It's almost state fair season again, but this year you could sample one of these annual harvest rituals in the middle of scenic forested mountains instead of flat fields of corn and soybeans. When you're done with the fair, you'll have those woods and hills to explore.
Tucked in the middle of the Appalachian Mountain chain, the West Virginia State Fair––at Lewisburg on Aug. 11-20 offers livestock, home and garden, and arts & crafts competitions much like other states, but with a Mountain State flavor. You'll have to wait to see the exhibits, but you can see the concert schedule and check the days for the fair's 82nd year of harness racing, admission free. According to the history section, there have been fairs in the Lewisburg area since before West Virginia was separated from Virginia during the Civil War. One of the blue ribbons awarded in 1858 went to a colt that grew up to be Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's horse Traveler.
If this is your first trip to West Virginia, you'll need to check "Plan Your Trip" for a map and driving directions. Lewisburg isn't that far as the crow flies from Washington, Raleigh, Columbus or Pittsburgh, but the valleys and ridges of the Appalachians mean highways have to bend and turn a bit and it helps to have a map. "Plan Your Trip" is also the section for finding places to stay in the area.
With all of the wooded hills for which West Virginia is famous, you might want to consider camping. But if your budget isn't tight, the area has one renowned and luxurious place to stay–The Greenbrier––the grand, stately spa at White Sulphur Springs that has been welcoming the elite since 1778. It even has a dress code (click on "About" and open the drop-down menu). It also has a vivid history, from being used to intern Axis diplomats during World War II to a top- secret Cold War bomb shelter known as The Bunker. The Bunker reopened for guest tours July 17 following a renovation, and will permit the public to tour Wednesdays and Sundays, beginning Aug. 20.
The Greenbrier is also famous for its golf courses. But nearby is a course called Oakhurst Links––where golf is played as it was in the days when the pioneering course was originally laid out in 1884. Clubs are made of hickory instead of titanium, balls are a natural material called gutta percha, tees are sand instead of grass and the fairways are trimmed by a flock of sheep.
The fair and The Greenbrier are all part of Greenbrier County––where the "Outdoor Adventure" section under "What to Do" will lead you to mountain and riverside trails, caves, fishing, and the cabins and mountain overlooks of Greenbrier State Forest. In that same section, look for "Off the Beaten Path" for the Hillbilly Market. And there's a link to the Greenbrier Valley Arts & Music Festival, coming up on Aug. 29-Sept. 3. Look under "Attractions" for ghost tours and the Lewisburg Historic District. And check out "Suggested Itineraries" for local road trips.
From Lewisburg, drive up U.S. 219 along the mountain valleys into Pocahontas County––and some of West Virginia's grandest mountain scenery. Click on the green state map to reach a county map, where you have to click on a category under "Legend" to turn on clickable icons for more information. Pocahontas is the home of attractions including the Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory––sitting in its own scenic valley, and the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park––where restored steam locomotives haul you up mountain switchbacks.
Going the other direction on U.S. 219 will take you south into Monroe County––which boasts that instead of four-lane highways or traffic lights it has covered bridges, farms, friendly small towns and Old Rehoboth Shrine, the oldest surviving church building west of the Alleghenies.
