What is it about West Virginia that every West Virginian just absolutely adores? After I moved to West Virginia, I noticed a passion for this state that I never saw in any other state. I asked people from West Virginia exactly what it is about this state that they love so much – the answers I received ranged from the majestic mountains to the tenacity of the people.
The Land, Mountains and Nature
There is honestly no place like West Virginia! John Denver said it best when he said it is “almost heaven.” Here on Venture1105, we are going to try and provide a few travel guides for you so you can make sure to experience ALL the beauty of West Virginia mountains, rivers, lakes, and country roads. When I asked West Virginians what they love about this state, one of the most popular answers was the scenic beauty that surrounds you every single morning.
- The mountains – Sandra Thomas Hylton
- I love the way our beautiful hills look like a patchwork quilt in the fall, with beautiful reds, golds, greens, browns and yellows. I get homesick for West Virginia every fall! – Michelle Miller Hollar
- The majestic mountains, rivers and streams..and listening to the birds singing their songs just for me. – Retha Moore
- The mountain tops on Bradshaw Mountain – April Dawson
- There is no other place that I have been that has skies as blue as West Virginia. I live for those gorgeous bright days. – Sara Welch
- Summersville Lake – Steve Wayne Allen
- I love to go out in the morning and breathe in that cool West Virginia mountain air. There is nothing like it. – Monica Tilley
- In the summer, as soon as the sun goes down, it gets deliciously cool! Doesn’t happen in Louisiana, Texas or Missouri or anywhere else I’ve lived. Rain on a tin roof! Glorious! big raindrops. – Sherry McKinney Thomas
- The smell of fresh air after a spring rain,or smell of the smell of cow manure when you pass a big farm ,the beauty of the sun on a hilltop. – Dawn Marks
- The sound of the river as it rushes over the rocks.
- The easier question, for me, would be ‘what don’t you like about West Virginia’? From the crisp fall foliage, to the hot summer sun, and white blankets of snow cascading over our majestic mountains. Simply, as Mrs Ellen King wrote, “Oh The Hills, Beautiful Hills, How I Love Those WV Hills.” This is my Home Sweet Home – Melissa Runyon
- The sun shining through the forest and the smell of a spring rain. – Jennifer Jones
- The lush mountains on a long backroad drive; the display of fall leaves in Ritter Park and Marshall University; neighbors helping neighbors, friendliness abound! – Sharon L. Mooney-Johnson
- The natural beauty! Have you seen Beartown? Cranberry Glades? The Cheat River? The abundant wildlife? Black Water Falls? Country roads in every county? The redbud trees in the spring? The mountains in spring? And summer, fall, don’t forget winter – Susan Isabelle Smith Atkinson
- The beautiful hills and valleys.
- Hiking through our forests.
- Being in the boat on Summit Lake early in the early spring mornings listening to nature
- Love our beautiful mountains in the Spring, Summer and Fall. Love just the peaceful feeling, sometimes just while swinging on the porch, beautiful sun rises and sunsets. – Marvel Comer
- I love my hollar the peace and quiet it brings. – Emily Lynn Holley
- I love that smell of the West Virginia woods in the Fall, every state has woods but that particular smell is only found in WV. Love evenings on the porch swing, whippoorwills calling, fog coming off the fields and the inky black skies with all the stars like glitter. And don’t forget those rock bottomed creeks that are like ice all summer! – Kathy Linger
- Beautiful rivers, great fishing and the fact we have never met a stranger. – Che-Che Sumers
- Mountain back county rivers.
- Cheat river canyon.
- South Fork of Cherry River – Mary Marlow
- The beautiful colors in the fall. Sitting on the porch in the spring listening to the different birds, frogs, crickets. Watching the rabbits and deer. Listening to the creek. All the sounds I remember when camping are all right here where I live. Mountain fresh clean air and I don’t mean what you get in the aerosol spray! Friendly helpful God loving people. Second Creek – Donna Pickles Anderson
- The beautiful fall colors of the changing leaves, and the smell of fall. Knowing that a home town football game is Friday night.
- The smell of the soil, picking blackberries.
- The beautiful parks – Brittany Poole
- I love the great variety of plant and animal species found in the mountains of West Virginia. – Paul Handley
- White water rafting the New and Gauley rivers
- Sitting at the Hinton Dairy Queen, watching ducks and kayakers on the river while eating a sundae
- Tree covered hills
- The beauty of the entire State – Carole Riggs
- Blackwater falls
- Every where you go in West Virginia, there is a beautiful overlook/ view neaby. – Sherry Lovelace
- Rock Creek in Boone County
- The hiking trails with the history
- I love the mountains, rivers, creeks, and lakes of WV! Most importantly, I love the overall spirit we have as Mountaineers, and how much pride we have to be from such a beautiful state! – Nikki Gill
- Everything from the mountains to the rivers, from the down home wonderful people to the amazing food these people cook , the smell of the air in the spring when you roll down the Windows and take a long country back road drive. Little down home towns where no one knows a stranger and big old front porches with rocking chairs. – Drema Foster
- I love the mountains and the old country Roads – Opal Sayre
- The Mystery Hole, on the way to Hawk’s Nest
- Feeling like your on top of the world when you’re standing up on Dolly Sods or Spruce Knob
- The rippling water flowing in the stream. – Diane Kumulides
- I love it for its beauty – Stanley Underwood
- I love our beautiful mountains and wildflowers in bloom. And warm summer nights. Catching lightning bugs.
- The majestic mountains and the spectacular trout fishing. – Sonjia Smith Foster
- New River and the New River George and the Greenbrier River.
- Deer runs in Canaan Valley.
- Deer, bear and turkey in our back yard! – Susan Mitchell Radko
- Twin falls state park, beautiful and serene, a peaceful place to visit, camp and enjoy nature – Betty Adkins
- Our rich history, our mountain views, and our beautiful old farms – Angela Lillie
The Memories of West Virginia
- I love the life I had living in Weston with my Grandparents. Those were my formative years and I know being with them and being in West Virginia made me who I am today. – Sandra Thompson
- West Virginia has a beauty about it beyond belief. When I leave my home state, I long for my mountains. I long for my rivers. I long for the music and the history. I long for the sense of community and comfort. When I leave I just want to return to my West Virginia home. – Annie Laurie Robinson
- I love my childhood. I enjoy the WVU Mountaineers so much that for a couple of years my husband and I drove 12 hours one way for every home game. Summerville was my second home. Hot dogs are awesome and my parents made the best apple butter ever. – Sherri Miles
- Home canning. My Italian mother-in-law taught me how to can peppers in tomato sauce with onions and basil. You have to have the basil. Fairmont the home of the original pepperoni roll by Country Club Bakery. – Doris Morgan
- Pepperoni rolls, moral mushrooms, bluebirds, bats and the smell of livestock. – Julie McKenzie Bittinger
- Mom and Dad owned a piece of land outside Charles Town, where they had a mobile home. One of favorite memories is stepping out the door in the mornings with a cup of coffee and my dog. Listening to the cooing of the mourning doves and looking at the mist-covered Blue Ridge mountains in the direction of Harpers Ferry. The site was art to my eyes and the sound was music to my ears. – Richard Keller
- Sitting on the front porch in the morning drinking coffee, watching the sun rise and listening to the birds, smelling the clean fresh air! – Louella Rose
- It will always be home.
- When my parents had their place up on white pine, their was no pollution and and clear crisp air was wonderful just to breathe! But it was the night time sitting on the porch, looking at the stars, breath taking . So beautiful it’s like you could almost reach out and touch them. Such a clear sky, and looking at the stars, on a clear night was awesome sauce!! – Carla Burrows Piskac
- There’s no place as beautiful as West Virginia hills and mountains. Love to hear the birds sing in the early morning and the whippoorwills at night. Love playing in the creek with my grandchildren. – Kathy Adkins Gibson
- I love that it’s my home – Christina Lynn George
- Raised in a small town, having a wonderful childhood with God-respecting parents, loving ones, at that. Living in a community where you could leave your doors unlocked-friends you still keep in contacts with; the intangibles- that’s what I love. – Dawn Barker Adams
- The wonder simple times times, being born and raised in a great town, with my great family playing after dark without fear. – Barbara Shaffer
- Winding roads, going to Grandma and Grandpa’s. Listening to stories by the old folk. Getting to see my cousins.
- Kindness and smiles you receive from the people who live there. I love sitting on the porch listening to the sounds of nature.
- So many family members worked in our coal mines, my brother died working in the coal mines, hard work, dark couldn’t see only by the light on there hat’s, but that’s were most work, and still do, but they wouldn’t complain,enjoying off time with their children playing in the trees, and just sitting enjoying good old mountain air. – Linda Knobel-Carr
- I loved our swimming hole in Big Coal River at Emmons. The whole neighborhood met every day there. It was just over the bank off our back yard. Those were the care free fun days. – Phyllis Kenzer
- I love so many things of West Virginia. Some of WV foods I love include ramps, morals (muggins), deer, fresh tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. It’s wonderful to see all of our natural beauty, whether it be in a park or just driving through some of our many country roads. It’s always a joy to hear some great mountain music as someone picks a banjo or mandolin. It’s so much more relaxing to take m this in while being in our slower pace here. And finally, I believe the people are so friendly as well. – Stevie Jennings
- I love walking the woods in the fall, finding paw paw trees and shaking them till they fall. Yum! I also love that it never gets old when you come to an opening while driving that takes your breath away with a beautiful mountain vista! – Darcy Riggs
- One of my favorite memories of West Virginia is standing atop a mountain in the early morning and seeing the sun shining on cloudy mist in the valley below. – Doug Taylor
- Sitting on a rock, dipping my toes in the water on a warm sunny day, in the middle of Birch River.
- Sitting on porch,neighbors dropping by. – Patricia Ippolito
- I loved walking the railroad tracks in the rain in McDowell county – Rita Lamb
- Riding back roads with friends! – Vickie McCoy
- I loved looking for frog eggs in the ditches in the hollers with grandbabies to put in containers to watch the transformations into tadpoles then frogs – Sara Stratton
- One of my favorite things is going back home and seeing/hearing the trains.
The Best Food In West Virginia
- Pepperoni Rolls
- PawPaws
- Buckwheat cakes and sausage. – Donna Speed
- Pizza with Cole slaw
- Slaw Dogs
- Pizzamingo – Tamissa Q. Hess
- Stewart’s Hotdogs
- Mad dogs from quality bakery – Barbara Applegarth
- Ramps
- Golden Delicious Apples – Bobi White
- Summer vegetables fresh from the garden. Especially corn on the cob and half-runner beans.
- Homemade biscuits from Tudor’s Biscuits
The Amazing People of West Virginia
- The people are so friendly and welcoming. Never seen a stranger. – Rosalie Laverty
- My favorite thing is how much pride and love of the state West Virginians have.
- I cherish the unconditional love and loyalty every West Virginian has built into their DNA. – Earl Bennett
- West Virginians roots run deep.
- The way our community comes together when someone is in need. – Valerie McDougal
- West Virginians are hard workers.
- I will always cherish the strong community ethic. We all felt we were a family, even though we were not blood kin. Everyone felt like we were home. I still have that feeling when I return. – Fran Morris Queen
- The people are so friendly – Cheryl Hall
- West Virginia is full of friendly people that are ready to help whenever a need arises.
- The clannishness of her people which is both a blessing and a curse. – Charlie Doc Blake Jr.
- I love the friendly people – Sally Oliver Collins
- WV people are like no other..always lending a helping hand even if they don’t know you. – Sherree McClung Doby
- I love the closeness of the people. No matter where you roam if you see someone from WV you feel comforted in knowing-they’ll have your back.
Don’t Miss The Experiences in West Virginia
- The Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon, WV in May is my favorite time of year.
- Swinging on grapevine – Kay Godfrey Ocheltree
- The mountaineers! – Terri Reid Williams
- Riding in the mountains with my hunny. It’s the best. – Novie Brant
- I love driving on a country road with the trees close to the road making a leafy canopy above my head with the windows down and smelling the forest. – Debbie Creighton-Casebolt
- Memorial Day in Grafton WV is the best! – Devera Stavrakis
- I’m a fan of The Thundering Herd! – Donita Childers
- I love the fishing, hunting, and boating.
- No air conditioner needed – oh and the state fair! – Deborah Goodwin
- The state parks – Larry Larue
- The beautiful churches that are thick everywhere you go. Also the beautiful people who fill them. – Jacob S. Riley
- I love West Virginia Summer Storms.
- Mountian Stage is amazing. – Cheryl Talkington
- Pipestem state park
- Four wheeler riding – Ruth Baker
- Good ole country churches. – Tammy & Mike Fields
- You’re never far from a “Get away” place – Herb Harvey
- I love the The USA’S largest small town Independence Day Celebration in Ripley, WV. – Janet Smart
- Bluegrass Music
- Country Roads state that I belong – Janet Yuhase Huber
- Small mountain city with places like the Farmers Daughter and The River House
- Capon Bridge
- Heritage Farm, Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti, pumpkin festival
- Chili Fest
Only in West Virginia
Here are a few things West Virginia is known for, and things West Virginians are proud to call their own. I know there are so many more things we can add to this list!
- Blenko Glass
- Fiesta ware
- The mural on the floodwall in Point Pleasant – Cindy Dunlavy
- John Henry legend Talcott WV
- Rich history
- Moonshine – Candy Blaicher
- The beautiful capital building in Charleston.
- The Worlds Largest Teapot located in Chester, WV. Hancock County.
- Banjos, fiddles, dulcimers etc for old time mountain music. – LaDonna Olanyk
- West Virginia Maple Syrup
- Apple Butter
- The song “Country Roads” by John Denver
- Mountaineer Popcorn
West Virginia Pride
Finally, you just won’t find the same kind of West Virginia pride in any other state. We are a state of really close people. If you ever meet another West Virginian, you’ll probably get a fist bump or pat on the back. There’s something amazing about living your life in West Virginia, or having the pride of saying you lived here once.
Here is what the people said they love about this state:
- My favorite thing is the love of the state no matter where you live.
- Always a Mountaineer.
- The sun doesn’t always shine in WEST VIRGINIA, but the people do (JFK).
- I love the country living, friendly people, and the slower life style!
- My favorite thing about this sate is our independant spirit and West Virginia pride.
- I love our unique accents.
- My favorite things are the unique people, unique food, and amazing hospitality. – Mikayla Nethken
- I love the friendly people, beautiful scenery, and good food – Jenny Bowen Romano
- Although I no longer live there, all of my family does and I visit quite often. People from WV are so proud of their state and so friendly that wherever I go, if I meet a fellow Mountaineer, it’s as if we are family! Like kindred spirits, there is a connection that is hard to explain. – Brenda Kelley Sharpe
- It’s amazing how West Virginia gets in your veins.
- You are always a mountaineer, no matter where you live.
Steven Dorman says
As a transplant from Illinois I have been a West Virginian for more than 4o years. Have traveled a large portion of this country and there are no other States that have the abundant beautiful scenery and people that WV has-hands down.
Annie Kearns says
This is so true Steven! West Virginia is truly breathtaking!
Jamie says
Definitely a place that I would love to visit one day!! Beautiful photos. 🙂
Annie Kearns says
Thank you Jamie! I hope you get to visit West Virginia someday. I have some travel guides you can reference if you ever decide to do it!
JulieD says
Wow, the mountains are so beautiful! And so much to do!
Annie Kearns says
Have you ever visited the east coast Julie? West Virginia has a ton of history too. It’s one of the best places to travel, especially if you love mountains.
Michael says
It’s truly heartwarming to read about the deep love and appreciation you all have for West Virginia. The descriptions of the mountains, the vivid fall colors, and the community spirit paint such a vivid picture of life in such a majestic place. It really shows that West Virginia isn’t just a place to live, but a place to love and be part of a community that cherishes its natural beauty and cultural heritage. Your stories make me feel like I’m right there with you, enjoying the serene landscapes and strong bonds that make West Virginia so special.