Looking for interesting "mountain towns" in West Virginia (Beckley: houses, living)

[CRFTony]

My great grandfather grew up in West Virginia. He passed many years ago and no one in the family really knows where he was from aside from "up in the mountains". We used to love hearing him talk about his childhood and the unique culture of the region.

I'm visiting West Virginia in August and will be spending most of my time in the Appalachians. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some "mountain towns" to visit while there.

Many thanks!

[Threerun]

Elkins and Blackwater Falls are always high on my list of great mountain towns. The drive from Elkins to Petersburg is phenomenal and you certainly won't be dissapointed.

To the south there is Beckley and Summersville. I was in Summersville yesterday and had lunch at Dominics Chop House. Nice little place with good fare.

There are a host of towns worthy of a stop. I'm sure everyone else will chime in sooner than later!

[snorpus]

Lewisburg (I-64 East from Beckley, near the VA line): Many buildings that date from the Civil War era. The town just has a kind of "genteel" feeling to it.

Cass (Pocahontas County, SE of Elkins, off US-219): A lumber "company town", many of the company houses and other buildings are still in place. See what a lumber town looked like in the early 1900s.

If you go into the Eastern Panhandle, be sure to stop in Berkeley Springs and Harpers Ferry.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Snorpus you took the words right out of my mouth (or at least my keyboard)...I was literally planning on mentioning every single town you did. In addition, I would like to add Shepherdstown in the Eastern Panhandle as well.

[BJC]

We just returned from 12 glorious days in WV. On our last night there before heading back to the hustle/bustle of Northern VA we went to a little Swiss/German community called Helvetia. The food at the Hutte was VERY good; we stayed at the Bee Keeper in quaint, clean and quiet! This may not be your typical WV small town, but it well worth the trip. IF you are using a GPS for navigation, NO MATTER what it tells you to do, do not turn onto the dirt road! We listened to the GPS and not the nice lady at the Hutte who told us NOT to turn onto the dirt road, but hey, live and learn! It was a beautiful drive, but only if you have 4-wheel drive! Lodging & VERY good food for less than $200.00, oh and that included a few trinkets!

Summersville is always top on my list of places to go. Check out VRBO listing # 84445, clean and a nice place to stay. Dominics Chop House is my fav next to Fran's, both are on Main Street.

[Threerun]

That's two reviews for Dominic's in one thread! There ya have it!

[Katie1]

Official Website of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia - The Country's First Spa

http://www.nps.gov/hafe

[CRFTony]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I actually remember my grandfather talking about spending most of a year working in Helvetia in the 60s. Pretty neat to see it mentioned here.

I also seem to recall my great-grandfather talking about "hollars". I'm sure this is a stupid question, but what is a hollar? It is a just another name for a small town/village?

[Katie1]

Towns between 2 mountains...like KeyserWV.com - Gain some insight into Keyser WV, and Mineral County West Virginia.

[Threerun]

A 'holler' is the low area or run between two hills. Not as wide as a valley, usually narrow and following water.

Hollers used to be (and to some extent still are) the most desirable ground. Gardens and crops grew well, water was easily accessible, terrain was a bit easier to follow..

Living on top of a mountain was nice, but it was usually rocky with no water and the wind whipped you.