Now entering…. West Virginia! State #9 of 50-States-Before-They-Graduate. Check out our Mid-Eastern States Itinerary.
First stop: New River Gorge Bridge | Canyon Rim Visitor Center | Lansing, WV
After a short hike, we peered across the New River Gorge and beheld the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere! The views are breathtaking!
The New River Gorge. Can you see a bridge across the river in the distance?
New River Gorge Bridge (We had driven across it just minutes before!)
The height of this bridge? “Beneath the bridge the Statue of Liberty could stand twice atop the Washington Monument with 20 feet to spare!”
Second stop: Glade Creek Grist Mill | Babcock State Park | Clifftop, WV
A beautiful drive along West Virginia’s winding roads led us to this beauty…
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The fully-operable Glade Creek Grist Mill… was not operating while we were there. The hours of operation are something like 10am-2pm Sundays. I probably have that completely wrong, but the main thing to note is that operating hours are limited! (You can purchase cornmeal and buckwheat flour that has been ground at this mill if you happen to be there when it is open!)} This mill was constructed using original parts and pieces from three other mills that had once dotted the West Virginian countryside.
I’m not sure that my explanation of how the mill works had the same impact as it would have had if the mill had actually been in operation.
{Though we did not stay here, cabins are available for lodging. Aside from not being able to see the mill in operation, the fact that we did not stay overnight for further exploration is my only regret on this part of the trip!}
Third stop: Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine | Beckley, WV (Actually this was our actual first and then our third stop – we went twice because we arrived too late to do everything, and our tickets granted admission on two consecutive days!):
The coal mine exhibition included a recreated coal camp with superintendent’s house, coal company house, coal camp school, coal camp church, and miner’s shanty, along with a youth museum (which at the time of our visit included a Civil War exhibit) and mountain homestead.
But our favorite part was the guided Underground Coal Mine Tour.
The museum contained wonderful displays that gave an overview of what coal camp life was like – from company scrip and store dealings to miner’s scooters and lunch buckets.
On our way out of West Virginia, we stopped at Sandstone Visitor Center in Sandstone, WV where we explored a bit about ecology and conservation efforts.
This closes our trip to West Virginia, but before our farewell, we found a great book at the coal mine museum: Take Me Home Country Roads (which includes a CD of the song by John Denver). We ended up singing this song… about one thousand times and through the other 7 states we visited on this trip, too! That book has since become a family favorite.
We weren’t able to see all that there is to see in West Virginia! So… for those who are looking to make a trip to this state in the future, what would you recommend that we did not already see? {Harpers Ferry comes to mind…} If you have recommendations, please leave a comment!
Our family is slowly working our way across the United States to visit all fifty states before our children graduate. Many Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood readers have contributed SO MUCH to our trips in the way of recommendations. In fact, our wonderful trip through West Virginia was planned entirely by recommendations from readers of our site! As the family planner of our trips, I am so grateful to all who have offered suggestions – not just for West Virginia, but for any and all states of the USA! So… THANK YOU!
Care to visit 50 states with us? How about visiting just one state? What about your own state? If so, we would love for you to become a part of a network of families traveling the USA. Just leave a comment or send us an email to share your favorite places around our country.