Author Rebecca Lyndsey: August 2018

Check the tire pressure. Power up your GPS. Dust off the maps. We’re off on a family-friendly road trip across North America, Great Britain, and Australia in the #Gr8Blogs Summer Road Trips 2018.

My writerly pals and I are sharing insiders’ touring tips for your summertime fun. I’m excited to guide you around my part of the world. Then you can pop about the globe for more inspiring road trip ideas from other great bloggers, who are linked at the bottom of this page. Summers not over yet, so pack your shorts, tees, sandals, sunblock and let's go!

Welcome to wild, and wonderful West Virginia! There are things to love and hate about where you live I believe, but I can’t imagine living anywhere but where I do. I would miss the beauty of this state. There may not be any oceans around here, but we have fun on the water! You can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, boating, fishing and more on one of our large lakes found in the Mountain Lakes region. Or enjoy some of these activities on the rivers as well. Whitewater rafting is one of the most popular attractions but it’s a "never gonna try"activity for me. Haha.

Summersville Lake

Not a fan of water? That’s okay, there is so much to do and see here. Maybe you like to hit the trails? The Hatfield and McCoy trails are a must for you. These trails offer beautiful scenery with trails labeled for your skill level. Plus, there are plenty of campgrounds available, so you can hit the trails straight from there. Some cabins even offer hot tubs. I love hot tubs!

Okay, so what is my favorite thing to do here? That’s easy….Jeep or side by side trips. My hubby and I love taking the top off the Jeep and hitting the backroads or taking the side by side on the trails. Finding waterfalls is my goal on these trips. As many as I can find. I even talked my hubby into marrying me in front of one.

Blackwater Falls

Bergoo Falls

You have to take a train in order to see this beauty!

Day road trips are the best and there are so many amazing destinations for you to explore while you are here. We have State parks galore that offer hiking trails, fishing, lake and river activities and more! Not your thing, how about a resort? We have those too.

Beartown is one of my favorite parks to go even though it has no waterfalls to be seen. Instead it offers a half a mile boardwalk that takes you through massive boulders, cliffs, unusual rock formations and some extremely deep crevices. It really is a sight to be seen. It was formed from an ancient sea that used to be there. If you are a history buff, while you are in that area, head on up the road to Droop Mountain Battlefield which is where WV had their last major Civil War battle. You might hear and see some ghosts along with learning more about the history of the place. The site is reportedly haunted.

Like the paranormal? WV has plenty of that as well; Mothman may come to mind. Point Pleasant, WV is home of the Mothman Statue, where the incidents occurred back in the 1960’s. That story is one of chills, mystery and fascination. It’s one of my favorite stories to share with my students during Halloween. That one, and the one where it is recorded in history that a ghost solved her own murder! I could go on and on about the hauntings in WV but it would take me months to type them all out! Hahaha Instead you can find one of the many WV Ghost story books out there. I recommend Haunted West Virginia by Patty Wilson.

If you’re going to be traveling through WV around August 11, then you may just want to join Steve and Tango, yes, the same Steve and Tango from the show Ghost Hunters, on their paranormal night tour at Lake Shawnee Amusement park. You can find out more about that on their website, www.ghosthuntweekends.com

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is also a must-see attraction. It wasn’t always called that. It was known as the Weston State Hospital and was a hospital for the mentally ill from all the way back in the mid 1800’s!. You can take a paranormal tour and learn some history about the location while also hearing about some past and present ghost stories. I have been there. I didn’t see any paranormal activity, but we definitely had some weird things occur. They also offer a history tour where you can learn more stories about such events like the Civil War Raids. This location is a historic landmark and the building really is a must see!

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum picture found on gotowv.com

Didn’t I mention resorts back there, you ask? Well, yes, I did. West Virginia has many resorts found throughout the entire state. You can take your pick from The Resort at Glade Springs, The Greenbrier, Stonewall Jackson, Lakeview Golf Resort, Creekside Resort, Oglebay, Berkeley Springs and more! The Greenbrier and Berkeley Springs are known for their rich history. The Greenbrier might even ring a bell. It has a once-hidden government bunker built back in the sixties that you can tour, which is a really cool place to visit and learn about. Berkeley Springs even has its own castle!

Photo found at: https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/South/West_Virginia/Berkeley_Springs/photo1116273.htm

Last but not least, the New River Gorge Bridge! The largest arch bridge in the western hemisphere. If you visit this unique bridge, make sure you make time to drive underneath it for a different and up-close view. If you're brave enough, you could do the bridge catwalk. This experience puts you 25 feet below the bridge and you walk the entire 3,030 feet length of the bridge! How high are you from the ground? 851 feet from the New River.

https://newrivergorgecvb.com/plan/gallery/bridge-day/

I’ve hoped you enjoyed your virtual Road Trip to West Virginia even though there is so much more to here than I covered. Maybe it inspired you to visit here for a vacation one day?! As the song says....

"Country roads, take me home to the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country roads."

Country Roads by John Denver

Want to learn more about WV? Check out these sites:

https://wvtourism.com/

https://wvstateparks.com/

https://visitwv.com/

https://trailsheaven.com

Thanks for your company! What are favorite road trip must-sees in your corner of the world? Please share in the comments section. We’d love to virtual visit! And if you blog and want to hop with us, add a live hyperlink to your family-friendly road trip post in the comment section. We’ll swing by and give you some blog love!