West Virginia travel is fun to plan: here are some great trip ideas and destinations to make your West Virginia getaway lots of fun.

“Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia—visit her state parks and you can fish; boat; hike, bike or ride over 800 miles of trails; camp or rent a lodge, swim in clear lakes, streams or pools, visit museums, watch Civil War re-enactments or golf one of her championship courses. Autumn is a great time for whitewater rafting, with some of the best river guides from around the world converging on the Gauley River. Over 60,000 people ride these rapids each September. The river has two distinct sections: the Upper Gauley and the Lower Gauley, with over 100 rapids, more than half of which are classified between Class III and Class V+. The New River and the Cheat River are also excellent rides, with all ranges of difficulty level in each.

Many bikers, hikers and horseback riders love the hundreds of miles of trails that were formerly railroad grades (not so steep), mining roads or logging roads (more challenging).West Virginia has a rich tradition of Appalachian artisans and music. The state was strategically important both during pre-Revolutionary War and Civil War periods. The Washington Heritage Trail wanders through the eastern panhandle past Charles Town, Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry. Several Washington family homes are in this area. According to the National Park Service website (1/7/06) “Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown’s attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.” Find out more at www.nps.gov.

People come to West Virginia for her casinos, shopping and entertainment, art galleries, restaurants, and her quaint B & B’s. Whether you’re looking for solitude or nightlife, communing with nature or antique hunting, West Virginia has it for you.