MAIN Travel West Virginia

Travel Basics - West Virginia
Where to eat, sleep and shop!

Tamarack in Beckley offers a fine selection of West Virginia juried handcrafts and West Virginia grown food products...

In West Virginia, it doesn't matter if you take the high road or the low road when it's time to make your choices for where to eat, sleep or shop. Travelers will find an eclectic selection of basics from five diamond to country comfort.

Dining

The Chop House in Charleston, The Greenbrier's great restaurants in White Sulphur Springs, and The Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown all provide guests with fine dining experiences.

It's an unusual setting for a fabulous restaurant, but at Rebels and Redcoats in Huntington, you go through the bowling alley to discover the charming colonial restaurant.

Food and Friends in Lewisburg is cozy and warm, a great place for lingering over your meal. The Char in Beckley is a long-time favorite for steaks and chops, while Northern Panhandle residents will point you to Muriale's or Julio's in the Clarksburg area for great Italian food. In Berkeley Springs, it's Tari's for fine fresh cuisine. In Fairmont, you'll need reservations for The Aquarium Lounge.

In central West Virginia, on your way into the Greenbrier and New River Valley areas, take a minute to stop at Hillsboro's Country Roads Café, where repeat visitors crave the homemade vegetable soup.

The General Lewis Inn, Lewisburg, serves a mean country breakfast, lunch and dinner to those staying at the Inn as well as travelers passing through town. The Cathedral Café in Fayetteville makes a case for conversion as the owners have transformed the former church into a restaurant, art and bookstore.

Head to South Charleston for great seafood at General Seafood on the docked Edward's Moonlight sternwheeler or up to Chef Dan's in Charleston where pasta-any-way and great musical entertainment are favorites among the locals. Moving north, you'll enjoy La Casa's Mexican selections in Morgantown or Blennerhasset Hotel's charming historic atmosphere in its Harman's Restaurant.

There are plenty of stops to shop for West Virginia specialty food products. Tamarack in Beckley offers a cafeteria run by The Greenbrier and a West Virginia foods shop. Charleston's Capitol Market offers a fine selection of West Virginia food products. In Lewisburg, stop at the Stonehouse General Store and Wine Shop for a varied selection of local food products.

Overnight Accommodations

West Virginia accommodations range from 5-star hotels to state park cabins like this one at Greenbrier State Forest.

With state parks located around the state, travelers who want to experience a comfortable night's rest in country quiet are sure to find the right place wherever they visit. A quick visit to the state's web site, www.wvstateparks.com, will show you where the parks are and what they offer.

Some have lodges, cabins and campgrounds. Others offer cabins and campgrounds. Still others are campgrounds only. State parks staffs can help plan family reunions and group overnights. If you're looking for the best places to bring everyone together for a great time, try a state park!

Bed and Breakfasts

West Virginia's natural resources industries once meant that around the state wealthy industrialists and landowners built wonderful homes for their families.

Today, many of these, along with other large homes, have been converted to WV bed and breakfasts where guests will find a good night's rest and a wonderful morning meal. Each B&B is as unique as its innkeeper, so you'll find yourself learning more about the state and our residents at each location.

Hotels and motels

You can select from the familiarity of a chain hotel to the individuality of locally owned hotels around the state. From Embassy Suites, the Marriott, Country Inn and Suites to Holidays Inns to Microtel's and Red Roof Inns, the state's chain hotels provide a good selection of lodging options to suit any traveler's budget and tastes.

Locally owned lodging options like the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, Oglebay Park in Wheeling and the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown offer the same services of the other hotels combined with the personalities and tastes of their independent owners.

Shopping

The Blenko Glass Company in Huntington offers tours and hand-blown collectibles.

Shopping around for the right souvenir or special gift? Try a West Virginia glass factory!

Blenko in Huntington, Fenton Art Glass in Williamstown outside of Parkersburg, and Homer Laughlin China Company in Newell are well known for their collectible works.

If handcrafts are more to your liking, stop at one of these specialty spots: Cabin Creek Quilts in Malden, outside of Charleston, offers shoppers quilts, table linens, baby gifts and more. In Charleston, Alex Franklin's South Hills shop includes fine giftware and stationery as well as a wonderful Mountain Artisans corner of fine local handcrafts. There's also Artists at Work in Elkins, the Art Colony at The Greenbrier and the Wheeling Artisan Center.

Antique shopping in the Lewisburg, Beckley and Eastern Panhandle areas is a sure bet for anyone searching for something old, while outlet shopping at the Flatwoods Mall makes shopping at the center of the state fun for everyone.

also see -> West Virginia Beaches | West Virginia Fall Foliage | Christmas in West Virginia