very rural
- rural cabin to stay in
- scenic drive (maybe blue ridge parkway?)
- mountaintop removal mining

any suggestions gratefully accepted!

Thanks,

pdts

Fenton Glass (Williamstown) is a good one, and a fairly old industry in WV. There's also at least one maker of sheets of stained glass going.

Also of note would be the Greenbriar hotel in White Sulphur Springs. The mountain there is hollow and was a secret bunker that the entire US gov't would be relocated to in the event of a nuclear war. You will need reservations- http://www.greenbrier.com/site/bunke...uidelines.aspx

[freckafree]

Here's a map of mountain-top removal activity in WV. Beckley or Lewisburg could be a good jumping off point for lots of exploration. If you want to go full-circle with the mining theme, Beckley has an exhibition coal mine that is absolutely fascinating. I grew up in WV and went there for the first time in July.

The Greenbrier Valley (where the aforementioned hotel is located) is gorgeous and scenic. You could also go to the Green Bank Observatory.

Canaan Valley State Park has cabins. So does Watoga.

If you're driving into the southern mountains in February, you should keep in mind that the weather can get dicey.

MickNickMaggies, Fenton Glass is indeed awesome. (There's a place in Williamstown that sells their cullet, and I make jewelry from it.)

pdts, I hope you and your GF have a great time. I'd love to hear about your trip!

[put down the sabre]

Thanks a lot guys, this is just the kind of info I was looking for!

pdts