Best Places to Visit in West Virginia, USA
Best Places to Visit in West Virginia, USA
West Virginia is an ideal year-round vacation destination with endless places to visit ranging from beautiful mountain retreats to quaint historic towns. With so many opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation, the state is a mecca for the active traveler but also a nice place to relax and unwind in a natural setting. Popular activities include hiking, biking, fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, zip lining, ATVing. horseback riding and more. Winter activities include downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. For history lovers, heritage sites abound throughout the mountains offering glimpses of how the Civil war, colonial life, and early explorers all helped shape American culture. While there are dozens of fun places to explore, here are ten of the “must sees” in West Virginia.
#1.Harpers Ferry
#2.Snowshoe Mountain
#3.New River Gorge
#4.Seneca Rocks
#5.Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley
#6.Coopers Rock State Forest
#7.Stonewall Resort
#8.Greenbrier State Forest
#9.Gauley River National Recreation Area
#10.Hatfield and McCoy Trails
West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit New River Gorge National River Show
West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit New River Gorge National River Show
The New River Gorge National River is a unit of the United States National Park Service designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia. Established in 1978, the NPS-protected area stretches for 53 miles (85 km) from just downstream of Hinton to Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted.New River Gorge is also home to some of the country's best whitewater rafting. The focus of this rafting is in the New River Gorge from the Cunard put-in to the Fayette Station take-out. The river levels for the New River Gorge (and most other major whitewater rivers in the United States) can be checked at American Whitewater.[3]New River Gorge is also one of the most popular climbing areas on the east coast with over 1,400 established rock climbs. The cliffs at The New are located just below the rim of the gorge and are made up of a very hard Nuttall sandstone. The rock is very featured, and an abundance of crack and face routes, with occasional large roofs. Almost all climbs are one pitch long and range from 30 to 120 feet (37 m) in height. The majority of the routes in the gorge are for advanced climbers in 5.10-5.12 range of the Yosemite Decimal System with about an equal number of traditional and sport climbs.New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 as a unit of the national park system. Located in the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia, the park encompasses over 72,808 acres (295 km2) of land along 53 miles (85 km) of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawks Nest State Park.[1] A rugged, white water river, flowing northward through deep canyons, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent. The park is rich in cultural and natural history and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.President Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing New River Gorge National River on November 10, 1978 (Public Law 95-625). As stated in the legislation, the park was established as a unit of the national park system “for the purpose of conserving and interpreting outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values and objects in and around the New River Gorge and preserving as a free-flowing stream an important segment of the New River in West Virginia for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations; More Info
West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit West Virginia State Penitentiary Show
West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit West Virginia State Penitentiary Show
In 1863, West Virginia seceded from Virginia at the height of the American Civil War. Consequently, the new state had a shortage of various public institutions, including prisons; the Wagon Gate was the only building at this site during the Civil War. From 1863 to 1866, Governor Arthur I. Boreman lobbied the West Virginia Legislature for a state penitentiary but was repeatedly denied.[3] The Legislature at first tried to direct him to send the prisoners to other institutions out of the state, and then they directed him to use existing county jails, which turned out to be inadequate.[3] After nine inmates escaped in 1865, the local press took up the cause, and the Legislature took action.[3] On February 7, 1866, the state legislature approved the purchase of land in Moundsville for the purpose of constructing a state prison.[3] Ten acres were purchased just outside of the then city limits of Moundsville for $3000.[3] Moundsville proved an attractive site, as it is approximately twelve miles south of Wheeling, West Virginia, which at that time was the state capital.[2][3][4]
The state built a temporary wooden prison nearby that summer. This gave prison officials time to assess what prison design should be used. Northern Illinois Penitentiary at Joliet proved to be an attractive design. Its Gothic Revival architecture exhibit[ed], as much as possible, great strength and convey[ed] to the mind a cheerless blank indicative of the misery which awaits the unhappy being who enters within its walls.[3]
The first building constructed on the site was the North Wagon Gate.[2] It was made with hand-cut sandstone, which was quarried from a local site.[2] The state used prison labor during the construction process, and work continued on this first phase until 1876.[2] When completed, the total cost was of $363,061.[2] In addition to the North Wagon Gate, there was now north and south cellblock areas (both measuring 300 ft. by 52 ft.[3]).[2] South Hall had 224 cells (7 ft. by 4 ft.), and North Hall had a kitchen, dining area, hospital, and chapel.[3] A 4-story tower connecting the two was the administration building (measuring 75 ft. by 75 ft.[3]).[2] It included space for female inmates and personal living quarters for the warden and his family.[2][3] The facility officially opened in this year, and it had a prison population of 251 male inmates, including some who had helped construct the very prison that now held them.[2] After this phase, work began on prison workshops and other secondary facilities.[3]
In addition to construction, the inmates had other jobs to do in support of the prison. In the early 1900s some industries within the prison walls included a carpentry shop, a paint shop, a wagon shop, a stone yard, a brickyard, a blacksmith, a tailor, a bakery, and a hospital. At the same time, revenue from the prison farm and inmate labor helped the prison financially. It was virtually self-sufficient. A prison coal mine located a mile away opened in 1921. This mine helped serve some of the prison's energy needs and saved the state an estimated $14,000 a year. Some inmates were allowed to stay at the mine's camp under the supervision of a mine foreman, who was not a prison employee.[2]
Conditions at the prison during the turn of the 20th century were good, according to a warden's report, which stated that, both the quantity and the quality of all the purchases of material, food and clothing have been very gradually, but steadily, improved, while the discipline has become more nearly perfect and the exaction of labor less stringent. Education was a priority for the inmates during this time. They regularly attended class. Construction on a school and library was completed in 1900 to help reform and educate
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Things To Do in West Virginia: Thurmond GHOST TOWN
We continued our West Virginia tour with a visit to the ghost town of Thurmond where we spent the afternoon wandering abandoned streets and pressing our noses against the windows of abandoned buildings (except for the one that we “visited” from the inside
The Best Places to Visit in Utah, USA
The Best Places to Visit in Utah, USA
Utah is a western state defined by its vast expanses of desert and the Wasatch Range mountains.
Utah is known in entire world for its picturesque places, unique canyons, impressive lakes and grandiose sandstone cliffs. But beside of all this beauty, Utah is also known for its great and unforgettable waterfalls. Because of countless canyons that cross the state and their collision with the most majestic rivers like Green River and Colorado River, formed a big number of waterfalls that delights the visitor’s eyes.
1.Zion National Park
2.Arches National Park
3.Salt Lake City
4.Park City
5. Canyonlands National Park
6.Bryce Canyon National Park
7.St. George
8. Antelope Island
9.Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
10.Lake Powell
Visit Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: Things to do in Washington, D.C. - Chocolate City
Visit Washington, D.C. - Top 10 Things which can be done in Washington, D.C.. What you can visit in Washington, D.C. - Most visited touristic attractions of Washington, D.C.
National Mall
A national park in downtown. Receives approximately 24 million visitors each year. Includes areas that are part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens. Ofen refers to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol.
United States Capitol
The seat of the US Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government, completed in the year 1800. Built in a distinctive neoclassical style and has a white exterior. The origin point at which the District's four quadrants meet.
White House
The official residence and principal workplace of the President of the US. Has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. Built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia Creek sandstone in the Neoclassical style.
National Museum of Natural History
A natural history museum. Over 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts. Founded in 1846. Built in just 15 months at a cost of $310,000. Opened in March 1881.
National Zoological Park
One of the oldest zoos in the US. Founded in 1889. Contain 2,000 animals of 400 different species. Open every day of the year except December 25. Does not charge admission. Has two campuses: a urban park and a non-public facility.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Commemorates those who served in the Korean War. The main memorial is in the form of a triangle intersecting a circle. Walls: 164 feet (50 m) long, 8 inches thick; more than 100 tons of highly polished Academy Black granite from California.
Madame Tussauds DC
A wax museum. Main attractions: Presidents Gallery - meet all forty-four U.S. Presidents, Glamour Room - mix and mingle with Hollywood's A-list celebrities, Sports Zone - practice your swing with Tiger Woods, Media Room
United States Botanic Garden
A botanic garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol. Open every day of the year, including federal holidays. The oldest continually operating botanic garden in US. Free admission to all gardens. Conservatory is open 10am to 5pm.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The largest of the many reflecting pools in the city. It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides. Reflects the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall's trees, and/or the expansive sky.
National Air and Space Museum
Holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world in 161,145 square feet (14,970.9 m2) of exhibition floor space. Was established in 1946, as the National Air Museum and opened its main building in 1976.
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West Virginia's New River Gorge is Gorgeous
We spend a rainy, humid, day Over looking the New River Gorge, a Scenic Wonder in its own right, but a marvel of engineering with the bridge on US-19.
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Best Springtime US National Parks
Check out 3 great national parks for the spring season.
Springtime is just around the corner. What better way to mark the arrival of warmer weather than to go to a national park.
Here are 3 great US national parks for the season.
Number 3 -- Joshua Tree National Pak located in California offers roughly 800,000 acres ready for exploration. Serving as an off-the-beaten path attraction, it contains, as the name implies, an abundance of Joshua trees which taken up a major portion of the western half of the park. The area has five palm oases, granite monoliths and mountains of twisted rock giving travelers a rustic and beautiful site to venture through.
Number 2 -- Tucson, Arizona is home to Saguaro National Park. North America's largest cacti are a common sight on the grounds. Established in1994, the park encompasses more than 91,000 acres. Following wet winters, vibrant wildflower displays in the Spring awe visitors. It is also the time that many trees, cactuses and shrubs are in bloom.
Number 1 -- Zion national park showcases narrow canyons and huge sandstone cliffs with contrasting colors that span across the blue sky. Known as Utah's first national park, it houses emerald pools, scenic drives and over backcountry trails with stunning views. Varying plants and animals charm visitors. . The park is a popular destination considering it attracts about 3 million visitors per year.
Appalachians Mountains WV
Trucking the Appalachians Mountains West Virginia
West Virginia: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, subsequently the Weston State Hospital, was a Kirkbride psychiatric hospital that was operated from 1864 until 1994 by the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia, in the city of Weston. Weston State Hospital got its name in 1913 and was changed back to its originally commissioned, but unused name while patients occupied it, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, after being reopened as a tourist attraction.
It was forcibly closed in 1994 due to changes in patient treatment. The hospital was bought by Joe Jordan in 2007, and is opened for tours and other events to raise money for its restoration.
The hospital's main building is claimed to be one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, and the second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world, with the only bigger one being in the Moscow Kremlin. As Weston Hospital Main Building, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
The hospital was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly in the early 1850s as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Following its secession from the United States, the government of Virginia demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. Before this could occur, the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to Wheeling. It was put towards the establishment of the Reorganized Government of Virginia, which sided with the northern states during the war. The Reorganized Government appropriated money to resume construction in 1862. Following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m) central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for black people were completed in 1873. The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient, and a farm, dairy, waterworks, and cemetery were located on its grounds, which ultimately reached 666 acres (270 ha) in area.
Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed epileptics, alcoholics, drug addicts and non-educable mental defectives among its population
Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and Walter Freeman to use lobotomy to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.
The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from Morgantown, was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the 242,000-square-foot (22,500 m2) building. Bidding started at $500,000. Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.
The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress.
As of 2012, the records of the Weston State Hospital reside with the Library of Virginia. While the records are accessible to the public, those who go to the library in person, can sign in and view the records but information on patients below the age of 75 cannot be recorded or publicized to protect those patients.
The former facility was featured as a haunted location on several paranormal television shows, including Ghost Stories, Syfy's Ghost Hunters, Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal Lockdown on Destination America/TLC.