Visiting North-Central WV in November

[wombjuice]

Hey Mamas!

DH and I are flying into Pittsburgh, PA in November for our anniversary, and will be staying in North-Central WV for about five days. :

Although it is going to be a little anniversary vacation, we are mainly going to sightsee and determine where, exactly, we'd like to live when we move to WV.

These are the cities/towns we'd like to visit:
Wheeling
Morgantown
Clarksburg
Fairmont
Bridgeport
and maybe Elkins, Thomas, or Keyser

Please flood me with suggestions. Neither DH or I have ever been to WV, and we need some help determining what to see, where to stay, the best ways to get there (we'll be renting a car), and what NOT to do. We'd also like some tips on how to mingle with the locals, as we'd like to get a feel for what people are like up there (because I know that, unfortunately, not everybody up there is as crunchy as you ladies!).

I am really excited!!! I can't believe we're finally gonna get to go! Oh, also, besides being COLD, what's the weather like up there in November? I mean...is it gonna snow on us, or do we just need to make sure to bring layers?

Thanks so much, everyone!!!

[RolliePollie]

I live in Wheeling, WV right now and have for the past year. I really enjoy it but downtown becomes a ghost town in winter. However, Centre Market downtown is a must. They feature local art and some nice antique shopping. Coleman's fish market is a must for lunch.

http://www.centremarket.net/

Olgebay's fesitval of lights will probably be up then and that's a GORGEOUS drive. Also, walking around the gardens at night with all the wonderful lights is a fun family activity for us. Sometimes the weather is unseasonably warm and the Good Zoo is open year-round.

http://www.oglebay-resort.com/fol.htm

I'll think of more. Let me know if you have any questions. =)

[wombjuice]

Oh, wonderful! Thank you for the info! So...we will check out the Centre Market and drive the Festival of Lights at night! Do you have any recommendations on where to stay?

Whoohooo, this is so exciting!! :

[RolliePollie]

Hampton Inn, Marriott SpringHill Suits ,or the Wilson Lodge at Oglebay. Anything else in town is probably questionable. =) But then again, I don't think there is anything else other than the Wheeling Inn. I've stayed at the Hampton Inn before and it was great. The Marriott just opened and Oglebay is supposed to be top-notch.

There is also skiing and snowboarding at Oglebay. Check out the website because they have lovely glass museums there.

I can feel your excitement! : I love West Virginia.

[Elijahs Momma]

I'd definitely recommend going to visit Cooper's Rock and Valley Falls. Very beautiful places! Maybe even Blackwater Falls.

[wombjuice]

Originally Posted by Elijahs Momma

I'd definitely recommend going to visit Cooper's Rock and Valley Falls. Very beautiful places! Maybe even Blackwater Falls.

Oh my gosh, just from the pictures, those places are GORGEOUS! Definitely on my list!!! Thanks! :

[wombjuice]

*Bump*

[Doodlebugsmom]

Well, you know I'm in Morgantown so if you need a tour guide...

I'd rent a car in Pittsburgh and drive down I-79 the whole way. It's about an hour and twenty minutes from the airport to Mo-town. (Depending on traffic, of course.)

In Mo-town, I'd stay downtown at the Hotel Morgan so you can walk around downtown easily. Definitely check out Mountain People's Market (natural foods), Black Bear Burritos and Maxwell's. The Blue Moose is a good, local coffee shop/breakfast joint.

If you're into live music, check out 123 Pleasant St and WV Brewing Company.

Seriously, if you want someone to show you around town, let me know.

[wombjuice]

Originally Posted by Doodlebugsmom

Seriously, if you want someone to show you around town, let me know.

I might totally take you up on that offer! Thanks so much!!

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by feminine_earth

I might totally take you up on that offer! Thanks so much!!

Sure! We have to AT LEAST meet for coffee or a bite to eat!

[pixiepunk]

don't want to burst your bubble but i'm pretty sure Cooper's Rock will be closed by November. IIRC it usually closes for the winter in October. i'm sure there's info on the web somewhere.

if you decide to venture down from Keyser to check out Romney (about 30 min away) let me know and i'd be happy to show you around a bit a friend of mine recently opened up a health food store in Keyser (she used to manage the one in Romney which is how i know her), so i can get you that info if you want.

doodlebugsmom has already suggested all the good stuff in Morgantown i know about i would say, though, that if you're considering the Morgantown area you should make a point of checking out some of the surrounding areas, particularly Preston County, even if it's just driving around. Since you want a few acres, it's likely you'll end up in a surrounding area so it might not hurt to get the lay of the land.

i know some good spots in Elkins if you decide to go there lemme know. my mom lives there. and if you head to Thomas you should also check out Davis. they're pretty close to one another. in Thomas there's Mountain Made which is a very cool local arts coop, and there's a good coffee shop the name of which escapes me. in Davis my friends own Hellbender Burritos which you must grab a bite to eat in! and there's some cool shops - it's a fun day walking around there. if you go from Davis to Keyser, or Keyser to Davis, (providing there's no bad weather) you come up over Mount Storm and will get to the see the wind turbine farm. it's soooo cool to see!

Cumberland's a cute town, you might want to check it out if you go to Keyser, since it's the nearest bigger town where most people who live in Keyser go for shopping and restaurants and things.

Weather-wise, it definitely could snow especially in the higher elevations like Davis and Thomas and even Elkins. less likely elsewhere though not unheard of. i grew up in Morgantown and experience snow at Halloween more than once, though it's more usual for snow to wait till late December or early january.

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by pixiepunk

don't want to burst your bubble but i'm pretty sure Cooper's Rock will be closed by November. IIRC it usually closes for the winter in October. i'm sure there's info on the web somewhere.

if you decide to venture down from Keyser to check out Romney (about 30 min away) let me know and i'd be happy to show you around a bit a friend of mine recently opened up a health food store in Keyser (she used to manage the one in Romney which is how i know her), so i can get you that info if you want.

doodlebugsmom has already suggested all the good stuff in Morgantown i know about i would say, though, that if you're considering the Morgantown area you should make a point of checking out some of the surrounding areas, particularly Preston County, even if it's just driving around. Since you want a few acres, it's likely you'll end up in a surrounding area so it might not hurt to get the lay of the land.

Yep. Coopers Rock will indeed be closed. As Pixie mentioned, you should check out Preston County. If you're wanting acreage, you probably won't find any too near to M-town. I know there is some land for sale in western Monongalia County now too. Marion County (Fairmont area) as well.

OT: Pixie, I'm heading to Canaan Valley in a couple of weeks. Does Hellbender have vegan options?

[FreshDidysOnLine]

Originally Posted by pixiepunk

i know some good spots in Elkins if you decide to go there lemme know. my mom lives there. and if you head to Thomas you should also check out Davis. they're pretty close to one another. in Thomas there's Mountain Made which is a very cool local arts coop, and there's a good coffee shop the name of which escapes me. in Davis my friends own Hellbender Burritos which you must grab a bite to eat in! and there's some cool shops - it's a fun day walking around there. if you go from Davis to Keyser, or Keyser to Davis, (providing there's no bad weather) you come up over Mount Storm and will get to the see the wind turbine farm. it's soooo cool to see!

Cumberland's a cute town, you might want to check it out if you go to Keyser, since it's the nearest bigger town where most people who live in Keyser go for shopping and restaurants and things.

Weather-wise, it definitely could snow especially in the higher elevations like Davis and Thomas and even Elkins. less likely elsewhere though not unheard of. i grew up in Morgantown and experience snow at Halloween more than once, though it's more usual for snow to wait till late December or early january.

I agree with Pixie to see Elkins, Davis, and Thomas. Blackwater Falls is gorgeous and so is Canaan Valley. It will be chilly in that part of the state by then for sure. Cumberland, MD is an ok town - DH grew up just across the river (literally). The train depot is nice and they do have scenic train rides: http://www.wmsr.com/ They also have some cute shops by the train depot. The churches on Washington Street are pretty as well. I honestly think the rest of Cumberland is slummy apart from that main area. It's a pretty drive back on I-68 headed east to Morgantown (and the other way to Hagerstown as well). There's a state park about 10 min east of Cumberland on 68 called Rocky Gap and they have a nice lodge and some hiking trails. There's also an awesome menonite bakery/pantry called the Alpine pantry on the north side of the interstate at that exit (Rocky gap is on the south side of the interstate) that has yummy fresh breads (I think they only bake on T and F), flours and baking supplies, candies, cheeses, etc. It rocks and I always make my MIL take me there when we visit! Coopers rock will be closed, but when DH and I went to school in Morgantown, we would park at the gate and walk the 3 miles back to the overlook. It is quite a hike, especially in the snow, but worth it. Morgantown also is a cute college town. The university makes up a lot of the town and it has a pretty campus downtown (but I'm partial because I went to school there Now I'm getting all misty eyed reminiscing - I'll be there over Christmas HTH!

[pixiepunk]

their menu is on their website www.hellbenderburritos.com

there's lots of veg burritos that you can ask them to hold the cheese on. and you can 'build your own' burrito, which gives you tons of vegan options. they have tofu and seitan as well as black beans. and their gazpacho is out of this world!

Morgantown is definitely fun, lots to do there. i grew up there and went to WVU, so i've had my fill i do enjoy visiting, but i'm so much happier in a more rural area. no way could i afford anywhere approaching the 45 acres we have in the morgantown vicinity.

oh, if you go to cumberland, you should take a walk on the C&O Canal. there are also some cute shops and restaurants down there next to the Canal.

[FreshDidysOnLine]

Originally Posted by pixiepunk

oh, if you go to cumberland, you should take a walk on the C&O Canal. there are also some cute shops and restaurants down there next to the Canal.

Those are the same shops that are by the depot - they are called the shops at Canal Place. There is access to the C&O canal right there too - it makes for a nice bikeride.

[Neldavi]

I think you should try to visit Thomas/Davis (they're right next to each other) if you can. There's a couple of nice B&B's (The Fiddler's Roost and the Bright Morning Inn come to mind) and Blackwater Falls is right outside of Davis. I second the Hellbender Burritos rec, and would add Mountain State Brewery in Thomas for a beer. Good beer, nice people, homey atmosphere. The Purple Fiddle in Thomas has live music many nights, and definitely every Friday, Sat, and Sunday.

Snow is a definite possibility, though most likely it will just be cold. If it does snow, you can ski! . If that appeals to you at all, there's an awesome X-country ski place, as well as a downhill, in Canaan Valley, south of Davis. In any case, you can go hiking so many places.

I'm thinking that most of the places people have named are going to have a higher percentage of crunchy people than you'll find in the general population. So as far as mingling with other locals, maybe the local lunch counter wherever you are?

If you end up coming this way, pm me and maybe I could tell you about something cool going on while you're here. Good luck! Sarah

ETA: the good coffee place in Thomas is Hypnocoffee, but they're moving to Davis, I'm not sure when. The owners have little kids and actually just moved here from Florida a couple of years ago.

[pixiepunk]

Originally Posted by FreshDidysOnLine

Those are the same shops that are by the depot - they are called the shops at Canal Place. There is access to the C&O canal right there too - it makes for a nice bikeride.

oh yes bike riding on the Canal! of course November it might be too cold. we did the whole canal bike hiking before we had kids - we did round trip from DC to Cumberland and back over 8 days. it was awesome. we're only about 20 minutes from Paw Paw so that's usually where we go to ride. but there isn't much in Paw Paw but the canal

and how could i have forgotten the Purple Fiddle?!?! such a cool place. an acquaintance of ours, Todd Burge, plays there pretty regularly.

yeah, I heard the coffee shop was moving to Davis, actually. my friends who own Hellbenders were telling us last time we were there, but i didn't know when they were going to make the move. apparently they're planning on roasting coffee at their new location too!

and oh how i love blackwater falls. one of my most favorite spots. so, so pretty.

and it may be too far east for you to bother with, but Berkeley Springs is such an awesome little town. we love going up there. in fact that's where we originally wanted to move, but we found the perfect place a county over. loads of cute shops, good restaurants, and of course the springs themselves and all the spas and things. Also Washington Homeopathics is there if you need to stock up on anything the funky/cool/crunchy quotient is quite high there. great health food store. and Cacapon State Park is just a few minutes outside of town.

[RolliePollie]

Okay, now that I have the chance I want to give you some links and more suggestions...


Local places to eat include...

Mehlman Cafeteria in St. Clairsville, OH

Coleman's Fish Market

Later Gator - Creperie

DiCarlos Pizza

Drover's Inn

The Lebanon Bakery

River City

My dad wants me to add in... Perkins. Haha.

Jebbia's Market for fresh produce and HERE for the address

Places to stay...

Light in the Storm

Bonnie Dwaine in Glendale, WV

Liberty Oaks in West Liberty, WV

Hampton Inn

Springhill Suites Marriott

Wilson Lodge at Oglebay


I'll also extend the invite to be a tour guide. Though, I'm not as well versed as some of these other ladies who have grown up in the state. Haha.

[IamPink]

I'm at the crossroads of 79 and RT 33 (where you would go towards Elkins, etc from Mo-town interstate driving).. I'd love to meet up and show you all of the great things about WV, too. We could make it a little GtG with the other WV mamas!