Fayetteville, WV Road Trips

Downtown Fayetteville is the historic district in the center of town, with shops and restaurants and galleries. It was used as a stand-in for the town of Frazier's Bottom in the film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. The Fayetteville Historic Convention and Visitors' Bureau, housed in the Historic Fayette Jail, is at 306 N Court Street, +1 304 574-1500 or +1-888-574-1500. You can take a guided walking tour of the historic downtown homes at designated times. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The park's primary Canyon Rim Visitor Center sits directly across the New River Gorge Bridge from Fayetteville. (updated May 2023) New River Gorge Bridge, route 19 north of Fayetteville, +1 304 574-2115. Visitors' center open daily from 9AM-5PM. Completed in 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge was the longest steel-arch bridge in the world until the construction of the Lupu Bridge in Shanghai in 2003. Every third Saturday in October, the bridge is home to Bridge Day, when the bridge is opened to pedestrians for great views, organized walks, parachuting and rappelling demonstrations to the river 876 feet below, music, and a variety of vendors. There are beautiful views from a distance of the bridge spanning the gorge; the Canyon Rim Visitors' Center just north of the bridge features an exhibit room, gift shop and a boardwalk with two observation decks. 1 Hawks Nest State Park, US-60 8 miles west of US-19, ☏ +1 304 658-5212. Tram operates 11AM-4:45PM on weekdays (closed Wednesdays) and 9AM-6:45PM on weekends, May through October (weekends only during May and September).

Mystery Hole, 16724 Midland Trail (US-60) in Ansted, ☏ +1 304 658-9101. Open 10:30AM-6PM, April through October. A museum of sorts, housed in an old Quonset hut, where the law of gravity seems to go berserk. Admission $5. Take an airplane tour of the New River Gorge. Before he passed away in 2001, you could hire "Five Dollar Frank" Thomas to take you up in his Cessna 172 Skyhawk for $5; these days, you'll have to find a more expensive carrier. The New River, ironically considered to be one of the oldest rivers in the world, is one of the area's main draws. It's a very popular destination for whitewater rafting, as well as kayaking and fishing. There are several companies in the area that can get you started on your own whitewater adventure, of which the most prominent are: Cantrell Ultimate Rafting, Gatewood Road, ☏ +1 304-877-8235, toll-free: +1-800-470-RAFT (7238). Offers half- and full-day trips on the New River, and full-day or reversal trips on the Gauley River. $50 - $90 per adult on the New, $55 - $225 on the Gauley. Adventures on the Gorge (formerly Class VI River Runners). Family, adventure and multi-day rafting on the New and Gauley Rivers, and custom-built rafting packages. $70 - $380. River Expeditions, E Hinkle Road on US-19, ☏ +1 304 574-2827, toll-free: +1-800-463-9873. Offers single- and two-day trips, small raft trips and camping on the New and Gauley Rivers. $70 - $235. New & Gauley River Adventures, Lansing Road on US-19, toll-free: +1-800-SKY-RAFT (759-7238).

Gino's Pizza & Spaghetti, 85 Fayette Town Center, ☏ +1 304 574-2604. A favorite West Virginia chain serving pizza, pasta, calzones, subs, pubwiches, pepperoni rolls and sandwiches. Smokey's on the Gorge, Ames Heights Road and US-19, ☏ +1 304 574-4905. Open for dinner 5PM-8PM Sunday through Thursday and 5PM-9PM Friday and Saturday, between May 1st and Labor Day weekend; open for breakfast with advance reservations; call for off-season hours. A breakfast buffet, dinner buffet and salad bar in a timber-frame pavilion overlooking the New River Gorge. The dinner buffet features Appalachian favorites like barbecued wild boar ribs, grilled quail, morel mushrooms and rainbow trout.

Cathedral Cafe, 134 S Court Street, ☏ +1 304 574-0202. A coffee and teahouse located in a remodeled 90-year-old stone church, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try the hand-dipped milkshakes. Red Dog River Saloon, Fayette Station Road, toll-free: +1-800-879-7483. A saloon with live music, big-screen TVs, billiards, and the area's largest beverage selection. (updated Nov 2019)

Adventures on the Gorge, Deluxe Mountain Cabins located near the rim of the New River Gorge bridge. Quality Inn New River Gorge, Laurel Creek Road and US-19, +1 304 574-3443 or +1-800-228-3323, . Gift shop; outdoor pool; tennis, basketball and volleyball courts. Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. On-site restaurant called the Whitewater Bar and Grill, open daily from 11AM-midnight, serving salads, sandwiches and steaks. The Ponderosa Lodge, US-60 in Lookout (mile marker 67), ☏ +1 304 438-7113, toll-free: +1-877-246-9972. A 10,000 sq. ft. lodge specializing in family reunions, group retreats and destination weddings in the New River Gorge area. Opossum Creek Retreat, Your cabin in the woods.Opossum Creek Cabin Rentals The Confluence Resort, Hico (15 minutes from Fayetteville), ☏ +1 304-573-4900. The finest lodging available in the area. High end luxury homes in a spectacular natural setting bordering the Gauley River National Recreation Area.

Fayetteville is situated on the segment of US-19 that intersects I-77 between Beckley and Sutton. Coming from the north, take I-77 exit 57; from the south, take exit 48.

Mountain Transit Authority, ☏ +1 304 872-5872, toll-free: +1-877-712-9432. 1096 Broad St in Summersville. Daily bus service throughout Fayette County, as well as Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas and Webster counties. (updated Nov 2019)