Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for west virginia
Feast of the Ramson
By Linda Tancs
West Virginia is one of the best states to harvest ramps (wild leeks), a prized, pungent Appalachian springtime delicacy appearing from late April to early June. It should come as no surprise, then, that the beloved leek has its own festival. Held in April in Richwood, Feast of the Ramson is touted as the world’s largest ramps festival. A ramps-centric meal is complemented with potatoes, brown beans, cornbread, ham and bacon. Arts and crafts vendors are on site as well. This year’s festival takes place on April 18 at the community center.
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An Elegant Estate in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
In 1900, Cleveland industrialist Earl W. Oglebay purchased what is now known as Oglebay Mansion in Wheeling, West Virginia, to serve as a summer home. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, you can explore 13 period rooms and impressive collections of American furniture, china, silver, glass, pewter, toys and textiles. Another feature is The Glass Museum, located on the lower level of Carriage House, which boasts over 4,000 examples of Wheeling glass made from 1829 – 1939, plus the largest piece of cut lead crystal ever made – The Sweeney Punch Bowl. Standing 5 feet tall and weighing 225 pounds, this remarkable piece of Victorian artistry is world renowned.
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The Legend of John Henry
By Linda Tancs
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad built their main line between 1869 and 1872 through the labors of thousands of freed African-American slaves and Irish Catholic immigrants. Of thousands of African-American railroad workers, John Henry became the stuff of legend and the subject of a ballad. Historical research suggests that Henry was a real person, a steel driver blasting a tunnel through Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia. Legend has it that he died during a contest between a steel drill and steel drivers. Whether man or myth, a statue of him stands outside Great Bend Tunnel at John Henry Park in Talcott.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Gem in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
The Ohio River’s most famous island is arguably Blennerhassett, a small island near Parkersburg, West Virginia, constituting Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. It’s named for Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, wealthy Irish aristocrats who settled there in 1789. The centerpiece is their Palladian-style mansion, a favorite attraction for over 40,000 tourists each year. In addition to tours of the mansion and its grounds, horse-drawn carriage rides are available. The ride there is almost as enchanting as the park itself because the island is accessed via a 19th-century sternwheeler riverboat departing from Point Park in Parkersburg. The park is open from May to October.
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Getting to The Point
By Linda Tancs
There’s a point in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. Known appropriately enough as The Point, this water gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains also offers views of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It’s one of the most popular places to visit in Lower Town (the most-visited area of the park) and a short walk from the Lower Town shuttle bus stop.
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What’s New in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
You may be familiar with the expression, everything old is new again. That’s an apt way of looking at New River Gorge in West Virginia. The New River is one of the oldest in North America, its whitewater cascading through deep canyons. For years it’s been managed by the Park Service as a “national river.” That status received an upgrade last December when the area was designated a national park as well as a national preserve, the first such dual designation outside Alaska. The park has always been a mecca for whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and other adventures. Located in southern West Virginia, it’s conveniently accessible from several interstate highways and local airports.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Friendly City
By Linda Tancs
Wheeling, West Virginia, dubs itself “the friendly city,” no doubt earned by its reputation for heartily welcoming visitors—a stark contrast from the tumult experienced during the Civil War. The state was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the war. Born from the walls of West Virginia Independence Hall, a forerunner of today’s skyscrapers with wrought iron I-beams and box girders with cast iron columns, its three floors tell the story of political intrigue, treason, loyalty oaths and the threat of rebel invasion. Admission is free.
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Steaming Through Cass
By Linda Tancs
Cass, West Virginia, is a charming old logging town founded in 1900 by a pulp and paper company. Its main attraction is Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, home of the railway line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the town mill. Lest you think it’s a quaint site riddled with old, rusty railroad cars, the astonishing fact is that Cass is home to the world’s largest fleet of geared Shay locomotives. Many of the passenger cars are old logging flat cars that have been refurbished for use as part of a popular train excursion, allowing visitors to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life. For a taste of this bygone era, take the excursion to Whittaker Station, the location of an authentic logging camp recreated by the volunteers of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association. Just four miles up the track from Cass, the journey includes a stopover for breathtaking country views.
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The Land of Canaan
By Linda Tancs
In the 1700s the wild valley on the western slope of the Alleghenies looked like the Promised Land to an adventurer in the region. Or so the story goes. Regardless of its veracity, that valley is known as the Canaan Valley in West Virginia. Home to the country’s 500th National Wildlife Refuge, its cool and moist climate provides a haven for 580 species of plants and 288 different animals. Endangered bats, salamander, dragonflies and priority bird species such as brown thrasher, Eastern towhee, and American woodcock no doubt find it heavenly.
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The Quietest Place in America
By Linda Tancs
Green Bank, West Virginia is a tiny speck of a town where you could hear a pin drop. That’s because it’s located in the National Radio Quiet Zone, an area designed to protect the powerful radio telescopes in the area from interference. Green Bank boasts the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the largest fully steerable telescope on Earth. If you seek a break from the world of Wi-Fi, then this is the place to be. Just one mile from the astronomy observatory you can stay at one of three original log cabins that were built in 1810.
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