Near our Cabin: Southern West Virginia Attractions
Since our cabin rental is located on the New River Gorge Scenic Loop Tour, you can easily find all the great attractions of southern West Virginia. Here are our favorites!
Grandview: The most dramatic of the New River Gorge is from Grandview, the highest area of the park. It's an easy five mile drive from I-64. Grandview offers hiking trails, picnicking, and outdoor summer performances by Theatre West Virginia.
Just Down the Road: Drive-In Movies and Pottery Meadow Bridge Drive-In is one of the few drive-in theaters still operating in West Virginia. It's just three miles from Star Song on Route 20, so it makes a great date night! It's open May through September on weekends with double features of current running movies. Admission is only $5 a person, so it's quite a deal! Audio for the movies is provided via a FM radio signal, as well as traditional speakers. Meadow Bridge Drive-In was built in 1953 and is West Virginia's smallest, with a capacity for 180 cars. For the current films, call 304-484-7878. Within walking distance of the cabin is potter Jeff Diehl. Read more about him.
See the famous New River Bridge (read more) and enjoy some of best whitewater rafting (read more) in the eastern United States. While there many great hiking trails, you can't top the views from the Endless Wall Trail (read more). Tamarack has an amazing selection of art created in West Virginia. It's a shoppers' paradise. Watch artists work and have lunch in their great cafe. The charming, historic town of Lewisburg has great shops, galleries, antique stores and restaurants in their downtown area. Cathedral Falls, two miles from the town of Gauley Bridge, drops more than 100 feet over a series of overhanging ledges to form one of the most spectacular waterfalls in West Virginia. It's located along U.S. 60, the Midland Trail Scenic Highway. Cathedral Falls have been a popular scenic landmark since prehistoric Native Americans entered the region. Now a roadside park, a picnic shelter, viewing area, and a parking area have been provided by the City of Gauley Bridge. From Beckley, take US-19 north, across the New River Bridge, to US-60 (about 26 miles; 28 if from I-77). Turn left onto US-60 and follow 60 west to Gauley Bridge.	The Sandstone Visitor Center is just 12 miles from the cabin. It's a great place to get the latest info, see a video and tour interactive exhibits and touch-screen computers to learn more about the New River Gorge National River. Babcock State Park offers its guests 4,127 acres of serene, yet rugged beauty, a fast flowing trout stream in a boulder-strewn canyon and mountainous vistas to be viewed from several scenic overlooks. All of this variety is located adjacent to the New River Gorge National River. The Glade Creek Grist Mill is a fully operable mill built as a re-creation of one which once ground grain on Glade Creek Sandstone falls is about 22 miles south of the Visitor Center. Route 20 climbs Chestnut Mountain to an overlook of the falls (only a few miles from the center). But you need to continue down river to Historic Hinton so you can cross the New River and drive back up the river on the other side to reach the boardwalk that leads to an island at the falls with observation decks. The town of Fayetteville is located near the New River Bridge. It has a stately courthouse, shops and a good variety of restaurants. Read more about Fayetteville on their website. Visit the famous Greenbrier Resort for fine dining, spa, shops and strolling the beautiful grounds.
Near Cathedral Falls is Kanawha Falls. Two miles west of Gauley Bridge is a bridge crossing the Kanawha River. After you cross it turn left and follow Kanawha Road to the Kanawha Falls Park, specially constructed for folks to enjoy the waterfalls and the Great Kanawha River.
See a Coal Mine! The Exhibition Coal Mine is the largest and most popular coal heritage destination in the region. After years of planning, the Exhibition Coal Mine has recently completed an extensive renovation that includes a newly opened 14,000 sq. foot, Rahall Company Store, visitor center, coal museum, fudgery and gift shop. A visit will begin here with the purchase of a ticket and a visit to the extensive collection of mining artifacts and tools, geological specimens, photographs, and other features of early life among the coal towns of southern West Virginia. The main attraction is an actual tour that takes visitors below ground, under the supervision of an experienced veteran coal miner. Traveling 1500 feet beneath the hillsides of New River Park, visitors are carried along track, riding authentic "man cars" from the mine entrance, to old working areas of the coal mine and back. Stops throughout the tour explore the history of low-seam coal mining from the hand-loading days into the era of modern mechanization. In addition to the underground mine tour, visitors can explore the historical coal camp situated throughout the grounds. Lovingly restored, the Coal Company House, Superintendent's Home, Pemberton Coal Camp Church, and the Helen Coal Camp School, give our guests a true representation of early 20th century coal camp life. After your visit, buy a piece of history to take home with you! The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine’s Gift Shop has many unique local items for sale and finish the visit with a delicious piece of home made fudge from the Fudgery. April 1 - November 1. Daily 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. Last tour underground is 5:30 pm. Bring a jacket - the mine is always 50 degrees! For more, go to their website.