Romantic Cabin Getaways

One surprising thing about arriving at romantic cabin getaways in the town of Fayetteville, West Virginia is discovering how many great restaurants there are in this little town.  Taking the one you love out to eat at the New River Gorge is easy.  Just a short drive from New River lodging are so many choices for dining no one will go hungry.

From Italian to Mexican to Southern Style, there is a place to eat for every food and taste.  For those looking to spice things up, there is Gumbos, voted Best Restaurant in the Area.  This great lunch and dinner spot specializes in Cajun, Creole and Low Country cuisine.  Visitors can dine on Cajun traditional fare such as crawfish and shrimp as well as unexpected entrees like alligator.  Spice and romance go together in Fayetteville.

Gumbos Cajun Restaurant
103 South Court Street
Fayetteville, WV   25840
304-574-4704
Lunch & dinner ~ Closed Monday & Tuesday
Enjoy our 1 to 4 bedroom, fully furnished rental log cabins with private hot tubs just minutes from Fayetteville, the coolest town in WV.

"The audience was on its feet . . . They were moved by Mr. O'Connor's journey without maps, cheering for the only musician today who can reach so deeply first into the refined, then the vernacular, giving his listeners a complex, sophisticated piece of early-21st-century classical music and then knocking them dead with the brown-dirt whine of a Texas fiddle." - The New York Times

When a musician who has received a review like that appears on the stage in Charleston, West Virginia, just an hour from our West Virginia log cabin rentals, we want to let everyone know about it.   (This makes a perfect night out on romantic cabin getaways.)  What has been written about about Mark O'Connor's brilliance and uniqueness could fill dozens of pages.  He has mastered many styles of violin, from clasical to jazz to Appalachian fiddle and his ability to blend his knowledge into a style all his own is world reknowned.  On November 12-13, 2010, he is coming to The Clay Center for the Performing Arts in Charleston, WV.  Tickets are $10.00 per person and the show begins at 8pm. 

New River lodging is starting to fill up because it's that time of year again - Bridge Day is almost here!  The Official Bridge Day Website puts it best: "We've got a bridge, and we've got a gorge - it's time to jump into it!" 

Yes, for those not already familiar with this event, it's like nothing you've ever seen before.  One day a year, one of the longest, tallest bridges in the world, a major travel route, is closed down, covered in popup tents selling food and goods, and people wearing parachutes jump off of it into the New River Gorge.  Seriously.  They do.  Would we kid you about something like this?

October 16, 2010 is the 31st Annual Bridge Day Festival at the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia.  This festival celebrates life on the edge and is spectacular to watch.  It's the B.A.S.E. Jumping party of the season - and the party of the season in general even if you're here on romantic cabin getaways or West Virginia family vacations and not planning on jumping.

Many people come stay at West Virginia log cabin rentals this time of year to experience a rafting trip on the world renowned Gauley River.  The Gauley is a tough river requiring skill and experience to navigate and nothing about it should be taken for granted, but it is also one of the most exciting rivers to raft in the world.

For those interested in learning more about the Gauley River, there is a great website called Gauley River Rapids that not only describes each rapid individually, but shows video of them as well.  It covers the infamous Upper Gauley as well as the slightly less infamous Lower Gauley.

• Upper Gauley River: The Upper Gauley is a tough, technically challenging river dreamed of by the most experienced of rafters, kayakers and canoeists.  Steep drops, massive waves and serious consequences for mistakes mean this run is for experienced rafters only!
• Lower Gauley River: This is the still intense - but with time-to-breathe-between-rapids - lower section below the famous Upper Gauley. For those with rafting experience on rivers like the Lower New, who are looking to take it up a notch, the Lower Gauley River is the perfect choice. 

The Gauley River Rapids website is not a substitute for experience and trained guides and should not be considered a way for anyone to qualify themselves to go down the river. However, the website is a great resource for those curious about the location and order of rapids on the Gauley River, and also shows some great action of rafts and kayaks running these rapids.   Even for those in West Virginia on romantic cabin getaways who have no intention of rafting down the Gauley, the website Gauley River Rapids is a great way to find out what all the fuss is about.

A weekend away is always a good idea, especially to a place as beautiful as West Virginia's New River Gorge.  There is much to do here all year round, but fall is a special time to visit Country Road Cabins.  The fall foliage colors of West Virginia are often overlooked in favor of places like Vermont or the Great Smoky Mountains, but the New River Gorge and Monongahela National Forest are stunningly beautiful and worth a visit.  Romantic leaf-peeping trips and cozy New River lodging go together like fall weather and fleece jackets!

An added twist for those coming to West Virginia the weekend of September 18th, Oktoberfest!  From 10am-10pm in Montgomery, WV the day includes tours of the local college campuses for those interested, cornhole tournaments, classic car shows, Sternwheeler river boat rides, and of course an Authentic German Beer Garden which opens at noon.

After the festival, relax in a private hot tub at our West Virginia cabin vacation rentals.  Fruit and cheese wlecome baskets, sparkling cider and catered meals are available to take away all stress.  Settle in front of the fireplace to finish out the evening...

The New River Gorge is known for outdoor adventures and romantic cabin getaways.  It is also becoming a close-to-everywhere-but-a-world-away destination for weddings and honeymoons.

With Country Road Cabins available in every style, from large cabins that can house a wedding party, to cozy, romantic cabins set in wooded splendor, West Virginia accomodates visitors in style.

Adventure weddings are all the rage and what's more fun than taking the whole wedding party rafting down one of the oldest rivers in the world, under one of the longest and highest bridges in the world?  Or a newlywed couple zipping through the treetops of a canopy tour?

With great dining, fantastic scenery and world-class outdoor activities all in one place, the New River Gorge is a destination wedding location that is hard to match!

The Fourth of July is almost upon us - a time to celebrate the founding of our country, often by going out to explore new regions of it!   For those coming to the New River Gorge for West Virginia family vacations or Romantic Cabin Getaways there are a wealth of outdoor adventures to experience during the day, white water rafting, canopy tours, rock climbing and hiking among them.  And for the night of the July 4, 2010, there are locations to see traditional fireworks displays:

• Beckley
  9:30pm near Raleigh County Convention Center
   
• Fayetteville
  9:00pm at City Park
  
  
• Summersville
  Dusk at North Side Development.   Starting at noon: live music (2 stages) & games starting. Music will be in sync with fireworks.

Who hasn't heard of the Hatfields and the McCoys and wondered what the heck that feud was all about?  Theatre West Virginia, just down the road from our West Virginia log cabin rentals is the perfect place to get a dramatic look at the infamous clash of families.  Weekly throughout the summer, Theatre West Virginia performs the play "Hatfields and McCoys" decribed by the Theatre below:

"Some say it started with a dispute over the ownership of a hog. Others say the ill-fated love of Roseanne McCoy and Johnse Hatfield caused it. Whatever the reason, there was bad blood between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky.

This historical drama chronicles the battles and bloodshed spurred by pride and politics. The story of the Hatfields and McCoys has been told and retold until the real men and women diffuse into myth, but they did exist."

This production contains some violence which may frighten very young children but it is great fun for adults looking to add a little bit of WV cultural history to any evening away from West Virginia log cabin rentals on romantic cabin getaways.

Wine is a simple way to explore the taste of a new place - often with a twist that lets visitors know they are in fact somewhere different.  Coming to stay at Country Road Cabins puts visitors close to Kirkwood Winery and wines that are as unique and interesting as West Virginia itself.

Cooks should check out the Appalachian Ramp Wine made from the native garlic onion.  And those on Romanic Cabin Getaways will be interested in the Ginseng Wine or the traditional Native Niagra.  With many types of red wines, white wines and fun fruit varieties, visitors are sure to find a few bottles to take back to the cabins for romantic evenings.

Kirkwood Winery hours are Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm,  Sunday 1pm-5pm (closed Sundays Jan. 1st - March 31st) and tours and tasting are offered throughout the week at a for free for groups of 10 or fewer, $6.00 per person for groups of ten or more.  As an added bonus, wWine and cheese trays are available for $6.00 per person. The Winery is located in nearby Summersville WV at 45 Winery Lane, 1-888-4WV-WINE. Summersville is less than 20  minutes from Country Road Cabins and the New River Gorge.

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!  

Writer, photographer and wildlife biologist Jim Clark is a West Virginia native and he pays tribute to the natural beauty of his home state in his book on the Allegheny Highlands.    Season by season, this book lays out images and information on this glorious region of West Virginia.  His love for the area come through in every image and his text offers insights and informations any lover of the outdoors will appreciate.

The Allegheny Highland Trail offers a way to go from images to real experience.  Whether on foot or on bicycle, this trail offers several options for explorations, with a variety of loops and even geocaching adventures! (What is Geocaching?)  A quick look at the trail map let's visitor's know this trail has a lot to offer folks of any age. 

North and east of Summersville and just a short drive from a variety of New River cabin rentals, the Allegheny Highlands are a perfect excursion whether visitors are here for a romantic cabin getaway or West Virginia family vacations.

West Virginia is known for its coal mining history, and a big part of that history are the railroads that served the industry.  One of the historic train routes is through the New River Gorge River park.  Known as the "Grand Canyon of the East", the New River Gorge offers spectacular scenery and a rich sense of history, both of human industry in the region and of the power of nature.

The New River Train offers excursions that take visitors deep into the heart of the New River Gorge.  The train only runs in October, so interested riders have to book early. October is peak autumn foliage time, and follows the former Chesapeake & Ohio mainline from Huntington, WV to Hinton, WV.  The train offers departures from 3 locations along the route, allowing guests to fit the ride into their specific schedule and vacation itinerary.

Folks planning ahead for their West Virginia family vacations or romantic cabin getaways, should add this spectacular tour to their fall plans.  Tickets are available for purchase early in the year over the phone or online!

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? 

West Virginia is such pretty country that some people never want to leave it, and, if you're a believer is ghosts, never really does mean never.  Whether you think hauntings are real or you just like a good ghost story, adding a Ghost Tour to West Virginia family vacations or romantic cabin getaway weekends puts a nice twist on an Saturday evening.

From June to September at 8pm on Saturdays nights, Ghost tours of Beckley offers walk-by tours of Downtown Beckley.  Included are many historical mansions, the Raleigh County Court House, a 1931 Theatre, and several Coal Baron houses On Kanawha Street.   Cameras are recommended as you never know what you might see.

Tours are family friendly and cash only.  A great way to get a taste of area history with a fun twist, the ghost tours might just leave you with enough of a spooky chill you'll have another reason to be glad of the hot tub waiting for you back at your New River cabin rentals.

The beauty of West Virginia is the way we can take advantage of all types of weather.

Rain?  The rivers are up and the rafting will be fantastic. Snow?  The mountains are shimmering white and the ski slopes are calling.  Sunshine?  A canopy tour offers views most have never imaged.  Hot?  Head to Summersville Lake for a swim.  Chilly?  Warm up on a mountain bike ride.

Too much of any of the above?  The Fayette Theatre, or Tamarack Art and Handcraft Center, or a hot tub at a West Virginia cabin vacation rental all are great options.

Yep, it's nice to have so many options.  From romantic cabin getaways to snowboarding and skiing to paint ball adventures and golfing, there is something for everyone.  So, we recommend folks check the weather, see what advantages it's going to bring to their trip and plan activities accordingly.

Our West Virginia cabins are 10 minutes from this way cool park!   A little known fact about the New River Gorge National River is it is part of the US National Park System.  The park is huge - over 70,000 acres of land along the New River and offers the chance to explore culture heritage and recreational opportunities unique to this part of the country.  The views alone tend to make visitors think they have journeyed much further from home than they actually have.

Numerous hiking trails, overlooks and cultural points of interest fill the National River Park.  Ranger-led programs allow visitors of all ages to learn more about the landscape, the river that created it and the people who live with the river, both historically and currently.  Visitors between 7 and 14 years of age have the opportunity to become a 'Junior Ranger' and earn a Junior Ranger patch and certificate.

The Park is open year-round, so whether visitors are looking for romantic cabin getaways, ski season West Virginia family vacations or solo hiking adventures, the New River National River is just moments away from some great West Virginia cabin vacation rentals. 

Add some wine to your West Virginia romantic cabin getaways with a stop at the Kirkwood Winery just down the road in Summersville.

Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm (closed Sundays Jan 1st - March 31), this local winery offers some seriously unique West Virginia vintages, including Appalachian Ramp Wine (for cooking!), Moonglow Pear Wine and Wild Elderberry Wine. For more traditional folks there are also Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Seyval to name a few.

Stop in for a tasting, shop the country store and take all your goodies back to our New River cabin rentals.  Cook up a tasty dinner, pop the cork and settle down in from of the fire for a cozy evening.  For those who favor eating out, take that wine to the hot tub before or after dinner and soak your cares away.

We think romantic cabin getaways should always include a hot tub.  There are only a few places that have private hot tubs with every cabin - and we are one of them! Whether it's to warm up on a winter night after a day on the slopes, or a soothing soak after an active day paddling or hiking or biking, or just a bubbly place to sit and sip wine, hot tubs are a great place to cozy up.  Early sunset, a bottle of wine, some crackers and cheese, a quiet wooded setting...romance is definitely afoot. We LIKE that!

There's a ton of stuff to do in the New River Gorge area, from Canopy Tours to mountain biking to or easy hikes along the Gorge rim to fabulous views.  What's nice about West Virginia log cabin rentals is they don't have to be rustic, even if the setting is, and when visitors are done adventuring for the day, they can return to a deluxe abode and settle into that hot tub for the evening.  Or cozy up in front of the fireplace....

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!