When I think of the places I like to go in winter, I think of serenity in nature - the stillness that comes to the world with animals hibernating and seeds waiting in the ground until warmer weather urges them to sprout. There's a peaceful beauty that I love about these cold months when snow… Continue reading A Winter Weekend Getaway: Buckhannon and Audra State Park
West Virginia may not be the biggest state in the country, but it does have a lot of small towns that I've never visited before despite living here most of my life. Weston was one of those. I'd driven past the exit a hundred times on the interstate but had never had a reason to… Continue reading One Day in Weston, WV
I've loved visiting Dolly Sods Wilderness for years, and I was very excited to go on my first ever backpacking trip here and explore more of this beautiful area. Growing up, I would usually visit with my family on fall trips around Monongahela National Forest where we would also stop at places like Green Bank… Continue reading Backpacking in Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV
Having grown up an hour away from the New River Gorge, I've been there several times and love the area, so I was excited when I learned it was officially becoming a National Park. Because I really enjoyed writing my posts about National Parks like Saguaro and Carlsbad, I decided to do a nice long… Continue reading All About New River Gorge National Park
Despite living in West Virginia for most of my life, I had never actually visited the state's Eastern Panhandle until summer 2020. Our day around the Berkeley Springs area was actually part of a longer road trip; I was taking an exam in Martinsburg, which is close by, and we were visiting family friends in… Continue reading One Day Around Berkeley Springs, WV
There's this story you get told in school about history, and it's fairly straightforward and simple. Which makes sense - elementary school kids aren't historians trying to become specialists in one area of history or another. The goal is just giving students a general understanding of history and how we got to today. And that's… Continue reading Blennerhassett Island
Blackwater Falls is one of the loveliest places in West Virginia and especially well-located in Tucker County near lots of other fantastic places to explore! While I've been there numerous times over the years, we decided to spend this past Christmas at a cabin in the state park, which was an excellent decision in my… Continue reading Winter at Blackwater Falls
Early on October 17, 1859, the sleeping town of Harpers Ferry became a battleground in one of the key events that marked the dawning of the Civil War. Though the war would not officially begin until April 1861 with the Battle of Fort Sumter, John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry was indicative of the tension… Continue reading Harpers Ferry: Then and Now
As a proud West Virginian, I'm always excited to offer travel suggestions for those coming to visit this wild, wonderful state! I was fortunate enough to show one of my close friends around my home state a few weeks ago, and though I don't think one week is anywhere near enough time to explore all… Continue reading A Week in West Virginia
Besides the well-known National Parks, the US Park Service also recognizes certain National Rivers such as the New River in West Virginia (As of 2021, this is the newest official National Park). This "park" technically includes 70,000 acres of land along the river, and the best way to see it all, in my opinion is… Continue reading Hidden Gems: US Route 60
Wonderlust Wanderings 