New River Lodging

Nicholas County West Virginia has a great tradition of potato farming and what better way to celebrate that heritage than with a Potato Festival.  Just a short drive from West Virginia log cabin rentals and New River lodging, Summersville is a great little town to visit for a true taste of West Virginia life.

The 41st Annual Nichalos County Potato Festival is happening September 9-11th, 2010 in Summersville, WV.  From potato sack races to potato eating contests, there is something for visitors of all ages.

• Thursday evening is Tater Tots time - with a selection of activities geared specifially toward children.
• Friday evening the festival hosts the Fireman's parade and a tailgating party to watch the WVU/Marshall game.
• Saturday is a full festival day with a 5k run, dancing, live music, and a Potato Weight Contest.

Take a day or an evening away from all the high-energy adventure activities available on West Virginia family vacations and spend a some time among the local folks celebrating our rural heritage.

Hurrah for festivals!  The Taste of Appalachia Festival is a three-day event that draws people from all over.  Just a short drive from great West Virginia cabin rentals, the Festival takes place each year in Beckley, West Virginia.  August 27-29, 2010 marks the 14th year!

Each day starts off with home-style breakfast fare served at the festival.   Throughout the day, there are dozens of booths to explore, filled with local crafts and arts.  Among the great events happening are Coal Mine Tours and Ghost Town Tours, as well as live music throughout the day. 

More than 100 classic cars are displayed to the thrill of automotive enthusiasts of all ages, and Theatre West Virginia presents a Friday night show by Phil Dirt & the Dozers - sure to get the whole family laughing.

Great food, great fun - this Festival is worth the short trip from our New River lodging!

For those pets planning to stay in New River lodging on West Virginia family vacations with their people, we announce a special event around which to plan your getaway!  Beckley Art Group Inc, a non-profit organization in Beckley, West Virginia is offering PET ART DAY.  Pets can bring their person and create a colaborative work of art with him or her.  Professional photographers Ed Rehbein and John Blankenship, will then take a portrait of you, your person and your creation! 

Cost is $25.00 per pet - humans get in free!  Pet's you must leash your people or make them carry you.

All participants will be entered to win a pastel pet portrait by artist Rose Dobbins, a free professional framing of a pet's artwork, and a $75.00 gift certificate to Pet Supplies Plus. 

30% of proceeds will go to Raleigh County Humane Society.  Event to to place on August 21st, 2010 10am to 4pm at 6000 Johnstown Road in Beckley, WV


http://www.beckleyartgallery.com/

Everyone loves hummingbirds, those little airborn jewels that zip by in the blink of an eye offering just enough of a glimpse to leave you thrilled by what you have seen.  Sitting on the porch of a West Virginia cabin vacation rental, you often hear the Ruby Thoated Hummingbirds flying by even before they see them.

The New River Gorge Hummingbird Festival, August 13-15, 2010, celebrates the uniqueness of these little birds with a variety of birding and nature presentations.  The Festival is an outreach program of New River Birding & Nature Center at Wolf Creek Park in Fayette County WV, born of the internationally acclaimed New River Birding & Nature Festival. 

Bill Hilton Jr., Hummingbird expert, Consulting Director of New River Birding & Nature Center, and cited by Discover magazine as one of “50 Best Brains in Science” , will lead the presentations.  Bird lovers should take a break from everyday life, bring the family to stay at some lovely New River lodging and spend a few days in hummingbird heaven.

One advantage to West Virginia cabin rentals with fully equipped kitchens is saving money on vacation by cooking meals instead of eating out every night.  For visitors looking to add fresh, local food to their evening fare, a visit one of the Farmers' Markets just down the road from your New River lodging in Beckley, West Virginia or Fayetteville, West Virginia, is a great option.  Buying local food means helping local farmers and saving money to because you're not paying for the cost of shipping the food across the country to a grocery store.

From Mid-July through September, the Beckley Tailgate Farmers Market is held 10 am - 1 pm  on Wednesdays at Trail Lot on 3rd Ave and Fridays at Word Park on Neville Street Beckley.  More information is available at WVU Extension Service 304-255-932.

Fayette County Farmers' Market is held in Fayetteville, West Virginia, beside the Fayette County Courthouse in the Courthouse Parking Lot from May 12 through October 12 on Saturdays 7:30am – 11:30am.  Contact Belinda Huebner at 304-574-0609 for more informaiton.

As the mercury hits record temperatures all the way up the coast we're even happier than usual that we get to spend our days near West Virginia's most beautiful Rivers. 

There are a dozen ways to escape the heat in West Virginia, from relaxing on hot nights in airconditioned West Virgnia log cabin rentals to playing in the water. 

Down in the New River Gorge, the rafting is adventurous and refreshing.  High up in the canopy, visitors create their own breezes as they fly along shaded ziplines.  Summersville Lake offers great swimming and boating. Visitors can even explore cooler temperatures underground in the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and Youth Museum.

In the evenings, front porches of New River Lodging provide great views of fireflies while cool drinks are sipped.  

Baseball?  In West Virginia?  Oh yes!  While most people looking for a West Virginia cabin vacation rental are planning to spent time in the great outdoors, hiking, biking, or whitewater rafting, sometimes it's nice to try something a little diffferent - especially if there are kids along.

The West Virginia Power is a Minor League Baseball team that is the Class A Affiliate proving ground for future Milwaukee Brewers players.  Located in Charleston WV, just an hour from New River lodging, the WV Power offer ticket pricing from just $5 for general admission and a ton of fun for folks on West Virginia family vacations.  Bring the whole family out; sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", eat hot dogs and have a cold drink - a true traditional summer evening!

The Stone Goddess Rock Shop in Fayetteville, WV has lots to see and examine whether a visitor is an expert rock hound or just curious.  Located at 142 South Court Street in Fayetteville, the Stone Goddess is a great place to visit on a West Virginia vacation.  Just a short drive from a number of great Wext Virginia cabin rentals, and Hawk's Nest lodging, this rock shop offers geodes, smaller crystals, stone dragons and incense burners and candlesticks.   Fun jewelry is available as well. 

Great gifts and lots of information about crystals, semi-precious stones and local geology is available at the shop.  Online, the Stone Goddess Blog provides information about specific stones and crystals in a great blog. You will learn a lot about rocks in a visit to their store, online or in person!

Just to the south of the New River Gorge Bridge is the wonderful little town of Fayetteville, West Virginia.  Located near great New River lodging, rafting, canopy tours and other adventures, Fayetteville has a lot to offer.  Among the many great things about this little mountain town are the restaurants.  Take a break from cooking in the kitchen of a West Virginia cabin vacation rental and grab a hearty, classic meal at Tudor's Biscuit World. 

Located right off the highway, Tudor's is easy to spot and a great place for those on romantic cabin getaways or West Virginia family vacations to fill up for a day of play at the New River Gorge.

Tudor's is based out of Charleston, West Virginia and has locations throughout the state.  They are known for big hearty servings, and the one in Fayetteville is no exception.  As a sample of Tudor's menu shows, dining here is not for light eaters.  But what a great way to start of a busy morning of playing hard on a West Virginia vacation!  

On of the main reasons people choose West Virginia cabin rentals in this area of our state is the fabulous beauty of the New River Gorge.  This unique natural feature forms one of the most stunning landscapes on earth, and visitors marvel at both the striking natural beauty and the range of abandoned historic structures that surround it.  The harsh history of the industrial past of the New River Gorge can be found in the many stories of loss and corporate cruelty surrounding the coal mining structures and history of the region. 

Part of West Virginia family vacations is getting away from it all, and part is looking back and wondering who has come before. The New River carved the earth and humans dug deeper, re-routing water, taking coal, leaving behind structures and tunnels to make current and future explorers ask "Who was here?",   "What did they do?",   "Where did they go?"  We encourage everyone who stays in our New River lodging to take a day and explore these places and questions and fit themselves into the history of the New River Gorge.

 

The Hawk's Nest River Nature Center at Hawk's Nest State Parks offers opportunities for kids of all ages to learn about and experience the life within the New River ecosystem. Nature exhibits features interactive nature displays that children love to explore.  The Nature Center also has an on-site naturalist who provides for answers to questions and information about the area.  It is a perfect, easy stop for all West Virginia family vacations to the New River Gorge area.

Head out from your lovely Hawk's Nest lodging to the Nature Center.  It's a great starting point for a day of exploring Hawk's Nest State Park's hiking trails, such as the Rail Trail or the Cliffside Trail. 

Open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day and on weekends only from Labor Day to late October, the Hawk's Nest Nature Center has a nature gift shop with apparel, snacks, and beverages.

Almost everyone who comes this way on West Virginia Family Vacations makes a stop at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center to take in the spectacular view of the New River Gorge Bridge.  The Bridge is one of the most famous icons in this part of West Virginia. Built from 1974 to 1977, the Bridge was for many years the longest Steel Arch bridge in the worrld.  It is still the longest in North America. 

The Bridge is 3,030 feet (924 m) long and its arch extends 1,700 feet (518 m). Located along US Route 19 - 876 feet (267 m) above the New River - the Bridge is crossed by more than 16,200 motor vehicles very day.   It is  the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, and the second-highest in the world. Talk about impressive!

This is not a bridge just to drive over, it is a work of art worth taking a moment on the way to New River lodging to marvel at.  Folks coming this way should take a few moments and stop to explore.  It's well worth it. There are even new Bridge Walk Tours coming in spring 2010 which will let folks explore the walkaway under the bridge! It's an amazing experience, run by our friends just down the road from our cabins at Class-VI-Mountain River.  

Cold weather offers great excuses to wear big sweaters, woolly socks and Mouse Works fleece hats by West Virginia native Ryan Williamson.  It's also perfect "wandering in the woods" weather.  No snow on the ground?  Go crunching over frozen trails and listen to the fosty leaves underfoot.   Trails abound in around our cabins for New River lodging and Hawk's Nest lodging, offering many options for winter walking.

There is nothing like the stillness of a winter-wrapped forest.  When a critter moves in the distance, it can be heard for miles.  Everything is crisp and clear, and details stand out more in the silence.  Winter views in the New River Gorge area are also fantastic.  Vistas hidden by summer leaves open up, and creeks only heard before become visible, often bordered by icicles and frosty rocks. 

Return from a chilly outing to light a crackling fire and sip hot chocolate - or climb into the hottub. What better way to finish up the day?

New Year's Eve can be a big deal, with big parties, big TV screens, big cheering.    Or it can be several friends gathering for a house party, games, drinks, food and fun.  Or, perhaps best of all, it can be a quiet evening for two with a bottle of champagne, a hot tub and a cozy fire.

New Year's Eve at the New River Gorge offers stunning, snowy scenery, fabulous lodging and the perfect opportunity for either Romantic Cabin Getaways or New River cabin rentals for gathering of friends to ring in the New Year. (Oh yeah, proposing to your beloved on the rim of the New River Gorge on New Year's Eve also counts as a perfect thing to do.)

Spend the day exploring West Virginia's National Park, breath in the history, grab a bite with a view at Smoky's On The Gorge, then settle in to ring in the New Year mountain style back at your New River lodging.  Starting the new year in a new place is always a great plan.

West Virginia is known for its striking scenery, lush green mountains, wild rivers and snowy slopes.  But there are other things of beauty to be viewed, some of which can be found just a short trip from Hawk's Nest lodging. 

Mountain Art Glass in Fayettleville creates fantastic kaleidoscopes, eclectic window panels, jewelry, treasure boxes and unusual gift items.  The artist, Stephanie, incorporates Austrian and Czech crystals, natural quartz, amethyst crystals and semi-precious stones into her work, making the view of her glass panels and gifts as striking in their own way as the view of the New River Gorge.

Stephanie and her lovely work can be found at 145 Sarah Street in Fayetteville.  What West Virginia family vacations or romantic cabin getaways would be complete without a taste of such local talent? 

Finding a good place to eat out on a West Virginia family vacation is always an adventure.  Luckily, there are some fun places in Fayetteville, WV that fit the needs of New River lodging guests of all ages.  Diogi's Mexican Grill and Cantina is one of them.

The owners, Oscar and Barbara Aquilar are the perfect pair to create a West Virginia Mexican restaurant.  He is from El Salvador and she was raised is Hinton, WV.  Before opening their Fayetteville cantina, Barbara owned and ran the El Azteca Mexican Restaurant in Philadelphia.

Diogi's offers everything from lunch specials, to salads, to vegetarian fare to burgers with a chipotle twist. 

Add a fun twist for dog people - Doigi means dog, and the owners are dog lovers - if your for legged friend is well behaved and on a leash, bring him out to eat with you.  Dogs are welcome to dine with you on the restaurant deck! 

So when when cooking in a West Virginia cabin vacation rental is just not what's called for one night, wander down to Diogi's and have a great meal.

The Canyon Rim Visitor Center on the New River Gorge is to gather information about things to do on a West Virginia family vacation.  From New River cabin rentals to rafting to mountain golfing to horseback riding, this area has it all and the Visitor Center is a great resource.

The Visitor Center was built from local sandstone and red oak and it blends, year by year, into the natural setting of the New River Gorge.  Featured in the Center is a exhibit room
filled with photographs and exhibits of the people, towns, and history of the gorge. There are also displays on the outdoor recreation and natural history of the area.

The most famous and obvious thing of note about the site is the view of the New River Gorge and Bridge.   A stunning deck off the back of the visitor's center has a two-mile view southward into the park - one of the oldest river gorges in the world.  Hiking trails, handicap accessible observation decks over more views.  There is also a non-profit bookstore with titles from nature guides to culture and history.  All profits from bookstore sales go directly back to the New River National River and Park.   

It's a worthwhile stop for folks on their way to their New River lodging.  They can  enjoy the views and pick up some reading material to aid in the exploration of this beautiful corner of West Virginia!  The Canyon Rim Visitor Centers is open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

West Virginia in the winter has more to offer than most people know.  From romantic cabin getaways in front of warm fireplaces, to ski vacations and Treetops Canopy Tours that get you zipping high through the forest, West Virginia offers lots of winter fun. 

Winterplace offers family sized skiing adventures within an easy drive 45 minute drive from New River lodging, letting visitors experience both the winter wonderland of the New River Gorge and slope-side activities such as skiing and tubing in one trip. 

Treetops Canopy Tours feature 10 Ziplines, 5 Sky Bridges, 1 Rappel, and 3 Short Hikes. It takes about 3 1/2 hours and is located in the old growth hemlock and hardwoods forest of pristine Mill Creek Canyon, right next to the New River Gorge. It is open year-round! Soar thru the snowy branches this winter for a wonderful change of view!

Free Things to Do at Hawk’s Nest State Park

Hiking is free and a wonderful activity for everyone who wants to stretch their legs and see some great scenery. The trails at Hawks' nest State Park vary from easy and flat to more difficult grades down to river overlooks. Only 15 minutes from Country Road Cabins, these trails at Hawk's Nest are soem of our favorites. They are located in the middle of New River Gorge country, one of the most spectacular places to visit in the US. Fall colors are especially breathtaking, and peak toward later October.

Hiking (& Biking on the Rail Trail)
A series of short loop trails are available near the CCC shelter and museum areas.

The Cliffside Trail: Distance 2 miles
The trail starts at the lodge and follows the canyon side cliffs to the Hawks Nest Overlook. The trail offers excellent opportunity for examination of the geology and New River forest ecosystem. The trail is average difficulty with some steep slopes and sturdy shoes are recommended.

Fisherman's Trail: Distance 1 mile
This is a short trail following the rivers' edge starting at the public boaters access areas. The trail provides access for fishing and vantage point to see the Hawks Nest Dam. Public access to the dam and industrial site is prohibited.

Lovers Leap Overlook
Lovers Leap Trail This trail starts at the tram way upper station and travels down a steep grade of wood steps and series of steep grade changes with over 100 steps down to a rock outcropping. The trail is rigorous exercise traveling along uneven wood and rock surfaces. Recommend sturdy closed-toe shoes. Those desiring to enjoy the view with less strenuous activity should consider the main Hawks Nest Overlook that also offers similar views.

GSYP trail: Distance 1.5 Miles
The trail is named for the summer maintenance crew that dug this trail into the hillside down to the river area. The trail provides an excellent hike to the river and features a series of switch backs and steps through a beautiful mature forest. The trail comes out at the river boater parking lot, hikers can purchase a one-way ticket on our tramway (in season) to hitch-hike back up mountainside. A great place to view wildlife. Sturdy close-toe shoes are recommended. Distance 1.5 Mile

Hawks Nest Rail Trail: 3.6 miles  (Ok for Biking)
This is the newest trail that is shouldering our boundary and completes it travels near the park Nature Center. The 1.8 mile (one way) trail is an easy walking, gravel trail featuring two trestles and many waterfall vantage points. The trail is a great place for a short stroll or connection to the river via a bike. The trail can be a circle trail using the River Road (vehicle traffic) or by connecting a lift on the tramway. See the park lodge for more information. The trail is maintained by the town of Ansted and trail volunteers. No trail free, tramway requires ticket purchase.  Bike rentals are available at Class VI Mountain Rivers.