West Virginia

Water - sparkling, shining and tumbling over rocks - will lure you to the Mountain Lakes region and lull you into a dreamy serenity. It's a peaceful place of forested mountains, lakes, rivers and streams, clear skies and starry mountain nights.

Waiting within the peaceful present are mementos of harsher times. The Mountain Lakes region is rich in Civil War history at Stonewall Jackson's boyhood home, Bulltown and Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park.

The shopping is of the old-fashioned variety in the Mountain Lakes. Wander and look: you'll uncover handcrafts and antiques at festivals, on farms and in tiny business districts.

The great outdoors offers up whitewater, boating, fishing, hunting and family activities. Most of all, it offers itself - serene, unchanged and majestic, ready to enjoy.

Climate

West Virginia has four distinct seasons. In the low-lying areas and valleys, including the western regions of the state and the Eastern Panhandle, winters are mild and summers are warm but pleasant. In the central portions of the state and the more mountainous areas, including the Potomac Highlands, winters are colder, with a greater chance of snow, and summers are mild.

Big Catch: Wildlife Areas

The center of the Mountain State is one of West Virginia's most abundant wildlife regions - a natural destination for anyone who wants to hunt, fish or simply watch. Interstate 79 and US 19 make for particularly easy access to some of the state's richest wildlife resources.

Within the Mountain Lakes region, more than 60,000 acres are designated for wildlife management by the state's Division of Natural Resources. Hunters will find white-tailed deer, wild turkey, waterfowl and small game, as well as expanding black bear population.

Many of those acres surround lakes. There are five major lakes in this region - Stonewall Jackson, Stonecoal, Burnsville, Sutton and Summersville - comprising more than 8,400 acres for fishing. In addition, two major waterways, the Elk and Gauley rivers, provide excellent opportunities for float and bank fishing. Bass, trout, walleye and catfish are popular catches in West Virginia, and this region has yielded state records for muskie.

At the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in French Creek, the wildlife is for watching, not catching. Visitors stroll a 1.25 mile, paved boardwalk to watch animals in their natural habitat, roaming freely through 300 acres of woods, open meadows and rocks. Among the animals who enjoy this safe haven are elk and bison, a mountain lion, a timber wolf, a coyote, a wild boar and a colony of playful river otters, along with owls, eagles, waterfowl and other birds. Interpretive signs help visitors to learn about each animal's history and biology.

Across West Virginia, the Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Section manages more than 1.5 million acres for wildlife recreation. For more information about fishing, hunting or watching wildlife in West Virginia, you will appeal to your tourist agency.

Genealogy Gems

Stonewall Jackson's grandfather planned the community of Weston in 1818. A center of commerce on the east/west Staunton-to-Parkersburg turnpike, now US 33, the town boomed shortly before the Civil War when oil and gas were discovered nearby. Weston's ornate late-Victorian architecture still reflects that prosperity.

Genealogists come from far and wide to Weston's Central West Virginia Genealogical and Historical Library in the historic Horner School east of town. A preservation project of the national membership of Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, the library holds records of the region's 18th-century settlers, who later dispersed across the nation.

Civil War Relics

In a place where tradition is a part of everyday life, the past can seem remarkably vivid. It's especially true in two Mountain Lakes locations where the 19th century lingers in the landscape and in local memory. Both are on the Civil War Discovery Trail.

In September 1861, Union General William S. Rosencrans led an attack that forced Confederate General John B. Floyd's troops to abandon their position and flee across the Gauley River gorge just southwest of Summersville. The Confederates never regained their hold on the territory. The Battle of Carnifex Ferry thus cleared the way for the political process that led to West Virginia's formation.

Each fall a re-enactment of the battle fills the air with smoke and thunder. Spring to fall, Patteson House, situated between Union and Confederate lines during the skirmish, remains as an interpretive museum.

Bulltown, an Army Corps of Engineers historic district south of Sutton on I-79 and US 19, marks the site where a community of Native Americans once lived. In October 1863, a 12-hour Civil War battle ensued in the same area. From May through mid-October, living-history demonstrations revive 19th-century lifestyles at the picturesque complex.

Camping Out

Great family camping opportunities abound in the Mountain Lakes. Holly River State Park, established in 1938 as a game refuge, is a popular family camping park with a restaurant, pool and game courts.

Nearby, at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center at French Creek, a 1.25-mile trail meanders through a 300-acre sanctuary where elk, bison, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, birds and reptiles roam. An exhibit of playful otters is a special treat.

On the western side of the region, families set up camp in tents or RVs at Cedar Creek State Park. In addition to the park's pool, playground and miniature golf course, a staff naturalist plans recreational and educational programs.

Old-fashioned Notions

Take time to scout for local treasures in the Mountain Lakes region. You'll find high-quality handcrafts as well as charming souvenirs at festivals. The county seats of the region still have slow-paced, old-timey business districts where antique stores and specialty shops await your discovery. As you drive the region's country roads, you'll find nooks and hollows full of homegrown herbs and wines, crafts and yesterday's treasures.

West Virginia's most famous product, glass, is also available. Masterpiece Crystal in Jane Lew is a working glass factory, and both Weston and Jane Lew have glass specialty stores and outlets.

Lakes to Love

Five lakes and several rivers lure thousands of visitors to the Mountain Lakes each year.

The famous Gauley River takes several forms, attracting different kinds of outdoor lovers in different seasons. Impounded behind one of the world's largest earthen dams, it becomes Summersville Lake, the biggest reservoir in the region. Its broad expanses are perfect for water skiing, windsurfing and sailing. Sheer sandstone cliffs rise above the water for scenic splendor.

Below the surface, scuba divers plunge into unusually clear depths. Cold and deep, the lake challenges anglers who fish for smallmouth bass in summer and walleye in winter and early spring.

In spring and fall, the Gauley is unleashed through three mammoth valves in the Army Corps of Engineers' dam. It careens down a boulder-strewn canyon, creating 100 major rapids in a 28-mile course consistently rated among the world's best whitewater streams. Many professional outfitters guide adventurers down the Upper and Lower Gauley during these scheduled releases from Summersville Lake.

The Gauley and the gnarly, continuous rapid called the Meadow River are part of the Gauley National Recreation Area that adjoins the New River Gorge National River, creating the largest federally protected watershed in the East.

Fish Are Jumping

At the northern end of the region, near Weston, the magnificent Stonewall Jackson Lake is the nucleus of a state park.

Motor boaters and anglers love the 2,650-acre lake with 82 miles of shoreline. It jumps with large- and smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye and muskellunge. Boats may be moored year-round in 360 slips at the lake's marina, 92 of which are equipped with electricity and running water.

Or enjoy the lake on the Stonewall Jackson Paddlewheel cruiser, which seats up to 50 for lunch or dinner tours. It follows the shoreline into the remote inlets and wooded coves of an 18,000-acre wildlife management area. Here, where no motorized traffic disturbs the stillness, passengers often glimpse birds and animals, sometimes even a black bear.

The park accommodates small conferences and public gatherings as well as campers, and a resort lodge is under construction.

Wildlife and Water

In the very center of the state, Braxton County holds two lakes with adjoining wildlife management areas. Burnsville Lake, a 968-acre impoundment off I-79, teems with largemouth bass, crappie, muskie and channel catfish. The 12,000-acre Burnsville WMA surrounds it, harboring migrating waterfowl, grouse, quail, turkey and deer.

A marina and boat rentals are additional attractions at neighboring Sutton Lake, also off I-79. Many warm water fish flourish here, along with award-winning muskie and pike at the dam's Elk River tailwaters. Flanked by the 18,185-acre Elk River WMA, Sutton claims a healthy share of Mountain Lake sports.

The Heartland of Almost Heaven

The Mountain Lakes call you with a soft voice. For flatwater fishing, sailing and motor boating. For canoe trips along the meandering Elk and Little Kanawha rivers. For trout fishing in crashing spring torrents. For world-class whitewater. This is the rural heartland of West Virginia, where traditions are sheltered and celebrated in dozens of community festivals all year long.

All's Fair: West Virginia Festivals

All year long, all around the Mountain State, West Virginians celebrate: heritage and diversity, favorite foods and flowers, famous folks and landmarks. From mountain music to maple syrup, form walnuts to wine--- it seems there's a festival to commemorate everything good.

One of the biggest and best is also among the most venerable. The Mountain State Art and Craft Fair, held at Cedar Lakes Conference Center near Ripley, is the oldest of the state's traditional heritage fairs. From July 3 to July 6 this year, the sprawling conference center will open its grounds, lake and historic structures to thousands of visitors who come to admire and buy the work of more than 200 juried craftspeople, watch live demonstrations, eat good food and hear traditional music and storytelling.

From January to December, here are a few other favorite festivals:

Beginning in January, health-conscious Berkeley Springs raises a toast to that most refreshing of beverages during the three-month-long International Winter Festival of the Waters; the spotlight event is a gala judging of waters from near and far. In February, Helvetia does its best to hurry Old Man Winter away during Fasnacht; the Swiss town's festival includes a masked ball. March brings maple syrup, and its eponymous festival, to nearby Pickens.

Early April is ramp fest time. Raise a forkful of the tasty wild leeks in Richwood, Elkins and elsewhere around the state. In May, festivalgoers will dine upon dandelions in White Sulphur Springs and savor strawberries in Buckhannon. At the end of the month, the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston kicks off a busy summer season of music, folk life and heritage fairs.

The heat's on in July. In Shepherdstown, it's a steam-powered celebration of James Rumsey, the real inventor of the steamboat in 1787, years before Fulton. Festivities include a launch of a half-sized replica of the inventor's Rumseian Experiment. On top of Snowshoe Mountain, the heat is from hot peppers at the resort's annual Chili Cook-off. And August just wouldn't be August without the West Virginia State Fair outside Lewisburg. September's eclectic: among other things, they'll be lauding Italian heritage in Clarksburg, honey in Mineral Wells, and oil and gas in Sistersville.

In October, BASE jumpers will parachute from the towering New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville on Bridge Day; other folks will find themselves off the ground at the Mountaineer Balloon Festival in Morgantown. November marks the beginning of three months of glittery splendor at the Winter Festival in Wheeling. And in December, on of the most joyful holiday celebrations takes place in the middle of the river-on historic Blennerhassett Island near Parkersburg.

The gleaming gold of the State Capitol, in Charleston, is a beacon for travelers to the Metro Valley.

The region takes its name from the populated zone stretching along some 60 miles of I-64 from the capital city to the railroad and shipping port of Huntington.

You'll find urban comforts here - theaters, museums, universities, restaurants, lodging, shopping and air service. In both towns, broad and beautiful rivers define the landscape and enhance recreationopportunities.

City pleasures there are, but much of this large region is serenely rural, and the natural world is never more than minutes away. Coal, railroad, farm, Native American and African-American history. Sports and recreation of every variety, from baseball games to balloon rides. Heirloom quilts. Fragile wetlands. World-renowned glass. And, in every niche of the Metro Valley, hospitable people who are proud to share their rich region.

Capitol Ideas

Whether the legislature is in session or out, Charleston's Capitol Complex is a center of activity. On tree-shaded grounds overlooking the Kanawha River are the State Capitol and the Governor's Mansion, both open for tours, and the Cultural Center, a showcase for West Virginia history and culture.

Within the Cultural Center is the State Museum, featuring permanent and changing exhibits. Spring brings an annual display of prize-winning quilts to the Center's Great Hall, and the biennial West Virginia Juried Exhibition is a much-anticipated event.

Stroll around the complex to enjoy several fountains and sculptures, including those in the newly completed, contemplative Veterans Memorial and likenesses of Stonewall Jackson, Booker T. Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Molten Masterpieces: Glassware

Throughout its history, West Virginia has been home to more than 500 glass companies, small and large. You'll find both types in the Metro Valley, along with opportunities for watching skilled artisans manipulate their medium to produce a stunning variety of glass creations. A regional glass tour might include the following stops:

Visitors to Pilgrim Glass Company in Ceredo, near Huntington, may watch from an observation deck that overlooks the entire plant. Pilgrim's specialties include the sought-after cobalt and cranberry colors, as well as the multi-layered, one-of-a-kind Cameo designs that make a trip to the company's gallery/gift shop more than worthwhile.

Stained-glass artists from all over the world order sheet glass from nearby Blenko Glass in Milton. The company is also known for is hand blown tableware. The factory includes a wholesale outlet center and historical museum, along with an observation deck for visitors. A fascination video presentation about Blenko Glass is for sale.

Also in Milton is Gibson glass, a cottage company that produces a variety of handmade items, including intricately crafted paperweights, carnival glass designs and a line of handmade marbles.

Detailed paperweights, art glass and free-form sculptures are specialties of Harmon Glass Studio, Inc. The family-operated business, located in Scott Depot, also creates awards, trophies and sculptures for corporations and organizations.

Artist Marilyn Kimble Holt produces an array of blown and crafted items at her hot glass studio in Elkview. Her work, on view by appointment, includes contemporary paperweights, bowls and art glass.

In Charleston, the State Museum is also currently featuring glass at an exhibition called "Fire and Sand: Glass in West Virginia." The show includes an informative video presentation, adapted form archival film, about the history and process of glassblowing in the Mountain State. The museum is in the lower level of the Cultural Center in the Capitol Complex.

Glassy-eyed

Huntington's Old Central City attracts curio and collectible shoppers. The Huntington Mall, off I-64, offers more options.

Glassmaking is an Ohio Valley tradition. Blenko Glass, in Milton, supplies stained glass to artisans worldwide, and Pilgrim Glass, in Ceredo, is famous for its own art, Cranberry Glass. Both plants produce a wide variety of tableware and art glass and offer factory tours and outlet shopping. Blenko features a museum as well.

Gibson Glass, also in Milton, and Hamon Glass of Scott Depot create one-of-a-kind art glass. You'll find handmade marbles, paperweights and sculpture.