Kingwood, WV Road Trips

Cheat River, 119 S Price Street #206, ☏ +1 304-329-3621. Self-guided auto tour. The river and adjacent tributaries are being restored to repair damage done from coal mining and a mine blowout in 1992, and restore the orange-colored water to healthy ecosystems. A festival to support the river and benefit cleanup efforts is held in early May, featuring music, food, an artist market, a climbing wall, a road race and a downriver race. 1 West Virginia Zoo (Hovatter’s Wildlife Zoo), 291 Wagner Lane, ☏ +1 304 329-3122. Apr-Oct: Tu-F noon-7PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM; Nov: Sa Su 10AM-6PM. Zoological park in a wooded setting with over 30 species. $10 adults, $9 seniors (65+), $8 children (3-12), ages 2 and under free.

Preston County Buckwheat Festival, Brown Avenue, ☏ +1 304-379-2203. Held on the last Thursday of September, featuring buckwheat cake and sausage dinners (produced from local buckwheat and pork), fairground rides, live entertainment, arts and crafts, livestock judging, antique cars and trucks, a woodsmen's competition, Irish road bowling, parades, fireworks and a laser light show. 2 Cathedral State Park, Route 50, Aurora, ☏ +1 304-735-3771. A 133-acre ancient hemlock forest and the only stand of mixed virgin timber left in West Virginia. 3 Cranesville Swamp Preserve (Cranesville Swamp), Maryland border, near Lake Ford. 1600 acres of wet bog preserve. Several trails, including a quarter-mile boardwalk over the swamp. Carnivorous sundew plants, bog cranberry, sphagnum moss, and several species of endangered plants and animals can be seen throughout the wetlands. Free.

Heldreth Motel, Route 26 S., ☏ +1 304-329-1145. 70 rooms. On-site family-style restaurant called Sandy's Cafe, open 7 days a week, serving home-cooked meals and a smorgasbord on Sundays. $41-57. Preston County Inn, route 7, +1 304-329-2220. (Kingwood) 8 rooms. Built in 1857 as a private home, and operating as an inn since 1932. 3 dining rooms, a lounge, an open-air deck, spacious front porch with rocking chairs and swing. Located on Main Street, within walking distance of Kingwood's downtown shops.