The West Virginia Traveler

Lions, tigers, and bears OH MY! This isn't the iconic "Wizard of Oz" it's a place that's a bit more local than that where you can find all three of those and more. The Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo in Kingwood WV is filled with interesting animals that make for a family-friendly stop the kids will love. Upon entering you'll get a chance to purchase food items for the animals that make the day a bit more entertaining and fun for small children as they hold up a carrot and watch a giraffe coil his tongue around it, hand feed popcorn to the goats and emus, drop bits of food into the enclosures and watch the animals grab it and run off, or hold a birdseed stick in an enclosure full of birds resulting in your child becoming a human perch. I started coming here many years ago with my children and it's been great to watch the business grow. They now have playground areas, a small kids roller coaster, tons more animals, and a huge parking area but they'v...

Located along Rt. 50 in Preston County near the town of Rowlesburg is a small store/restaurant known as Cool Springs Park. Located beside the store is a clearing converted into a park with an iconic water wheel, trains, tractors, and other neat relics for visitors to walk around and see along with picnic tables and pavilions. This is another one of those little roadside attractions that's worth a stop if you're in that neck of the woods. I remember going here as a kid with my parents to eat lunch at one of the picnic tables and walking around seeing all the antique tractors. While the park is a big draw for passer-bys the store itself has fuel, food, cold drinks, souvenirs, and just about anything else you can think of. Cool Springs Park is an interesting stop on your travels that doesn't take long but provides a nice rest stop to gas up your car, stretch your legs, and enjoy some food in the mountains of rural West Virginia while being surrounded by remnants of its ...

Located in Philippi WV in Barbour County is one of the most well known covered bridges in West Virginia. Immediately to the left of the bridge on the downtown side is a historic marker that reads "The Philippi Covered Bridge across Tygart Valley River was built in 1852 by Lemuel Chenoweth of Beverly. Made of wood, with the exception of the iron bolts used to hold the segments together, it is an example of the best in covered bridge architecture and design. It was used by armies of the North and South during the Civil War. In 1934 the bridge was strengthened to permit modern traffic and is today a part of U.S. 250." The Philippi Covered Bridge is West Virginia's oldest covered bridge. In February 1989 a fire claimed some 60% of the bridge and it was re-opened in September of 1991 two years and seven months later. The bridge remains an iconic staple of the Philippi landscape and near and dear to the hearts of many locals who continue to use the bridge despite a newer ...

I often get asked what camera I use for some of the photos on this blog, my Facebook, or many of the other pages and sites I run. Most of the standard photos you see here will be taken by me using a Nikon D5200 ,  Canon PowerShot SX530 , or Samsung Galaxy S9+ in the event underwater images appear here they'll be from a Fujifilm XP90 or Fujifilm XP120 . I'm not a professional photographer by any means, even though I'm doing my best to learn as much as I can to improve my images when possible as I'm very interested in macro, night time/low light, and nature photography. I would highly recommend the Nikon brand of DSLR's to anyone who is serious about photography and willing to learn more than just the basics. You can get decent results from a cheaper point and shoot as well if you just want to take a few images here and there, for example, the image above was taken with a Samsung DV50 which is available for less than $250 as a cheaper pocket-sized alternati...

A road trip doesn't have to always cost a lot of money and interesting things aren't always found in the tourist-rich areas of major cities. Opened in 1854 and in on and off again operation until 1888 the Virginia Furnace produced pig iron to be used in steel production. The remnants of the furnace (pictured above) and a short distance away the stone-lined pit for the long gone waterwheel that once powered it are located near Albright WV. I really enjoy seeing the sights when they come in the form of a self-guided historic area without being packed with a ton of people and governed by tons of "don't touch" signs and rules. I even managed to go inside the furnace (pictured above) and get a nice perspective. While not a huge attraction since I'm into old historic things my wife pointed this one out to me on our way back from Morgantown today and I enjoyed a quick stop admiring the furnace as well as the waterfalls located in the stream dire...

Side view of Treasure on the Mountain Event 2018 On August 4th, 2018 I once again got to attend the Treasure on the Mountain gun bash in Snowshoe WV. This event is one that I often attend as even if I don't win anything I still manage to eat some great food, relax, enjoy the sights, and spend time with my wife and/or dad. The event is hosted by  snowshoefoundation.org and benefits a lot of charity programs while giving attendees a chance at winning some very nice prizes ranging from vacations to guns, cars, trucks, cash, and more. Your main ticket purchase gets you access into the event, a ton of food, and one hell of a view from on top of the world. When you arrive you'll have to find parking at one of the lots however they run shuttles all day long during the event so parking anywhere remotely close to the venue is fine. I've attended this event on and off for a few years and have yet to get my chance to jump on stage and claim anything but never once regretted...

I still have a good many articles to write on here about trips I've already done and I also have several more trips planned. Later this year I'll be heading to more local parts of West Virginia as well as traveling the Midwestern and Southern parts of the country. Caving was a new experience for me on the last trip to the Sinks of Gandy and I'm already working on plans to explore two or three local cave systems with a couple being in Tucker County and another being in Randolph County the first of which will take place later this week. After doing the Durbin Rocket I now have plans of either later this year or next spring doing both Elkins and Cass scenic train rides as well. I took a ton of photos during all my adventures and if you'd like to see them feel free to check out our Facebook page by following the link in the menu to the left. The trip I'm most excited about is the one coming up that will see me in Dodge City KS, Galveston TX, New Orleans LA, Bi...

The Durbin Rocket arriving at the Durbin Depot. The other day I had a chance to take my son to ride the Durbin Rocket in Durbin WV and being as I have a fondness for steam-powered locomotives I wanted to pass that love of old locomotives onto him. The Durbin Greenbrier Valley Railroad operates the Durbin Depot as well as the Elkins Depot and Cass Depot offering Steam locomotive rides from both Durbin & Cass and diesel locomotive rides from the Elkins Depot. The Durbin Rocket is an old logging engine hooked to a variety of cars offering riders the ability to freely roam and enjoy the open air flat car, passenger cars, bunks in the caboose, or ride on the back of the caboose to watch the tracks flow by beneath you. The entire atmosphere is laid back and inviting with engineers and staff members that are happy to take the time to talk, answer questions, give advice, or invite you onto the engine to see first hand the controls which made the ride that much more enjoyable. T...

Tucked away in a farmers field among the many back roads of Randolph County The Sinks of Gandy can be found. The Sinks of Gandy is a small cave system cut into the soft sedimentary rock by the steady flow of water over the years. Yesterday I had the chance to visit and explore this cave and see for myself just what the fuss is about. The entrance is hidden from view and hard to find if you don't know where it's located and the interior is full of fallen chunks of stone that have let go of the ceiling at one point or another and now rest in the creek as a maze of obstacles. One thing I quickly realized is just how on edge you can get when you're walking under mammoth sized boulders with visible cracks that are fighting an ongoing and ultimately futile battle to stay put. Unlike other caves I've been in you won't find many stalactites in this cave as it's constantly flooding, eroding, and collapsing in on itself and making the journey from one end to ...