on location: south ❖
randy mink
West Virginia
Sampler
Looking ahead to 150 years of statehood, this Appalachian empire offers mountains of itinerary ideas
New River Gorge National River as seen from the overlook at Hawks Nest State Park. Left: American Mountain Theater in Elkins.
A
n oddly shaped piece of land, with eastern and northern panhandles jutting into surrounding states, West Virginia reigns as a mountain king-
dom unto itself. Situated between the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, it is a bit hard to classify. Is it Southern or Eastern? Or a high-altitude slice of Middle America? For tour planners, there’s really no need to pigeonhole West Virginia geographically. The main thing to know – its awesome Appalachian setting doesn’t hurt. It was the roadside vistas that most intrigued me on my recent and very first trip to West Virginia. As we rolled through rugged mountain passes and verdant valleys, past rippling ridges, rushing rivers, gurgling creeks and historic hamlets tucked in the hollers, I realized it’s LeisureGroupTravel.com
LeisureGroupTravel.com
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West Virginia Division of Tourism
tourism offerings are exceedingly group-friendly. And the