#the event today was adjacent to a farmers market in a downtown park
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So, I was chatting with my friend today, and we are curious, what would draw young people (20-40 years) to join their local all-breed clubs? Or to volunteer?
I get that time is the primary restriction (I get it... LOL), but what incentives are there? Do we just hand out applications? Cards with codes to club websites? ...
Anyway, would love to hear everyone's thoughts!
#im thinking of applying to join this club but four annual dues is kind of a lot on my income.#i looove this club because they understand the importance of showing the public what the world of purebred dogs is like#the event today was adjacent to a farmers market in a downtown park#lots of hustle and bustle and super curious public#but knowing how thin the organisers are spread and how tiny the club is disheartens me! i try so hard to get young people around me#to get involved#but so many are just totally apathetic. its sad. like we dont GET shows unless we have people to run them#we dont HAVE events unless we HAVE clubs to organise them#and so on and so fortb#*forth
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The Most Affordable New Homes In Denver Under $200k
If you’re looking to buy a new home in Denver and can’t afford to spend more than $200,000, it might feel like there aren’t any options out there for you. In fact, there are plenty of new homes that cost less than $200,000 in the Denver area! These homes are even affordable on an individual basis with most selling in the $150,000 range. Here are some of the most affordable new homes in Denver under $200k.
1: 1020 15TH STREET #42D, DENVER, CO 80202
*VIEWS* Uplifting and spectacular views of the Front Range from the 42nd floor. This exclusive Penthouse condo has been crafted into a two story masterpiece. Every detail has been custom designed by the seller. Italian black marble floors radiate the outdoor views during the day and custom lights by night. Galaxy black granite countertops and Irpinia high-gloss cabinets coordinated throughout this home. Faux painted ceiling alcoves, Venetian plaster walls through main living space. Modern open design layout with expansive center space and vaulted ceiling. Hand-crafted Floating Staircase leads to huge master suite with loft, 5-piece bath, walk-in closet and full size balcony on 43rd floor. Guest and family living space on main floor include both a full bath and balcony in first bedroom and spacious 3/4 bath in second bedroom. 2 side-by-side parking spaces are offered with this rare opportunity for an exclusive and expansive downtown residence. Sorry: Showings temporarily unavailable through 5/15/2022 due to current construction in the building.
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2: 1590 LITTLE RAVEN STREET #301, DENVER, CO 80202
Live in one of the most premier high-rise residences in downtown Denver’s prestigious Riverfront Park. Riverfront Tower 301 is an exceptional corner residence overlooking approximately 25 acres of luscious park space in Commons Park and the vibrant Riverfront Park community plaza. This exclusive residence boasts floor to ceiling windows and gleaming hardwood floors. You will be immediately captivated by the inviting open floor plan, perfect for entertaining intimate family gatherings or large social events. Residence 301 also features a unique 210 sq.ft. covered terrace, from which you and your guests can experience the essence of this exquisite location. The primary bedroom suite features an enormous closet/dressing area with custom built-ins. The large ensuite guest bedroom offers forever park and western views. The spacious study has its own private entrance and adjacent powder room. This chic and sophisticated residence captures the best of the Riverfront Park lifestyle, in this incomparable and coveted location. Garage your cars and walk to Union Station, Whole Foods, or take free public transportation to all of downtown Denver’s sports and entertainment venues, restaurants and museums.
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3: 3122 OSCEOLA STREET, DENVER, CO 80212
Revel in the coveted West Highland lifestyle in this gorgeous dream home. Beautiful marble & wide-plank wood floors along with 10′ ceilings greet you upon entry in the grand foyer. A sizable home office is just off the entry and the main living & entertaining spaces seamlessly flow together. The well-appointed chef’s kitchen boasts custom Omega cabinetry, Electrolux appliances, granite counters & a walk-in pantry. Retreat to your spacious owner’s suite, complete with gas fireplace, a custom walk-in closet & 5-piece bath with heated floors & steam shower. The fully finished basement is equipped with a media room including a 108 screen & theatre equipment, wetbar, & private 4th bedroom. The rooftop terrace is perfect for alfresco dining & city viewing or enjoy relaxing on the flagstone patio overlooking the serene landscaping & garden beds. Rare 3 card detached garage. Close proximity to Highlands Square, Tennyson Street shops, Sloan’s Lake & Highlands Farmer’s Market, this home epitomizes the accessibility of West Denver. Book your showing today!
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RE Professionals
RE Professionals provide a full service of real estate in Colorado. We specialize in Residential, Commercial, investments, and rental properties. Buying, Selling, renting your home. Our deep knowledge of the local market coupled with our client-focused service model and marketing abilities make us the standout choice for anyone looking to buy or sell real estate in Colorado.
RE Professionals has over 18 years of experience in Real Estate and growing. RE Professionals has a team of agents ready to service all needs of any new and existing clients.
Please feel free to contact us. We will get back to you as soon as possible!
Contact Us:
Address - 10200 E. Girard Ave Suite B-230 Denver, CO 80231
Email - [email protected]
Phone - (720) 229-2224
Fax - 720-294-0333
Website - RE Professionals
Blog - The Most Affordable New Homes In Denver Under $200k
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14 Things to See and Do in Detroit
Posted: 7/23/20 | July 23rd, 2020
Since the Coronavirus has halted travel for over four months, I thought I would start to share more posts about destinations here in the United States. True, we shouldn’t be a lot of travel at the moment but you can always use these tips for later! Today, my Creative Director Raimee shares her tips and advice for visiting Detroit, one of the country’s most underrated cities!
Just north of Lake Erie’s western end, Detroit, Michigan, is a sprawling metropolis home to over four million people. Haunted by the echoes of its past, the city is often overlooked or ignored by domestic and international travelers alike.
Having grown up in the Detroit area, I can understand why those unaware of its charm consider Detroit a blighted city, burdened by debt, crime, and a fleeing population. I assure you, though, this preconception couldn’t be more wrong.
The famed “Motor City” has historically been known for its auto manufacturing sector, its contributions to the early music industry, and its beloved sports teams. Today, through its revitalization, Detroit has taken on a new appeal.
From its world-class museums and its incredible assortment of eateries to its culturally-inspired dive bars and eclectic garage-like music scene, Detroit is one of the most exciting cities in America to both explore and be a part of right now. Its population is motivated, its people are proud, and the suburbs’ rekindled interest in downtown has helped open the door to a new era of prosperity and a growing young population.
To help inspire you to plan a trip, here is my curated list of things to see and do I’d recommend to anyone visiting Detroit:
1. Take a Free Walking Tour
Start your visit with a free walking tour. You’ll get an introduction to the city and its past, learn about its evolution and recent developments, and see the main downtown sights. You’ll also get access to an expert local guide who can answer all your questions.
Detroit Experience Factory offers daily free tours (as well as more in-depth paid tours) that will give you a solid introduction. Just make sure to tip your guide at the end!
2. Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a 130-year-old museum located in the heart of Midtown and has something to offer every visitor. There are more than 65,000 works of art here, ranging from classic to more modern and contemporary pieces, spread out over 100 different galleries. It’s a massive space!
While you could easily spend hours here, if you choose your galleries in advance, you can be in and out in two hours without rushing.
5200 Woodward Ave., +1 313-833-7900, dia.org. Open weekdays 9am–4pm (10pm on Fridays) and weekends 10am–5pm. Admission is $14 USD.
3. Relax at Belle Isle
You could easily spend an entire day exploring Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park with a variety of activities and attractions. It’s a popular destination for locals to gather on a sunny day for picnics and barbeques, for hanging out at the beach, or for walking along its various nature trails.
Here are some of my other favorite things to do at Belle Isle:
Wander the conservatory – The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is a peaceful botanical garden stretching over 13 acres, with dozens of walking paths and greenhouses to explore. Admission is free.
Hit the range – Belle Island Golf Range is driving range with practice areas for driving, putting, and chipping. A bucket of balls is just $5.50 USD.
Enjoy the beach – There’s over half a mile of beach where you can swim, lounge, or rent a kayak or paddleboard and soak up the sun.
4. Explore the Eastern Market
The Eastern Market is a huge marketplace with local foods, art, jewelry, artisan crafts, and more. It covers 43 acres and is the largest historic public market district in the United States, dating back over 150 years.
There are three different market days during the week: Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. It is particularly busy on Saturdays when farmers tend to bring in their poultry, livestock, and fresh produce for sale.
2934 Russell St, +1 313-833-9300, easternmarket.org. Check the website for market days and times. Admission is free.
5. Walk or Bike Along the Dequindre Cut
The Dequindre Cut Greenway is a two-mile urban recreational path that offers a pedestrian link between the East Riverfront, the Eastern Market, and several residential neighborhoods in between. Along the path, you’ll find all kinds of street art, as well as buskers in the summer. It’s a nice place to walk or jog and take in the city.
If you plan on visiting the Eastern Market and the Riverfront (which you should!), consider renting a bike (they’re just $8 USD per day from mogodetroit.com).
6. Check Out One of the Largest Bookstores in the World
Maybe it’s because I love all bookstores, but this is one of my favorite places to explore in Detroit. John K. King Used & Rare Books, located in an old glove factory, is an enchanting host to over one million books.
I love spending time wandering through the rows of strange titles and marveling at the rare editions they have in stock — some are so rare, you have to make an appointment to be allowed to view them.
901 W. Lafayette Blvd., +1 313-961-0622, johnkingbooksdetroit.com. Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm.
7. Visit the Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre is the largest surviving movie palace of the 1920s. Built in 1928, and with over 5,000 seats, it continues to host a variety of live productions and events (like concerts, standup comedy, and children’s performances).
The building is a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor given by the National Park Service, and is open for tours in case you can’t catch a performance during your trip. The interior is absolutely stunning!
2211 Woodward Ave., +1 313-471-7000, foxtheatredetroit.net. Tours take place on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and go on sale two weeks in advance. Tickets are $20 USD for tours; ticket prices for performances vary. Check the website for details.
8. Take a Tour of the Guardian Building
You’ll find many architectural beauties around Detroit, but the most prestigious is the 36-floor Guardian Building downtown, located in the Financial District. Completed in 1929, it is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most important Art Deco skyscrapers in the world!
Detroit Experience Factory offers a few free walking tours, including an Art and Architecture tour that covers the Guardian Building if you want to learn more during your visit.
500 Griswold St., +1 313-963-4567, guardianbuilding.com. Open 24/7. Admission to the building is free.
9. Walk Around Campus Martius Park
After a devastating fire in 1805, Campus Martius was created as the de facto center of Detroit’s rebuilding efforts. Covering just over an acre, the park features outdoor cafés and bars, a mini beach, green space, food trucks galore, monuments, and a host of weekend festivals and activities.
In the winter, you’ll find a giant Christmas tree, an ice-skating rink, and a Christmas market. Every time I visit this area of town, I reflect on how far the city has come in the past ten years.
To visit the park, take the light rail to the Campus Martius station.
10. Snap Photos at The Belt
The Belt, named after its location in the former downtown garment district, is a culturally redefined alley in the heart of Detroit. Public art is the driving force behind the redevelopment of The Belt, which has murals and installations by local, national, and international artists. It is part of Library Street Collective’s continuous effort to ensure that artists have a space to create and engage with the public.
To visit the Belt, take the light rail to Broadway station.
11. See the Motown Museum
Motown Records is an R&B and soul record label based in Detroit credited with advancing the racial integration of pop music in the 1960s and ’70s. Best-selling artists like the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Miracles, the Supremes, and many others were on the Motown label. (Motown is a portmanteau of “motor” and “town” since Detroit is known as Motor City.)
Its main office, named Hitsville U.S.A., was converted into a museum in 1985 to highlight the important contributions of Motown to the greater American music scene. It has all sorts of records, awards, and costumes from famous musicians (including Michael Jackson). You can also see one of the recording studios where many of the label’s classic hits were produced.
2648 W. Grand Blvd., +1 313-875-2264, motownmuseum.org. Open Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm (8pm on Saturdays). Admission is $15 USD.
12. Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
Henry Ford, a Michigan native and founder of the Ford Motor Company (and prominent anti-Semite), was responsible for kick-starting the automobile industry in the US in the early 1900s.
Today, you can tour the company’s massive museum and learn about the history of the automobile and how it evolved from a novelty to a staple of modern society. The museum has numerous cars (including presidential automobiles), as well as exhibitions on trains, power generation, and much more.
Additionally, adjacent to the museum is Greenfield Village, a semi-separate museum that hosts all kinds of science and agriculture exhibitions that Ford collected over his lifetime. It’s a great place to visit with kids, as many of the exhibits are interactive and educational.
20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, +1 313-982-6001, thehenryford.org/visit/henry-ford-museum. Admission is $25 USD.
13. Visit the Museum of African-American History
Opened in 1965, this is the world’s biggest permanent collection of African-American culture. There are over 35,000 items and artifacts highlighting the history and culture of African-Americans throughout the ages. The museum has exhibitions on civil rights, art, film, and much more.
315 E. Warren Ave., +1 313-494-5800, thewright.org. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–5pm and Sundays 1pm–5pm. Admission is $10 USD.
14. Take a Food or Brewery Tour
Detroit is fast becoming a foodie destination. There are tons of delicious restaurants and a growing number of breweries here, kickstarting a foodie renaissance that is putting the city on the map. If you’re looking for an introduction into Detroit’s food and drink scene, take a tour. There are plenty of food and brewery tours that will give you a mouthwatering or thirst-quenching introduction to the culinary and microbrewery scenes.
Detroit History Tours and Detroit Foodie Tours both offer excellent and insightful food tours to some of the best restaurants, while Motor City Brew Tours will introduce you to the best beers Detroit has to offer. You’ll get to eat some wonderful food, try tasty drinks, and meet the chefs and restaurateurs making it all possible!
Where to Eat
If you’re looking for some places to grab a bite to eat, here are a few of my favorites:
The Peterboro – Mouth watering and inventive Chinese food paired with craft beer and cocktails
SheWolf – Trendy and upscale Italian cuisine
Selden Standard – Locally grown and seasonal plates
Gold Cash Gold – Local food meets Mediterranean-inspired dishes
Bronx Bar – A classic dive bar with greasy eats
Sugar House – An intimate craft cocktail pub
Brooklyn Street Diner – A cozy diner with local food and lots of vegetarian options
***
Detroit is one of the best up-and-coming cities in the country. With a developing food scene, an affordable cost of living, and more and more things opening each month, I suspect tourism here is only going to continue to grow. Come and visit while you can and beat the crowds. I promise Detroit will surpass your expectations!
Raimee is the creative director for Nomadic Matt and runs the remote work and travel blog, Do It All Abroad. She spent the past 4 years working remotely from cities around the world after leaving a marketing job in her hometown outside of Detroit, Michigan. She now resides in Los Angeles, California where she is social distancing but hopes to someday enjoy all of the comedy shows, live music, beaches, and hikes around the state!
Book Your Trip to the United States: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel — and I think they will help you too!
Looking for more information on visiting the United States? Check out my in-depth destination guide to the United States with more tips on what to see and do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!
Photo credit: 2 – David Wilson, 3 – sj carey, 4 – Sean Marshall, 5 – Fox Theatre, 7 – wiredforlego, 8 – Ted Eytan, 9 – Jasperdo, 10 – Chuck Andersen, 11
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COVID-19 AM update 3-17
This is a full summary of all of our stories related to the coronavirus pandemic situation. A reminder - if you have announcements, such as business or event changes, to pass along, give us a call at 620-665-5758 or e-mail [email protected]. After normal business hours Ad Astra News can be reached at 620-860-3224
As of Monday there are now 11 documented cases of COVID-19 in Kansas. The newest cases are all from Johnson County... all but one of the positive tests so far have been from there or an adjacent county... The other case was in Butler County.
The City of Hutchinson will be holding a media conference this afternoon at 3 to discuss the COVID-19 situation. Ths will be streamed live via Facebook Live and will also be seen on Cox Cable Channel 7.
COVID-19 issues were dealt with by the Lyons City Council last night in what could be their last face to face meeting for a while. Their next meeting April 6th may be conducted through a teleconfence setup, more details on that will be announced as that time approaches. Two items related to the pandemic situation were adopted by the Council... one a policy revision saying any employee who goes to or has been in a coronavirus hotspot will be required to stay home for at least 14 days, and not allowing access to the sick leave bank in such cases with employees having to use their own sick leave then vacation time. The other change was adoption of an appropriation ordiinance that will allow the city to continue paying bills every two weeks as long as they remain within budgeted amounts for the remainder of the year.
Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 is now offering a food delivery program while schools are closed. The program for the rest of this week will run from 11 until 12:30, with pickup points at the front entries of Nickerson High School, Nickerson Elementary School and South Hutchinson Elementary School, at the 7th and Westside Villa bus stop and at the Simply Good Overstocks parking lot at 5th and Main in South Hutchinson. The child must be present to receive meals.
The Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce has set up a web page where information on local closures, cancellations and business announcements can be posted. You can find that at www.hutchchamber.com/coronavirus. Several local restaurants are making curbsite and to go orders available, with a few restaurants having closed their dining rooms and offering drive-up service only.
From the Fox Theater, they have announced at this point they will not have any events until the Ana Popovic concert scheduled May 15th. If you have tickets for April events, hold onto them and they will be valid for any re-scheduled dates... if you opt not to keep them, contact the box office for a full refund at 663-1981 or email [email protected], and include your full fame as it appears on your ticket order and if possible your order number. Refund requests must be received by Friday April 10th.
Among events that have now been cancelled are next month's Mennonite Relief Sale, the Creating New Connections gathering next Tuesday, and the Kansas State Archery Tournametn April 5th. The Winter Indoor Farmers Market is also cancelled.
Cancellations from the Kansas State Fairgrounds include this weekend's Wild Wind Horse Show and Salt City Circuit Horse Show, and next weekend's Disability Supports Spring Fling and the Soroptimist Women's Show which we reported on earlier.
Hutch Rec is implementing temporary closures and cancellations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to the previously announced closure of the Senior Center at Elmdale Park, they are closing the downtown office at 17 East 1st and the office and visitor center of Dillon Nature Center to the public, along with open gym, fitness classes and community walking hours at the Sports Arena. Staff will be available at the downtown office and DNC from 9-5 weekdays for phone calls and e-mails. Among activities cancelled are all youth springs sports seasons... refunds will be issued... along with the last two weeks of adult spring volleyball league games, MINDBODY Fitness Classes, adaptive recreaton programs including eh April 17th Adaptive Track Meet, and the March and April Third Thursday community events. The trails and grounds at the Dillon Nature Center will remain open to the public from dawn to dusk.
The Cosmosphere has announced it will close it's doors effective Tuesday, with plans to re-open April 1st. Cosmosphere CEO Jim Remar said in a statement the decision to close was not made lightly but prudence and safety eclipse all other factors in the decision even as they look at ways to mitigate the financial burden it brings. You can keep up on things and access do at home family science experiments online by subscribing to cosmo.org/news-and-events/newsletter.
The Hutchinson YMCA issued an update on their plans last night... the Child Care programs will continue in operations as long as KDHE and/or the Reno County Health Department allows it, with all programs at the Y. The Nursery will remain closed, and child care is only being offered to those currently enrolled and registered drop-ins. Youth dodgeball will conclude this week with games running as scheduled at the Y. Spring Soccer is being delayed two weeks to start the week after Easter as plans stand current, and Gymnastics will continue as scheduled. The Land Classes for Seniors have been cancelled including Parkinson's classes and Silver Sneakers. Also the Hutch Y is not selling day passes to anyone not from Reno County, and will not be honoring away or nationwide passes.
The McPherson Family YMCA will be closed starting today through April 1st, at which point they will re-evaluate the situation. This also postponed all programs including youth and adult sports, swim lessons, gymnastics, the Y-Kids program pending USD 418 schedules, and Middle School Connect and Ambassadors. Staff will remain on duty to answer questions via phone between 8:30 AM anf 4:30 PM weekdays
The Reno County Treasurer's office is asking residents to if at all possible use online services or mail for most license tag renewals, Mailed in renewals are processed on a daily basis, and if you do that include your proof of insurance. The online portal for tag renewals is ikan.ks.gov. You also have the option of dropping off paperwork at the tag office, and they will call you to come in by appointment to finish the paperwork.. .and if you do come in, don't if you aren't feeling well. If you have questions, call them at 694-2938.
The Haven Recreation Commission has suspended spring registrations through at least March 27th. Make-up options will be announced at a later date.
There have been a number of questions regarding the McPherson County All Schools Day Celebration in May. ASD officials said Monday they will be meeting with city officials on that subject and an annoucement will be made prior to April 1st. This year's celebration would at this point fall near the tail end of a CDC recommended period during which large gatherings are being discouraged.
Some event cancellations out of McPherson... The Men in Harmony Barbershop performance Saturday at the Community Building has been postponed. The McPherson Public Library has cancelled all programs through March 31st but the library will remain open. Swiss Family Robinson at the McPherson Opera House this weekend has been postponed to a later date. The McPherson Recreation Commission has cancelled the Spirit Soccer Academy starting March 31st... credits will be placed on accouts for future MRC programs. McPherson Hospital has closed their gift shop for the next 30 days and the hospital volunteer activities suspended for the same period. Save and Share will be closed through at least Monday March 23rd.
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Certainly, Atlanta is a commercial center, but it is also a dream of the sight.
There are scenic green spaces like Piedmont Park, unique entertainment venues like the Fox Theatre, plus one of the country's best panda exhibits at the zoo. History buffs, shopaholics and night owls will likely all find something to pique their interests: from Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace to Buckhead's top-notch bars and boutiques to sports-focused sights like the College Football Hall of Fame and Centennial Olympic Park. Meanwhile, families can flock to the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and other interactive spots.
[toc]
1. Atlanta History Center
The center's main base is the Atlanta History Museum, which exhibits throughout the region's history, from indigenous American culture to life in Antarctica. Close to the museum is the Swan House, a restored area originally built-in 1928.
Living up to its name, each room is thought to contain at least one swan (pattern). Outside the house, Swan Woods Trail is lined with beautiful plants native to Georgia. Nearby, you can also see the other half living at Smith Family Farm, a treehouse dating back to the mid-1800s. Meanwhile, nerds won't want to miss a visit to Margaret's House.
2. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Walk in the footsteps of one of history's most important figures with a visit to Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Here you will find the modest home where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. born and grow up.
You can also go to the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was once a pastor. And at The King Center, you'll find engaging exhibits on the civil rights movement and King's gravesite. These places, along with a number of other landmarks and museums, are considered a national historic site.
Most agree that a trip to Atlanta must include time at this historic site. Many tourists recommend coming early to join King's free 30-minute tour of the birth home. The tour starts at 10 am and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Weekdays and Sunday mornings are the least crowded, according to the National Park Service. Also, remember to wear comfortable shoes as the entire complex is spread over several city blocks.
3. Piedmont Park
Adjacent to the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown, Piedmont Park is the greatest place to spend a lazy afternoon. Spanning over 200 acres, the park has no shortage of things to do, including walking and jogging, dog parks, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, public pools and farmers' markets on Saturday.
Because of its size, Piedmont Park also hosts a host of Atlanta's top events, including the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the Atlanta Pride. Before travelers highly recommend visiting this park, calling it "a little piece of peace in the city" and one of Atlanta's best parks.
Some even said that it reminded them of New York City's Central Park. Many people love picnicking, swimming and playing tennis here, but some travelers have recently warned that parking spots may be sparse, especially on weekends, so consider transporting around. Public transport to and from the park.
4. Fox Theatre
The Fox Theater is more than just a venue - it's one of the city's most iconic landmarks. And luckily, you don't need to have tickets to a show to take in its ornate interior.
Originally conceived by Atlanta's Shriners organization, the theater's design was inspired by Egyptian and Spanish architecture, specifically the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor and the Alhambra in Granada.
You will receive a guide to the building's iconic architectural details and more on the tour. Tours have placed on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, guiding visitors through more than 10 locations in the building, from the orchestra's pit to the ornate men's bathroom. In addition, you will find Mighty Mo ', the largest active Moller theater agency in the world.
Although some past visitors feel this place has a bit of time, poor audio quotes and uncomfortable seats are negative, others love to watch hotel performances and rave reviews. it's designed. In fact, a few have described the theater as an "unexpected gem" and "one of the most interesting buildings in Atlanta".
5. Atlanta BeltLine
Atlanta beltline is one of the most progressive, citywide 22 miles tram tracks, 33 miles of trails (for walking, biking and more) and about 2,000 acres of the park. The city is opening BeltLine in stages and plans to complete the entire system by 2030.
From summer 2019, visitors are welcome to enjoy seven parks and five trails along BeltLine. Some of the parks include Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark, Atlanta's first public skate park which offers obstacles for skateboarders of all abilities; Gordon White Park, which hosts music events, farmers' market and free fitness classes; and Perkerson Park, which has tennis, softball and 18-hole golf courses.
Five paved roads are great for cycling, nature walks or walking through places like Ponce City Market and Piedmont Park. You can also visit Atlanta BeltLine for free to learn more about the network and the communities around it.
Tourists appreciate the currently open BeltLine roads, saying it's a great place to go out and exercise. Travelers especially like the Eastside Trail for easy access to the rich bars, restaurants and street art.
6. Center for Civil and Human Rights
For an in-depth look at the American civil rights movement and the ongoing human rights struggles around the world, see the Center for Civil Rights and Human Rights.
This 42,000 square-foot museum of Georgia Aquarium and Coca-Cola World offers two temporary exhibits and three permanent exhibits, including a collection of artifacts by Martin Luther King Jr., such as book bags. and handwritten drafts and outlines of keynotes.
Though the museum recommends allotting at least one-and-a-half hours for its exhibits, most past travelers said you can easily spend several hours exploring the property's "amazing" and informative displays.
Many were especially interested in the lunch counter experience at the "Rolls Down Like Water" exhibition of attractions; however, some visitors cite some collections as sparse or outdated.
7. Oakland Cemetery
Situated less than 2 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta and spanning 48 acres, Oakland Cemetery stands as a testament to the city's role in the Civil War and the civil rights movement.
Among its winding paths, trees and flower shrubs, you'll find elaborate mausoleums, intricate sculptures and an impressive collection of art and architecture. Amidst the 70,000 graves, you'll spot some well-known Atlantans, including legends like golfer Bobby Jones and author Margaret Mitchell.
The Union Memorial has some of the most impressive monuments and carvings of the entire cemetery, while Potter's Field has only one monument for thousands of people who can't afford to bury privately.
You are welcome to explore the grounds on your own, although many recent visitors suggest taking a guided tour. If you decided to take the risk yourself, previous travelers have suggested buying a map from the Visitor Center and Museum Store for $ 5 or downloading a free self-guided tour from the store Google or Apple application.
To add to the atmosphere, consider coming in November when the Halloween cemetery offers themed ghost tours.
8. Centennial Olympic Park
Across the street from the University Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta is the Olympic Century Park, a 21-acre plot of land, with lush paths of grass, artwork, swimming pools, and fountain.
The park was originally built for the 1996 Olympic Games and is a center of festivals; Now, it is one of the most visited areas of the city. One of the park's most famous elements is the Fountain of Rings, which is made up of 251 faucets. Every day, four water shows choreographed to various songs take place.
Recent visitors have noted that fountains are a highlight for families, especially young children, and are advised to bring clothes if you know your child will want to splash into the water. Past visitors also appreciate the park's proximity to must-see attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, The Coca-Cola World and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
9. Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Discover the prehistoric and natural world today at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Visitors can indulge in exhibits featuring dinosaur fossils, wildlife native to Georgia, cultural costumes and more.
Tourists can also enjoy a 3D movie at the park's theater or some light fare at Fernbank cafe. Besides, the museum boasts three outdoor experiences, accessible from the terrace. WildWoods has two viewing platforms and two playground areas for children aged 13 and under.
The Nature Exhibition, located in WildWoods, provides information on sweet plants and has rotating exhibits. Finally, Fernbank Forest features more than 2 miles of paved roads allowing visitors to explore a 65-acre forest.
As you walk along the aisle, keep an eye out for animals, as hundreds of species call this area home. Fernbank Forest's educator-led tours are also available several times a month (surcharges apply).
The outside areas receive high marks from visitors, some even say that they spent almost as much time outside as they did inside. Inside, past museumgoers were wowed by the dinosaur exhibit, while some found the other exhibits were better designed for kids or could use some updating.
10. Ponce City Market
Once home to the Southern headquarters for Sears, Roebuck & Co., the Ponce City Market is now a massive mixed-use facility featuring offices, education centers, coffee shops, restaurants, boutique shopping and more.
The roof of the building is also an attraction, where there are two unique attractions: Skyline Park, where visitors can play games like Skee-Ball and mini-golf or ride a slide down, and 9 Mile Station, a beer garden on the terrace. Others were not impressed with the complex and complain of overpriced food and difficult, expensive parking.
More ideals for you: Top 10 Best Things to Do in Hollywood
From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-atlanta-today-703497.html
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Build-Outs Of Summer: 1802 Roasters In Los Angeles, CA
If there’s been one trend we keep seeing time and again in the 2019 Build-Outs of Summer, it’s the continued growth of roaster-only operations into their own cafe spaces. And it continues today with 1802 Roasters in Los Angeles, California.
Starting off primarily selling their coffee in farmers markets around LA, 1802 Roasters has spent the past four years building a following and is finally ready for a coffee shop of their very own. Now serving the Cypress Park neighborhood and surrounding areas, is focused on their local community and doing so in a sustainable fashion. They’re even going to be hosting farmers markets of their own! It’s a cool story and one that we love to tell here on Sprudge. So let’s check in with 1802 Roasters in Los Angeles, California, now in their soft open.
The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer is presented by Pacific Barista Series, notNeutral, KeepCup, and Mill City Roasters.
As told to Sprudge by Christian Degracia.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
We’re a Los Angeles based roaster in the neighborhood of Cypress Park. We started operations in 2015 servicing local neighborhoods around us, i.e. Glassell Park, Mt. Washington, Lincoln Height, and of course Cypress Park. In 2016, we began selling at the downtown LA Historic Core Farmers’ Market and then expanded into three farmers’ markets by the beginning of 2017.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
We found the Cypress Park space in the middle of 2017 and had secured the lease by early 2018. We have tried to implement Universal Access Design and Sustainable Principles as much as we can in the 2,000-sq-ft. space. The space will house our roastery and cafe and will have ample outdoor seating for everybody to enjoy. Our location is flanked by Frogtown/LA River on one side and Mt. Washington on the other, so we want to take advantage of the picturesque views of the hills of Northeast LA by maximizing outdoor spaces, which includes a back patio and a deck. One other feature of the space we are very excited about is the parking area, because it will allow us to hold seasonal events, markets, and other community focused gatherings in the future.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Serve great quality coffee while promoting reciprocity between business and community. Making the process of roasting coffee visible creates a greater understanding of where things come from and how they are produced. The intention is that this will help create a more knowledgeable consumer base while making the business responsible to them, creating reciprocity between the two and eliminating “bottom line” decisions that could harm the community, such as using polluting or toxic chemicals in production.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We’re excited to get going on our new San Franciscan SF-10 along with our Huky 500T Sample Roaster. For the coffee bar, a Synesso MVP two-group will be paired with a Mahlkönig K30 Twin grinder to offer two kinds of espresso daily. A Wilbur Curtis five gallon hot water tower and Baratza Forte BG grinders will be utilized at our three-station Hario V60 Pour-over Bar that we’ve gotten accustomed to since our farmers’ market days. A Crysalli dispensing system for purified and carbonated water and Optipure BWS175 reverse osmosis filtration system to manage water TDS for use at the bar.
We will have a “Red Bag,” an exclusive line of coffee, if you will, that will focus on less common coffee regions or varieties. This line will be launched at the same time the shop opens, and we have a delicious Sitio Belis Red Honey Process from the Philippines to kick it off.
How is your project considering sustainability?
We worked with the original footprint of the building, reducing our ecological impact. We used natural earth clay plaster on a majority of the interior walls inside, which is non-toxic and mold resistant. Low-VOC paint was set as a minimum standard for the remainder of the finishes. We used natural wool insulation, repurposed old beams, and have reused whatever we can from the space, e.g.: light box signage, railings etc.
Reclaimed bowling alley wood was used for both the coffee bar and customer seating counter. Reclaimed Redwood, from Northern California ranches, was selected for the side paneling along the bar. Wood certified by Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) was used for the structural framing, building the bar, repairing the deck, and for the planters on the back patio. We also selected interior seating made out of wood waste and recycled plastic.
Per the EPA WaterSense Program, domestic water use makes up almost one-third of water usage in a restaurant setting. To help conserve water, we installed low flow aerated faucets and low flow-dual flush toilets that are both California Energy Commission (CEC) Compliant and CalGreen Compliant.
We are also mindful of refrigeration and air conditioning systems installed. For refrigeration, all under-counter refrigerators use environmentally friendly R290 Refrigerant which has an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) of 0 and a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 3, making it a great choice for the shop. Per the recent California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) Rating of 14 is required for all new AC installation, we elected to install an 18 SEER unit for the shop for additional efficiency, even if it costs a little bit more. The windows installed throughout the shop are Low Emissivity – Argon windows for extra insulation to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
LED Lighting has been installed throughout the shop, incorporating motion sensors in the breakroom and bathrooms, and timers and solar powered lighting for the exterior to conserve energy.
Winter 2019 was one of the wetter winters for Los Angeles; during this time we noticed the amount of stormwater that would run off our lot to adjacent properties or directly into the storm drain system. Keeping this in mind we designed the back patio to direct, disperse and retain rain water by using a combination of decomposed granite to provide a permeable surface and slow the flow of water, infiltration trenches to provide a place for water to retain and deposit and changing the grade to direct water from the parking lot and patio into these key areas.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
Hoping for the planets to align and open by late August.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Cypress Park is one of the smaller Northeast LA neighborhoods and is a tight-knit community full of talented individuals; we saw this as an opportunity to collaborate with local artists and businesses alike. We’ve teamed up with Verity Freebern of Verity Freebern Designs for the design of both of our retail packages, Jasmine Navarro of Small Fry Designs for the building sign painting, and Jimmy M. with the help of Washington P. for designing and painting the outside murals. Crystal Weintrub-Degracia, our co-founder, is the project manager and designer of the new space, combining her experience in Sustainability and Design.
Thank you!
Thank you for the chance to participate in Sprudge’s 2019 Build-Outs of Summer Series. We also wanted to take this chance to thank everyone for their continued support and to those who have supported us from the very beginning.
1802 Roasters is located at 1206 Cypress Ave., Los Angeles. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.
The post Build-Outs Of Summer: 1802 Roasters In Los Angeles, CA appeared first on Sprudge.
Build-Outs Of Summer: 1802 Roasters In Los Angeles, CA published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee
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Build-Outs Of Summer: 1802 Roasters In Los Angeles, CA
If there’s been one trend we keep seeing time and again in the 2019 Build-Outs of Summer, it’s the continued growth of roaster-only operations into their own cafe spaces. And it continues today with 1802 Roasters in Los Angeles, California.
Starting off primarily selling their coffee in farmers markets around LA, 1802 Roasters has spent the past four years building a following and is finally ready for a coffee shop of their very own. Now serving the Cypress Park neighborhood and surrounding areas, is focused on their local community and doing so in a sustainable fashion. They’re even going to be hosting farmers markets of their own! It’s a cool story and one that we love to tell here on Sprudge. So let’s check in with 1802 Roasters in Los Angeles, California, now in their soft open.
The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer is presented by Pacific Barista Series, notNeutral, KeepCup, and Mill City Roasters.
As told to Sprudge by Christian Degracia.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
We’re a Los Angeles based roaster in the neighborhood of Cypress Park. We started operations in 2015 servicing local neighborhoods around us, i.e. Glassell Park, Mt. Washington, Lincoln Height, and of course Cypress Park. In 2016, we began selling at the downtown LA Historic Core Farmers’ Market and then expanded into three farmers’ markets by the beginning of 2017.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
We found the Cypress Park space in the middle of 2017 and had secured the lease by early 2018. We have tried to implement Universal Access Design and Sustainable Principles as much as we can in the 2,000-sq-ft. space. The space will house our roastery and cafe and will have ample outdoor seating for everybody to enjoy. Our location is flanked by Frogtown/LA River on one side and Mt. Washington on the other, so we want to take advantage of the picturesque views of the hills of Northeast LA by maximizing outdoor spaces, which includes a back patio and a deck. One other feature of the space we are very excited about is the parking area, because it will allow us to hold seasonal events, markets, and other community focused gatherings in the future.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Serve great quality coffee while promoting reciprocity between business and community. Making the process of roasting coffee visible creates a greater understanding of where things come from and how they are produced. The intention is that this will help create a more knowledgeable consumer base while making the business responsible to them, creating reciprocity between the two and eliminating “bottom line” decisions that could harm the community, such as using polluting or toxic chemicals in production.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We’re excited to get going on our new San Franciscan SF-10 along with our Huky 500T Sample Roaster. For the coffee bar, a Synesso MVP two-group will be paired with a Mahlkönig K30 Twin grinder to offer two kinds of espresso daily. A Wilbur Curtis five gallon hot water tower and Baratza Forte BG grinders will be utilized at our three-station Hario V60 Pour-over Bar that we’ve gotten accustomed to since our farmers’ market days. A Crysalli dispensing system for purified and carbonated water and Optipure BWS175 reverse osmosis filtration system to manage water TDS for use at the bar.
We will have a “Red Bag,” an exclusive line of coffee, if you will, that will focus on less common coffee regions or varieties. This line will be launched at the same time the shop opens, and we have a delicious Sitio Belis Red Honey Process from the Philippines to kick it off.
How is your project considering sustainability?
We worked with the original footprint of the building, reducing our ecological impact. We used natural earth clay plaster on a majority of the interior walls inside, which is non-toxic and mold resistant. Low-VOC paint was set as a minimum standard for the remainder of the finishes. We used natural wool insulation, repurposed old beams, and have reused whatever we can from the space, e.g.: light box signage, railings etc.
Reclaimed bowling alley wood was used for both the coffee bar and customer seating counter. Reclaimed Redwood, from Northern California ranches, was selected for the side paneling along the bar. Wood certified by Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) was used for the structural framing, building the bar, repairing the deck, and for the planters on the back patio. We also selected interior seating made out of wood waste and recycled plastic.
Per the EPA WaterSense Program, domestic water use makes up almost one-third of water usage in a restaurant setting. To help conserve water, we installed low flow aerated faucets and low flow-dual flush toilets that are both California Energy Commission (CEC) Compliant and CalGreen Compliant.
We are also mindful of refrigeration and air conditioning systems installed. For refrigeration, all under-counter refrigerators use environmentally friendly R290 Refrigerant which has an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) of 0 and a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 3, making it a great choice for the shop. Per the recent California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) Rating of 14 is required for all new AC installation, we elected to install an 18 SEER unit for the shop for additional efficiency, even if it costs a little bit more. The windows installed throughout the shop are Low Emissivity – Argon windows for extra insulation to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
LED Lighting has been installed throughout the shop, incorporating motion sensors in the breakroom and bathrooms, and timers and solar powered lighting for the exterior to conserve energy.
Winter 2019 was one of the wetter winters for Los Angeles; during this time we noticed the amount of stormwater that would run off our lot to adjacent properties or directly into the storm drain system. Keeping this in mind we designed the back patio to direct, disperse and retain rain water by using a combination of decomposed granite to provide a permeable surface and slow the flow of water, infiltration trenches to provide a place for water to retain and deposit and changing the grade to direct water from the parking lot and patio into these key areas.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
Hoping for the planets to align and open by late August.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Cypress Park is one of the smaller Northeast LA neighborhoods and is a tight-knit community full of talented individuals; we saw this as an opportunity to collaborate with local artists and businesses alike. We’ve teamed up with Verity Freebern of Verity Freebern Designs for the design of both of our retail packages, Jasmine Navarro of Small Fry Designs for the building sign painting, and Jimmy M. with the help of Washington P. for designing and painting the outside murals. Crystal Weintrub-Degracia, our co-founder, is the project manager and designer of the new space, combining her experience in Sustainability and Design.
Thank you!
Thank you for the chance to participate in Sprudge’s 2019 Build-Outs of Summer Series. We also wanted to take this chance to thank everyone for their continued support and to those who have supported us from the very beginning.
1802 Roasters is located at 1206 Cypress Ave., Los Angeles. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.
The post Build-Outs Of Summer: 1802 Roasters In Los Angeles, CA appeared first on Sprudge.
from Sprudge https://ift.tt/2zUQ3we
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Why You Should Consider Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
https://homes2moveyou.com/why-you-should-consider-farmington-hills-mi-homes-for-sale/
Why You Should Consider Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
Why You Should Consider Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
Buyers who are looking to purchase a home in the metro Detroit area should consider Farmington Hills MI homes for sale. A small, wealthy city in Oakland County, Farmington Hills is part of the northwestern suburbs of Metro Detroit, located about 30 miles northeast of downtown Ann Arbor.
Farmington Hills has a charming, historic downtown area, which has recently seen extensive development along with an award-winning public school system. With a population of 81,235 and a median household income of $76,637, Farmington Hills was recently ranked as the fifth-best city in the state in which to live by Chamber of Commerce (a digital-based company).
Search Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
The wide range of affordability from entry-level market-rate homes to multimillion-dollar estates within the greater Farmington area provides abundant opportunity for families to move here and enjoy a strong sense of community with access to top-rated, public schools.
TIME magazine also picked Farmington Hills as the best place to live in Michigan based on factors such as strong economic and educational performance, convenience, safety and pleasant way of life. In order to navigate the local market and find the perfect home in Farmington Hills, buyers will need to partner with a qualified, local agent.
Top Farmington Hills REALTOR® – Tom Gilliam has over two decades of experience assisting home buyers and sellers in Farmington Hills and the surrounding Oakland County area. Tom offers in-depth local market knowledge and has all the resources and information you need for making the best home purchase decision. For more information about Farmington Hills MI real estate, call Tom directly at (248) 790-5594 or get in touch with him here!
More About Farmington Hills MI Real Estate & Homes for Sale
The Farmington Hills real estate market remains strong with home values and home prices on the rise. Farmington Hills home values have gone up 2.6% over the past year and real estate industry experts predict they will rise another 1.4% within the next 12 months. The median price of currently listed Farmington Hills homes for sale is $295,950.
As a licensed, professional real estate agent in Farmington Hills, Tom Gillian stays on top of the local market at all times and is aware of new inventory as soon as it becomes available, ensuring that you will have access to the best properties and securing an offer.
Search Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
Tom’s extensive knowledge goes well beyond the value of the homes in the area. He keeps his finger on the pulse of community trends, business developments, the local economy, and other factors that can affect the market value of property in the area to ensure that you get the best value for your money.
Tom can also help educate you about the different neighborhoods and communities in Farmington Hills, the types of homes and features offered, the builders, schools, property values, current market trends, the surrounding area, and so much more. Streamline your home search by having Tom put together a list of properties that best match your specific criteria in a home.
Get started now by requesting customized search results delivered directly to your email along with email alerts of new listings. Get the process started today by contacting Tom at (248) 790-5594 or contact him here.
Why Homebuyers Should Consider Living in Farmington Hills, MI
Thriving in business and leisure activities, Farmington Hills is fueled by a strong economy. Boasting steady job growth, Farmington Hills is home to a number of large corporations including the Nissan Technical Center and Nissan Trading Corp. as well as Hitachi Automotive Services, Hino Motors Manufacturing, and branches of Panasonic, Mercedes Benz, and Greenpath.
Other top Farmington Hills employers include Robert Bosch Corporation, Botsford Hospital, Quicken Loans, Cengage Learning Gale, and Chrysler Financial Services.
Downtown Farmington is a vibrant, walkable destination with over 160 businesses from banks, to bead stores to photography and yoga studios along with a variety of eateries and one-of-a-kind shops to explore.
Also located downtown is the Walter E. Sundquist Pavilion, home to the popular Farmington Farmers & Artisans Market held every Saturday. The pavilion is located adjacent to Riley Park. The best-known park event is Rhythmz in Riley Park, attended by about 500 people every Friday, June-August.
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Twelve Oaks Mall, located about 5.7 miles away in Novi is considered the dominant shopping destination of choice of metro Detroit. The mall features nearly 200 distinctive stores and restaurants including Apple, Coach, Michael Kors, The CheeseCake Factory, and more.
For parents with school-age children, most of Farmington Hills is served by the highly-acclaimed district of Farmington Public Schools, which is shared with nearby Farmington and filled with top-rated schools. Other public school districts including Clarenceville Public Schools, and Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.
Farmington Hills has several private schools including The International School, The Maria Montessori Center, Mercy High School, St. Fabian Elementary and Middle School, Schoolhouse Montessori Academy – Farmington Hills, and Steppingstone School. Institutions for higher learning include branches of Michigan School of Psychology, Oakland Community College, and Wayne State University.
Farmington Hills has plenty of neighborhood and community parks for spending quality time outdoors. The 211-acre Heritage Park features 4.5 miles of trails for hiking and nature study which are also used for cross-country skiing during the winter months. Park amenities include a large picnic area, splash pad, group picnic shelter, playground, in-ground grills, two sand volleyball courts, an in-line hockey rink, and six horseshoe pits.
For golf enthusiasts, the beautiful 175-acre Farmington Hills Golf Club course offers one of the best-golfing venues in the area, with 18 challenging holes measuring 6,413 yards, manicured bent grass tees, fairways and greens, ponds, and gently rolling hills.
Major thoroughfares in the city include (M-5), Orchard Lake Road, 12 Mile Road, 8 Mile Road, Northwestern Highway, I-696, and I-275. Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus service for Farmington Hills.
The closest major airport is Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with international and domestic flights from Detroit, located 30 miles from the center of Farmington Hills.
Partner with Top Farmington Hills REALTOR® – Tom Gilliam
Whether you’re in the market for Farmington Hills MI homes for sale or its time to list your current property, Tom Gilliam provides the kind of knowledge, skills, dedication, and personalized service you need and deserve. Tom will take the time to listen to your needs and concerns and will always have your best interests in mind.
Search Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale
By partnering with Tom, you’ll have an expert by your side who will protect your interests, advocate for you, and skillfully handle the real estate transaction for the best possible outcome. To learn more about Farmington Hills MI real estate, feel free to call Tom directly at (248) 790-5594 or send him an email today!
Tom Gilliam, REALTOR® RE/MAX Classic 29630 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills 48334 Call: 248-790-5594 Office: 248-737-6800 Email: [email protected] License #301741
Map of Farmington Hills, MI
#Farmington Hills MI Homes for Sale#Farmington Hills MI real estate#farmington hills realtor#Homes for Sale in Farmington Hills MI#Real Estate in Farmington Hills MI
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A Tourist Guide to West Virginia
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1. INTRODUCTION
West Virginia, endlessly covered with forests and known as the “Mountain State,” offers breathtaking scenery, natural resource-related sights, and year-round, outdoor activities.
Once rich in coal and timber, it was shaped by the mines and logging railroads which extracted them, but when decades of removal began to deplete these commodities, their rolling, green-carpeted mountains yielded secondary byproducts-namely, hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, climbing, and hunting to tourists and sports enthusiasts alike. Its New River Gorge, which offers many similar activities, is equally beautiful with its rugged banks and azure surfaces, while the principle city of Charleston, revitalized during the 1970s and 1980s, now features museums, art, shopping malls, restaurants, and world-class performance venues.
2. CHARLESTON
Located on the Kanawha River, and sporting an easily negotiable street grid system, it is subdivided into the Capitol Complex and the downtown area with the East End Historic District linking the two.
From the former, which is the heart of state government, juts the ubiquitously visible, gold-domed Capitol Building itself. Constructed of buff Indiana limestone and 4,640 tons of steel, which themselves required the temporary laying of a spur rail line to transport them, the building had been laid in three stages during an eight-year period: 1924 to 1925 for the west wing, 1926 to 1927 for the east wing, and 1930 to 1932 for the connecting rotunda. It was officially dedicated by Governor William G. Conley on June 20, 1932, on the occasion of West Virginia’s 69th birthday as a state.
Its gold dome, which extends five feet higher than that of the Capitol in Washington, is gilded in 23 ½-karat gold leaf, applied between 1988 and 1991 as tiny squares to cover the otherwise copper and lead surface.
Two-thirds of its interior, which encompasses 535,000 square feet subdivided into 333 rooms, is comprised of Italian travertine, imperial derby, and Tennessee marble, and the chandelier in the rotunda, its center piece, is made of 10,180 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal illuminated by 96 light bulbs. Weighing 4,000 pounds, it hangs from a 54-foot brass and bronze chain.
Across from the State Capitol, but still within the complex, is the West Virginia Cultural Center. Opened in 1976 and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, it was created to showcase the state’s artistic, cultural, and historical heritage, and houses the West Virginia State Museum, the archives and history library, a gift shop, and a venue for cultural events, performances, and related programs.
The former, a collection of items which represents the state’s land, people, and culture, is subdivided into 24 significant scenes covering five periods: Prehistory (3 million years BC to 1650 AD), Frontier (1754-1860), the Civil War and the 35th State (1861 to 1899), Industrialization (1900 to 1945), and Change and Tradition (1954 to the 21st century). The 24 representations themselves trace the state’s evolution and include such periods as “Coal Forest,” “River Plains,” “Wilderness,” “The Fort,” “Harper’s Ferry,” “Building the Rails,” “Coal Mine,” “Main Street, West Virginia,” and “New River Gorge.”
Thirteen monuments, memorials, and statues honoring West Virginians for their contributions to the state and the nation grace the Capitol Complex’s landscaped grounds.
Culture can also be experienced at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, a modern, 240,000-square-foot, three-level complex which opened on July 12, 2003 and represents one of the most ambitious economic, cultural, and educational projects in West Virginia’s history. Offering sciences, visual arts, and performing arts under a single roof, the center houses the dual-level Avampato Discovery Museum, an interactive, youth-oriented experience with sections such as Health Royale, KidSpace, Earth City, and Gizmo Factory. A 9,000-square-foot Art Gallery, located on the second floor, features both temporary and permanent exhibits, the latter emphasizing 19th and 20th century art by names such as Andy Warhol, Stuart Davis, Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Vida Frey, and Albert Paley. The ElectricSky Theater, a 61-foot domed planetarium, offers daily astronomy shows and wide screen presentations. Live performances are staged in two locations: the 1,883-seat Maier Foundation Performance Hall, which is home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, but otherwise offers a variety of performance types, from comedy to popular singers, bands, repertory, and Broadway plays, and the 200-seat Walker Theater, which features plays and dances with cabaret-style seating for the Woody Hawley singer-songwriter program. The Douglas V. Reynolds Intermezzo Café and three classrooms are located on the lower level.
Shopping can be done at two major venues. The Charleston Town Center Mall, located adjacent to the Town Center Marriott and Embassy Suites Hotel, and near the Civic Center, is a one million square foot, tri-level complex with more than 130 stores, three anchor department stores, six full-service restaurants, and a food court with ten additional fast food venues, and is accessed through three convenient parking garages. Sporting a three-story atrium and fountain, the upscale, Kanawha Valley complex was the largest urban shopping center east of the Mississippi River when it opened in 1983.
The Capitol Market, located on Capitol and Sixth Streets in the restored and converted, 1800s Kanawha and Michigan Railroad depot, is subdivided into both in- and outdoor markets, the latter of which can only be used by bona fide farmers and receives daily, fresh, seasonal deliveries, usually consisting of flowers, shrubs, and trees in the spring; fruits and vegetables in the summer; pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks in the fall; and Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands in the winter. The indoor market sells seafood, cheeses, and wines, and offers several small food stands and a full-service Italian restaurant.
An evening can be spent at the TriState Racetrack and Gaming Center. Located a 15-minute drive from Charleston in Cross Lanes, the venue offers 90,000 square feet of gaming entertainment, inclusive of more than 1,300 slot machines, live racing, a poker room, blackjack, roulette, and craps, and four restaurants: the French Quarter Restaurant and Bar, the First Turn Restaurant, the Café Orleans, and Crescent City.
3. POTOMAC HIGHLANDS
The Potomac Highlands, located in the eastern portion of the state on the Allegheny Plateau, is a tapestry of diverse geographic regions and covers eight counties. Alternatively designated “Mountain Highlands,” it had been formed some 250 million years ago when the North American and African continental collision had produced a single, uplifted mass. Subjected to millennia of wind- and water-caused erosion, it resulted in successive valleys and parallel ridges, and today the area encompasses two national forests: Canaan Valley, the highest east of the Mississippi River, and Spruce Knob, at 4,861 feet, West Virginia’s highest point. Its green-covered mountains yielded abundant timber, the logging railroads necessary to harness it, two premier ski resorts, and a myriad of outdoor sports and activities.
The Potomac Highlands can be subdivided into the Tygart Valley, Seneca Rocks, Canaan Valley, and Big Mountain Country.
A. Tygart Valley
The town of Elkins, located in the Tygart Valley, is the transportation, shopping, and social center of the east central Appalachian Mountains and serves as a base for Potomac Highland excursions.
Established in 1890 by Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen. B. Elkins, his son-in-law and business partner, it originated as a shipping hub for their coal, timber, and railroad empire, the latter the result of their self-financed construction of the West Virginia Central Railroad, whose track stretched between Cumberland, Maryland, and Elkins, and served as the threshold to some of the world’s richest timber and mineral resources.
The town, serving the needs of the coal miners, loggers, and railroad workers, sprouted central maintenance shops and steadily expanded, peaking in 1920, before commencing a resource depletion-caused decline, until the last train, carrying coal and timber products to the rest of the country, departed the depot in 1959.
The tracks lay barren and unused for almost half a century until 2007, when the newly-established Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad again resurrected them-and the town-transporting the first tourists for scenic-ride purposes and resparking a slow growth cycle with a subsequently built restaurant and live theater in its historic Elkins Railyard and additional hotels nearby. Consistently ranked as one of the country’s best small art towns, it is once again the service hub of the Mountain Highlands, reverting to its original purpose of providing hotel, restaurant, shop, and entertainment services, but now to a new group-tourists.
The railroad remains its focus. The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers three departures from the Elkins depot. The first of these, the “New Tygart Flyer,” is a four-hour, 46-mile round-trip run which plunges through the Cheat Mountain Tunnel, passes the towns of Bowdon and Bemis, parallels the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, and stops at the horseshoe-shaped High Falls of Cheat, during which time it serves an en route, buffet luncheon. Upgraded table service is available in 1922-ear deluxe Pullman Palace cars for a slightly higher price.
The “Cheat Mountain Salamander” is a nine-hour, 128-mile round-trip to Spruce, and includes a buffet lunch and dinner, while the “Mountain Express Dinner Train” mimics the New Tygart Flyer’s route, but features a four-course meal in a formally set dining car.
The Railyard Restaurant, sandwiched between the Elkins depot and the American Mountain Theater, provides all on board meals. Emulating the depot itself with its exterior brick construction, the $2.5 million, 220-seat restaurant, leased to the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad, serves family-style cuisine on its main level and upscale dinners in its second-floor Vista Dome Dining Room, its menus inspired by railroad car fare from the 1920s to the 1940s. It toted the opening slogan of, “Take the track to the place with exceptional taste.”
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad’s Rails and Trails Gift Shop is located on its main level.
Continuing the historic, red brick exterior, the adjacent American Mountain Theater, founded in 2003 by Elkins native and RCA recording artist, Susie Heckel, traces its origins to a variety show performed for tourists at a different location. But increasing demand merited the November, 2006, ground-braking for a $1.7 million, 12,784-square-foot, 525-seat structure with aid from her sister, Beverly Sexton, and her husband, Kenny, who owned the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Theater in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Opening the following July, the theater offered family-oriented, Branson-style entertainment performed by a nine-member cast, with Kenny Sexton serving as its president and producer and Beverly writing the score. Two-hour evening shows include comedy, impressions, and country, gospel, bluegrass, and pop music.
Davis and Elkins College, located only a few blocks from the Historic Railyard, shares the same founders as the town of Elkins itself-namely, Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen B. Elkins. Established in 1901 when they donated land and funding to create a college associated with the Presbyterian Church, it was originally located south of town. Its Board of Trustees first met the following year and classes were first held on September 21, 1904.
Today, the coeducational, liberal arts college, located on a 170-acre hilled, wooded campus with views of the Appalachian Mountains, is comprised of 22 new and historic buildings in two sections-the north, which stretches to the athletic fields and the front campus, which is located on a ridge overlooking Elkins. Thirty associate and baccalaureate arts, sciences, pre-professional, and professional degree programs are offered to a 700-student base.
One of its historic buildings is Graceland Inn. Designed by the Baltimore architectural firm of Baldwin and Pennington, the castle-like, Queen Anne-style mansion, originally located on a 360-acre farm, was completed in 1893. Initially called “Mingo Moor,” and intermittently “Mingo Hall” after the area south of Elkins, the estate served as the summer residence of Senator Davis, who regularly transported a train of invited friends and associates during July and August so that they could escape the Washington heat and enjoy Elkins’ higher-elevation, cooler temperatures.
The estate was ultimately renamed “Graceland” after Davis’ youngest daughter, Grace. Following his wife’s death in 1902, he continued to conduct business from offices inside it, while Grace herself resided there during the summer months with her family.
The estate was finally ceded to her own children, Ellen Bruce Lee and John A. Kennedy, its last two owners.
Acquired by the West Virginia Presbyterian Education Fund in 1941, it was used as a male residence hall by the college until 1970, whereafter it was closed. Restored during the mid-1990s, it subsequently reopened as an historic country inn and as a dynamic learning lab for hospitality students.
Overlooking the town of Elkins, on the Davis and Elkins College campus, Graceland Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features a two-story great hall richly decorated with hardwoods, such as quartered oak, bird’s eye maple, cherry, and walnut, a grand staircase, a parlor, a library, and its original stained glass windows. The Mingo Room Restaurant, reflecting the mansion’s initial designation and open to the public, is subdivided into four small rooms lined with red oak and fireplaces and an outdoor verandah, and eleven guest rooms, located on the second and third floors and named after prominent family members, contain antiques, canopy beds, armoires, marble bathrooms, and claw foot tubs.
Graceland Inn, the David and Elkins College, the town of Elkins itself, the historic depot and railyard, their tracks, and the Appalachian Mountain’s coal and timber resources are all inextricably tied to the town’s past–and its future.
B. Seneca Rocks
“Seneca Rocks” designates both a region of the Potomac Highlands and the outcroppings after which that region is named.
Resembling a razor back, or shark’s fin, and located at the confluence of the Seneca Creek and the North Fork South Branch Potomac River, the 250-foot-thick, 900-foot-high Seneca Rocks, accessible by West Virginia Route 28, were formed 400 million years ago during the Silurian Period in an extensive sand shoal at the edge of the ancient Iapetus Ocean. As the seas decreased in size, the rock uplifted and folded, erosion ultimately wearing away its upper surface and leaving the arching folds and craggy profile they exhibit today.
Made of white and gray tuscarora quartzite, the formation features both a north and south peak, with a notch separating the two.
The current Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, which replaced the original visitor’s center, features relief models of the area, films, interpretive programs, and a bookshop.
A path leads to the Sites Homestead, part of the center. Constructed in 1839 by William Sites as a single-room log cabin below Seneca Rocks Ridge, it is typical of then-current Appalachian homes whose German Blockbau-style featured square logs and v-notched corner joints spread apart by stone and clay chinks.
In the late-1860s, one of Sites’ sons expanded the homestead, adding a second floor, and, after use as a hay barn, the Forest Service purchased it in 1969, restoring it during the 1980s. In 1993, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The greater Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, offering significant outdoor sports opportunities, contains a key portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, whose mountains and forests collect water which then flows into the Potomac River and the bay itself. Acting as a cleansing and filtering mechanism, its headwater forests purify the water before it reaches the streams. Spruce Knob is both the highest point in the Chesapeake Watershed and the entire state of West Virginia.
Aside from facilitating water, the area has provided sustenance to humans, who first lived in Native American villages within its mountains, and then created farming settlements and logging camps, extracting its resources and supporting life for some 13,000 years. Today, it is home to 15 million people.
The Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area itself is part of the much larger Monongahela National Forest. Established in 1920 with an initial 7,200 acres, the present 910,155-acre forest contains the headwaters of the Monongahela, Potomac, Greenbrier, Elk, Tygart, and Gauley Rivers; five federally-designated “wildernesses”-Dolly Sods, Outer Creek, Laurel Fork North, Laurel Fork South, and Cranberry-whose very remote and primitive areas only offer lower-standard trail markings; and four lakes.
A Mecca for outdoor sports enthusiasts, the national forest features 169 hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails which cover more than 800 miles, 576 miles of trout streams, 129 miles of warm-water fishing, 23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas, and wildlife viewing of black bear, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, gray fox, rabbits, snowshoe hare, grouse, and woodcock.
C. Canaan Valley
Blanketed with bigtooth aspen, balsam fir, and spruce, Canaan Valley, stretching 14 miles, is the highest such valley east of the Mississippi River, its namesake mountain separating it from the Blackwater River and creating a deep, narrow canyon in the Allegheny Plateau.
The pristinely beautiful area encompasses two state parks-Canaan Valley Resort and Black Water Falls State Parks; two ski areas-again Canaan Valley Resort and Timberline Four Seasons Resort; and the nation’s 500th wildlife refuge.
Natural sports abound: hiking, horseback riding, fishing, golfing, swimming, rafting, and interpretive nature walking during the summer, and skiing, snowboarding, and tubing during the winter.
Nucleus of most of this is 6,000-acre Canaan Valley Resort State Park, which encompasses 18 miles of trails, wetlands, open meadows, northern hardwood forests, wildlife, 200 species of birds, and 600 types of wildflowers.
Canaan Valley Resort, located within the park, offers 250 modern guest rooms, 23 two-, three-, and four-bedroom mountain cabins with fireplaces and full kitchens, 34 paved, wooded campsites with full hook-ups, and six lounges and restaurants, including the Hickory Dining Room in the main lodge.
Its 4,280-foot mountain, whose longest run is 1.25 miles and whose vertical drop is 850 feet, features one quad and two triple lifts, and 11 trails for night skiing. Its winter activities, like those of the extended Canaan Valley, include skiing, snowboarding, airboarding, tubing, snowshoeing, and ice skating, while summer programs include scenic chairlift rides, guided walks, golf, tennis, and hiking.
D. Big Mountain Country
Big Mountain County, location of West Virginia’s second-highest peak, serves as the birthplace of eight rivers-the Greenbier, Gauley, Cheat, Cherry, Elk, Williams, Cranberry, and Tygart-while its Seneca State Forest, which borders the former in Pocahontas County, is the state’s oldest. An interesting array of sights include steam-powered logging railroads, astronomical observatories, preserved towns, a premier ski resort, and their associated assortment of outdoor sports and activities.
The Durbin and Greenbier Valley Railroad’s fourth excursion train, the “Durbin Rocket,” departs from the town of Durbin itself, located some 40 miles from Elkins.
Powered by a 55-ton steam engine built for the Moore-Keppel Lumber Company in nearby Randolph County, and one of only three remaining geared Climax logging locomotives, the train makes a two-hour, 11-mile round-trip run along the Greenbier River and through the Monongahela National Forest as far as Piney Island, where the rental “castaway caboose” is disconnected and pushed onto a very short spur track for a one or more night stay.
The ultra-modern, high-tech National Radio Astronomy Observatory, located a short distance away in Green Bank, offers an opportunity to learn about radio wave astronomy.
Designing, building, and operating the world’s most advanced and sophisticated radio telescopes, the observatory produces images of celestial bodies, such as planets, stars, and galaxies, millions of light-years away by recording their radio omission quantities.
The Green Bank Science Center, nucleus of this experience, features a museum which introduces the science of radio astronomy, radio waves, telescope operation, and what is being learned through them about the universe; the Galaxy Gift Shop; the Starlight Café; and the departure point for the escorted bus tour of the facility, prior to which an introductory film and lecture are presented in the theater.
The tour’s highlight is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), designed when the previous 300-foot device collapsed in 1988 and Congress was forced to appropriate emergency funds to design it.
Dedicated on August 25, 2000, after a nine-year development period, it is 485 feet tall, is comprised of 2,004 panels, has a 100-by-110 meter diameter, a 2.3 acre surface area, and weighs 17 million pounds. The world’s largest, fully maneuverable telescope with a computer-controlled reflecting surface, it is functionally independent of the sun, permitting 24-hour-per-day operation, and receives wavelengths which vary between 1/8th of an inch to nine feet.
Initially employed in conjunction with the Arecibo Observatory to produce images of Venus, it later detected three new pulsars (spinning neutron stars) in the Messier 62 region.
A 15-minute drive from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is another significant sight, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tracing its origins to 1899 when John G. Luke acquired more than 67,000 acres of red spruce in an area which ultimately developed into the town of Cass, it became the headquarters of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. The town, supporting the workforce needed to convert the raw resources into finished products, sprouted shops, services, houses, a sawmill, tracks, and a railroad to haul the timber.
Instrumental to the operation had been the Shay, or similarly-designed Climax and Heisler steam locomotives, whose direct gearing delivered positive control and more even power, allowing them to ply often temporarily-laid tracks, steep grades, and hairpin turns, all the while pulling heavy, freshly-felled timber loads. The Western Maryland #6, at 162 tons, was the last, and heaviest, Shay locomotive ever built. The railroad inaugurated its first service in 1901.
During two 11-hour, six-day-per-week shifts, the town’s mill was able to cut more than 125,000 board feet of lumber per shift and dry 360,000 per run with its 11 miles of steam pipes, adding up to 1.5 million board feet cut per week and 35 million per year. After 40 years of milling at Cass and Spruce, more than two billion board feet of lumber and paper had been produced.
Operating until 1943, the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company sold the enterprise to the Mower Lumber Company, which maintained it for another 17 years, at which time it was closed and purchased by the state of West Virginia, in 1961.
The railroad and the town of Cass, which remain virtually unchanged, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Aside from the historic buildings, there are several other attractions. Connected to the large Cass Company Store is the railroad-themed Last Run Restaurant. Turn-of-the-century logging can be gleaned at the Cass Historical Museum. The Shay Railroad Shop, having once housed coal bins, offers additional books and crafts for sale. The metal, Cass Showcase building above it, having stored hay to feed horse teams, features an introductory film and an HO-scale train and town layout reflecting their 1930s appearance.
Escorted walking tours of Cass, usually conducted in the afternoon after the trains have returned from their daily excursions, offer insight into what it had been like to live and work in a turn-of-the-century company town, while the Locomotive Repair Shop tour includes visits to the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association’s shop, the sawmill area, and a look at Shay and Climax locomotive maintenance and repair.
An excursion on the Cass Scenic Railroad itself, which commenced tourist rides in 1963 and is therefore the longest-running scenic rail journey in the country, is a living history experience. Pulled by one of the original Shay or Climax steam locomotives, the train accommodates passengers in equally authentic logging cars which have been converted to coaches with wooden, bench-like seats and roofs, while a single enclosed car, offering reserved seating, sports booth-like accommodation and is designated “Leatherbark Creek.”
All trains depart from Cass’s reconstructed depot, at a 2,456-foot elevation, climbing Leatherneck Run, negotiating 11-percent grades, maneuvering and reversing through a lower and upper switchback, and arriving at Whittaker Station, which features a snack stand, views of the eastern West Virginia mountains, and a reconstructed, 1946 logging camp. The eight-mile round-trip back to Cass requires two hours.
A four-and-a-half hour, 22-mile round-trip continues up Back Allegheny Mountain, passing Old Spruce and the Oats Creek Water Tank, and plying track laid by the Mower Lumber company, before reaching 4,842-foot Bald Knob, West Virginia’s third-highest peak.
Limited runs are also offered to Spruce, an abandoned logging town on the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. This train also transits Whittaker Station.
Although not affiliated with the Cass Scenic Railroad, the Boyer Station Restaurant, located six miles from Green Bank on Route 28, offers inexpensive, home-cooked, country-style meals amidst railroad décor with wooden, rail depot-reminiscent tables and benches, train and logging memorabilia, and large-scale, track-mounted model railroads. It is part of a 20-room motel and campground complex.
Winter sports account for a significant portion of the Big Mountain Country’s offerings. Ten miles from Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is Snowshoe Mountain.
Located in the bowl-shaped convergence of Cheat and Back Allegheny Mountain at the head of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, the area, striped of trees by logging between 1905 and 1960, had been discovered by Thomas Brigham, a North Carolina dentist, who had previously opened the Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain Ski Resorts.
Reflecting European style, Snowshoe Village is located on the mountain’s summit and offers 1,400 hotel and condominium rooms, restaurants, shops, services, and entertainment. The 244-acre resort, which combines the Snowshoe and Silver Creek areas, has a 3,348-foot base; a 4,848-foot summit, making it the highest such ski resort in the mid-Atlantic and southeast; 14 chairlifts; 60 runs, of which the longest is 1.5 miles; and 1,500-foot vertical drops at Cupp Run and Shay’s Revenge. Average snowfall is 180 inches. Spring, summer, and fall activities include golf, boating, bicycling, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, skating, and swimming.
The extended area’s Seneca State Forest, named after the Native Americans who had once roamed the land, borders the Greenbier River in Pocahontas County and contains 23 miles of forest, 11,684 acres of woodlands, a four-acre lake for boating and trout, largemouth bass, and bluegill fishing, hiking tails, pioneer cabins, and rustic campsites.
4. NEW RIVER-GREENBRIER VALLEY
The New River-Greenbrier Valley region of West Virginia is topographically diverse and ruggedly beautiful.
Split by the Gauley River, its northern section is comprised of a rugged plateau in which is nestled the calm, azure Summersville Lake, while mountainous ridgelines, affording extensive interior coal mining, are characteristic of its central region. Horse and cattle grazing is prevalent on the flat farm expanses which intersperse the eastern edge’s lush, green mountain plateau, divided by the Greenbrier River, the largest, untamed water channel in the eastern United States, which flows through it. Its southern region is a jigsaw puzzle of omni-directional ridgelines and very narrow valleys.
New and Bluestone River-formed gorges provide a wealth of rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting opportunities in this region of the state.
The area’s most prominent, and beautiful, topographical feature is the New River Gorge National River. Flowing from below Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, to the north of the US Highway 19 bridge near Fayetteville, it dissects all the physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Mountains. A rugged, white water river, and among the oldest in North America, it flows northward through steep canyons and geological formations. Approximately 1,000 feet separate its bottom from its adjacent plateau. On July 30, 1998, it was named an American Heritage River, one of 14 waterways so designated.
Its related park encompasses 70,000 acres.
Signature of the New River Gorge National Park is its New River Gorge Bridge. Completed on October 22, 1977 at a $37 million cost, the dual-hinged, steel arch bridge is 3,030 feet long, 69.3 feet wide, and has an 876-foot clearance. Carrying the four lanes of US Route 19, it was then the world’s longest, and is currently the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas and the second highest in the world after the Millau Viaduct in France. Its longest single span, between arches, is 1,700 feet.
There are three related visitor centers and vantage points. The Canyon Rim Visitor Center, located two miles north of Fayetteville on Route 19, offers exhibits, films, interpretive programs, trails, and a scenic overlook, while the Grandview Center is located in Thurmond off of Interstate 64 on Route 25. The park’s headquarters are in Glen Jean.
Fayetteville is the hub for New River Gorge kayaking and white water rafting.
Coal, as synonymous with West Virginia as logging, is an industry the tourist should experience sometime during his visit. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, located in the city of the same name, offers just such an opportunity.
A 1,400-square-foot Company Store, coal museum, fudgery, and gift shop serves as a visitor’s center and threshold to the sight’s two major components. A coal camp, the first of these, depicts 20th-century life in a typical coal town, represented by several relocated and restored buildings.
Plying 1,500 feet of underground passages in the 36-inch, Phillips-Sprague Seam Mine, which had been active between 1883 and 1953, track-guided “man-cars” driven by authentic miners, encompass the complex’s second component and make periodic stops in the cold, damp, and dark passage to discuss and illustrate the advancement of mining techniques. The rock duster, for example, ensured that coal dust would not explode deep in the mine. Strategically positioned roof bolts avoided cave-ins. Pumps extracted water. Dangerously low oxygen levels dictated immediate evacuation.
Coal had fueled the world’s steam engines for industrial plants and rail and sea transportation.
The Phillips-Sprague Mine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
5. CONCLUSION
West Virginia’s three principle regions of Charleston, the Potomac Highlands, and the New River-Greenbier Valley offer immersive experiences into the past which shaped the present by means of its pristinely beautiful and resource-rich mines and mountains that yielded coal, timber, logging railroads, and an abundance of outdoor sports.
Source by Robert Waldvogel
Source: https://garkomedia.com/2018/11/26/a-tourist-guide-to-west-virginia/
from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/a-tourist-guide-to-west-virginia-2/
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A Tourist Guide to West Virginia
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1. INTRODUCTION
West Virginia, endlessly covered with forests and known as the “Mountain State,” offers breathtaking scenery, natural resource-related sights, and year-round, outdoor activities.
Once rich in coal and timber, it was shaped by the mines and logging railroads which extracted them, but when decades of removal began to deplete these commodities, their rolling, green-carpeted mountains yielded secondary byproducts-namely, hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, climbing, and hunting to tourists and sports enthusiasts alike. Its New River Gorge, which offers many similar activities, is equally beautiful with its rugged banks and azure surfaces, while the principle city of Charleston, revitalized during the 1970s and 1980s, now features museums, art, shopping malls, restaurants, and world-class performance venues.
2. CHARLESTON
Located on the Kanawha River, and sporting an easily negotiable street grid system, it is subdivided into the Capitol Complex and the downtown area with the East End Historic District linking the two.
From the former, which is the heart of state government, juts the ubiquitously visible, gold-domed Capitol Building itself. Constructed of buff Indiana limestone and 4,640 tons of steel, which themselves required the temporary laying of a spur rail line to transport them, the building had been laid in three stages during an eight-year period: 1924 to 1925 for the west wing, 1926 to 1927 for the east wing, and 1930 to 1932 for the connecting rotunda. It was officially dedicated by Governor William G. Conley on June 20, 1932, on the occasion of West Virginia’s 69th birthday as a state.
Its gold dome, which extends five feet higher than that of the Capitol in Washington, is gilded in 23 ½-karat gold leaf, applied between 1988 and 1991 as tiny squares to cover the otherwise copper and lead surface.
Two-thirds of its interior, which encompasses 535,000 square feet subdivided into 333 rooms, is comprised of Italian travertine, imperial derby, and Tennessee marble, and the chandelier in the rotunda, its center piece, is made of 10,180 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal illuminated by 96 light bulbs. Weighing 4,000 pounds, it hangs from a 54-foot brass and bronze chain.
Across from the State Capitol, but still within the complex, is the West Virginia Cultural Center. Opened in 1976 and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, it was created to showcase the state’s artistic, cultural, and historical heritage, and houses the West Virginia State Museum, the archives and history library, a gift shop, and a venue for cultural events, performances, and related programs.
The former, a collection of items which represents the state’s land, people, and culture, is subdivided into 24 significant scenes covering five periods: Prehistory (3 million years BC to 1650 AD), Frontier (1754-1860), the Civil War and the 35th State (1861 to 1899), Industrialization (1900 to 1945), and Change and Tradition (1954 to the 21st century). The 24 representations themselves trace the state’s evolution and include such periods as “Coal Forest,” “River Plains,” “Wilderness,” “The Fort,” “Harper’s Ferry,” “Building the Rails,” “Coal Mine,” “Main Street, West Virginia,” and “New River Gorge.”
Thirteen monuments, memorials, and statues honoring West Virginians for their contributions to the state and the nation grace the Capitol Complex’s landscaped grounds.
Culture can also be experienced at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, a modern, 240,000-square-foot, three-level complex which opened on July 12, 2003 and represents one of the most ambitious economic, cultural, and educational projects in West Virginia’s history. Offering sciences, visual arts, and performing arts under a single roof, the center houses the dual-level Avampato Discovery Museum, an interactive, youth-oriented experience with sections such as Health Royale, KidSpace, Earth City, and Gizmo Factory. A 9,000-square-foot Art Gallery, located on the second floor, features both temporary and permanent exhibits, the latter emphasizing 19th and 20th century art by names such as Andy Warhol, Stuart Davis, Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Vida Frey, and Albert Paley. The ElectricSky Theater, a 61-foot domed planetarium, offers daily astronomy shows and wide screen presentations. Live performances are staged in two locations: the 1,883-seat Maier Foundation Performance Hall, which is home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, but otherwise offers a variety of performance types, from comedy to popular singers, bands, repertory, and Broadway plays, and the 200-seat Walker Theater, which features plays and dances with cabaret-style seating for the Woody Hawley singer-songwriter program. The Douglas V. Reynolds Intermezzo Café and three classrooms are located on the lower level.
Shopping can be done at two major venues. The Charleston Town Center Mall, located adjacent to the Town Center Marriott and Embassy Suites Hotel, and near the Civic Center, is a one million square foot, tri-level complex with more than 130 stores, three anchor department stores, six full-service restaurants, and a food court with ten additional fast food venues, and is accessed through three convenient parking garages. Sporting a three-story atrium and fountain, the upscale, Kanawha Valley complex was the largest urban shopping center east of the Mississippi River when it opened in 1983.
The Capitol Market, located on Capitol and Sixth Streets in the restored and converted, 1800s Kanawha and Michigan Railroad depot, is subdivided into both in- and outdoor markets, the latter of which can only be used by bona fide farmers and receives daily, fresh, seasonal deliveries, usually consisting of flowers, shrubs, and trees in the spring; fruits and vegetables in the summer; pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks in the fall; and Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands in the winter. The indoor market sells seafood, cheeses, and wines, and offers several small food stands and a full-service Italian restaurant.
An evening can be spent at the TriState Racetrack and Gaming Center. Located a 15-minute drive from Charleston in Cross Lanes, the venue offers 90,000 square feet of gaming entertainment, inclusive of more than 1,300 slot machines, live racing, a poker room, blackjack, roulette, and craps, and four restaurants: the French Quarter Restaurant and Bar, the First Turn Restaurant, the Café Orleans, and Crescent City.
3. POTOMAC HIGHLANDS
The Potomac Highlands, located in the eastern portion of the state on the Allegheny Plateau, is a tapestry of diverse geographic regions and covers eight counties. Alternatively designated “Mountain Highlands,” it had been formed some 250 million years ago when the North American and African continental collision had produced a single, uplifted mass. Subjected to millennia of wind- and water-caused erosion, it resulted in successive valleys and parallel ridges, and today the area encompasses two national forests: Canaan Valley, the highest east of the Mississippi River, and Spruce Knob, at 4,861 feet, West Virginia’s highest point. Its green-covered mountains yielded abundant timber, the logging railroads necessary to harness it, two premier ski resorts, and a myriad of outdoor sports and activities.
The Potomac Highlands can be subdivided into the Tygart Valley, Seneca Rocks, Canaan Valley, and Big Mountain Country.
A. Tygart Valley
The town of Elkins, located in the Tygart Valley, is the transportation, shopping, and social center of the east central Appalachian Mountains and serves as a base for Potomac Highland excursions.
Established in 1890 by Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen. B. Elkins, his son-in-law and business partner, it originated as a shipping hub for their coal, timber, and railroad empire, the latter the result of their self-financed construction of the West Virginia Central Railroad, whose track stretched between Cumberland, Maryland, and Elkins, and served as the threshold to some of the world’s richest timber and mineral resources.
The town, serving the needs of the coal miners, loggers, and railroad workers, sprouted central maintenance shops and steadily expanded, peaking in 1920, before commencing a resource depletion-caused decline, until the last train, carrying coal and timber products to the rest of the country, departed the depot in 1959.
The tracks lay barren and unused for almost half a century until 2007, when the newly-established Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad again resurrected them-and the town-transporting the first tourists for scenic-ride purposes and resparking a slow growth cycle with a subsequently built restaurant and live theater in its historic Elkins Railyard and additional hotels nearby. Consistently ranked as one of the country’s best small art towns, it is once again the service hub of the Mountain Highlands, reverting to its original purpose of providing hotel, restaurant, shop, and entertainment services, but now to a new group-tourists.
The railroad remains its focus. The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers three departures from the Elkins depot. The first of these, the “New Tygart Flyer,” is a four-hour, 46-mile round-trip run which plunges through the Cheat Mountain Tunnel, passes the towns of Bowdon and Bemis, parallels the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, and stops at the horseshoe-shaped High Falls of Cheat, during which time it serves an en route, buffet luncheon. Upgraded table service is available in 1922-ear deluxe Pullman Palace cars for a slightly higher price.
The “Cheat Mountain Salamander” is a nine-hour, 128-mile round-trip to Spruce, and includes a buffet lunch and dinner, while the “Mountain Express Dinner Train” mimics the New Tygart Flyer’s route, but features a four-course meal in a formally set dining car.
The Railyard Restaurant, sandwiched between the Elkins depot and the American Mountain Theater, provides all on board meals. Emulating the depot itself with its exterior brick construction, the $2.5 million, 220-seat restaurant, leased to the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad, serves family-style cuisine on its main level and upscale dinners in its second-floor Vista Dome Dining Room, its menus inspired by railroad car fare from the 1920s to the 1940s. It toted the opening slogan of, “Take the track to the place with exceptional taste.”
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad’s Rails and Trails Gift Shop is located on its main level.
Continuing the historic, red brick exterior, the adjacent American Mountain Theater, founded in 2003 by Elkins native and RCA recording artist, Susie Heckel, traces its origins to a variety show performed for tourists at a different location. But increasing demand merited the November, 2006, ground-braking for a $1.7 million, 12,784-square-foot, 525-seat structure with aid from her sister, Beverly Sexton, and her husband, Kenny, who owned the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Theater in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Opening the following July, the theater offered family-oriented, Branson-style entertainment performed by a nine-member cast, with Kenny Sexton serving as its president and producer and Beverly writing the score. Two-hour evening shows include comedy, impressions, and country, gospel, bluegrass, and pop music.
Davis and Elkins College, located only a few blocks from the Historic Railyard, shares the same founders as the town of Elkins itself-namely, Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen B. Elkins. Established in 1901 when they donated land and funding to create a college associated with the Presbyterian Church, it was originally located south of town. Its Board of Trustees first met the following year and classes were first held on September 21, 1904.
Today, the coeducational, liberal arts college, located on a 170-acre hilled, wooded campus with views of the Appalachian Mountains, is comprised of 22 new and historic buildings in two sections-the north, which stretches to the athletic fields and the front campus, which is located on a ridge overlooking Elkins. Thirty associate and baccalaureate arts, sciences, pre-professional, and professional degree programs are offered to a 700-student base.
One of its historic buildings is Graceland Inn. Designed by the Baltimore architectural firm of Baldwin and Pennington, the castle-like, Queen Anne-style mansion, originally located on a 360-acre farm, was completed in 1893. Initially called “Mingo Moor,” and intermittently “Mingo Hall” after the area south of Elkins, the estate served as the summer residence of Senator Davis, who regularly transported a train of invited friends and associates during July and August so that they could escape the Washington heat and enjoy Elkins’ higher-elevation, cooler temperatures.
The estate was ultimately renamed “Graceland” after Davis’ youngest daughter, Grace. Following his wife’s death in 1902, he continued to conduct business from offices inside it, while Grace herself resided there during the summer months with her family.
The estate was finally ceded to her own children, Ellen Bruce Lee and John A. Kennedy, its last two owners.
Acquired by the West Virginia Presbyterian Education Fund in 1941, it was used as a male residence hall by the college until 1970, whereafter it was closed. Restored during the mid-1990s, it subsequently reopened as an historic country inn and as a dynamic learning lab for hospitality students.
Overlooking the town of Elkins, on the Davis and Elkins College campus, Graceland Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features a two-story great hall richly decorated with hardwoods, such as quartered oak, bird’s eye maple, cherry, and walnut, a grand staircase, a parlor, a library, and its original stained glass windows. The Mingo Room Restaurant, reflecting the mansion’s initial designation and open to the public, is subdivided into four small rooms lined with red oak and fireplaces and an outdoor verandah, and eleven guest rooms, located on the second and third floors and named after prominent family members, contain antiques, canopy beds, armoires, marble bathrooms, and claw foot tubs.
Graceland Inn, the David and Elkins College, the town of Elkins itself, the historic depot and railyard, their tracks, and the Appalachian Mountain’s coal and timber resources are all inextricably tied to the town’s past–and its future.
B. Seneca Rocks
“Seneca Rocks” designates both a region of the Potomac Highlands and the outcroppings after which that region is named.
Resembling a razor back, or shark’s fin, and located at the confluence of the Seneca Creek and the North Fork South Branch Potomac River, the 250-foot-thick, 900-foot-high Seneca Rocks, accessible by West Virginia Route 28, were formed 400 million years ago during the Silurian Period in an extensive sand shoal at the edge of the ancient Iapetus Ocean. As the seas decreased in size, the rock uplifted and folded, erosion ultimately wearing away its upper surface and leaving the arching folds and craggy profile they exhibit today.
Made of white and gray tuscarora quartzite, the formation features both a north and south peak, with a notch separating the two.
The current Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, which replaced the original visitor’s center, features relief models of the area, films, interpretive programs, and a bookshop.
A path leads to the Sites Homestead, part of the center. Constructed in 1839 by William Sites as a single-room log cabin below Seneca Rocks Ridge, it is typical of then-current Appalachian homes whose German Blockbau-style featured square logs and v-notched corner joints spread apart by stone and clay chinks.
In the late-1860s, one of Sites’ sons expanded the homestead, adding a second floor, and, after use as a hay barn, the Forest Service purchased it in 1969, restoring it during the 1980s. In 1993, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The greater Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, offering significant outdoor sports opportunities, contains a key portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, whose mountains and forests collect water which then flows into the Potomac River and the bay itself. Acting as a cleansing and filtering mechanism, its headwater forests purify the water before it reaches the streams. Spruce Knob is both the highest point in the Chesapeake Watershed and the entire state of West Virginia.
Aside from facilitating water, the area has provided sustenance to humans, who first lived in Native American villages within its mountains, and then created farming settlements and logging camps, extracting its resources and supporting life for some 13,000 years. Today, it is home to 15 million people.
The Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area itself is part of the much larger Monongahela National Forest. Established in 1920 with an initial 7,200 acres, the present 910,155-acre forest contains the headwaters of the Monongahela, Potomac, Greenbrier, Elk, Tygart, and Gauley Rivers; five federally-designated “wildernesses”-Dolly Sods, Outer Creek, Laurel Fork North, Laurel Fork South, and Cranberry-whose very remote and primitive areas only offer lower-standard trail markings; and four lakes.
A Mecca for outdoor sports enthusiasts, the national forest features 169 hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails which cover more than 800 miles, 576 miles of trout streams, 129 miles of warm-water fishing, 23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas, and wildlife viewing of black bear, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, gray fox, rabbits, snowshoe hare, grouse, and woodcock.
C. Canaan Valley
Blanketed with bigtooth aspen, balsam fir, and spruce, Canaan Valley, stretching 14 miles, is the highest such valley east of the Mississippi River, its namesake mountain separating it from the Blackwater River and creating a deep, narrow canyon in the Allegheny Plateau.
The pristinely beautiful area encompasses two state parks-Canaan Valley Resort and Black Water Falls State Parks; two ski areas-again Canaan Valley Resort and Timberline Four Seasons Resort; and the nation’s 500th wildlife refuge.
Natural sports abound: hiking, horseback riding, fishing, golfing, swimming, rafting, and interpretive nature walking during the summer, and skiing, snowboarding, and tubing during the winter.
Nucleus of most of this is 6,000-acre Canaan Valley Resort State Park, which encompasses 18 miles of trails, wetlands, open meadows, northern hardwood forests, wildlife, 200 species of birds, and 600 types of wildflowers.
Canaan Valley Resort, located within the park, offers 250 modern guest rooms, 23 two-, three-, and four-bedroom mountain cabins with fireplaces and full kitchens, 34 paved, wooded campsites with full hook-ups, and six lounges and restaurants, including the Hickory Dining Room in the main lodge.
Its 4,280-foot mountain, whose longest run is 1.25 miles and whose vertical drop is 850 feet, features one quad and two triple lifts, and 11 trails for night skiing. Its winter activities, like those of the extended Canaan Valley, include skiing, snowboarding, airboarding, tubing, snowshoeing, and ice skating, while summer programs include scenic chairlift rides, guided walks, golf, tennis, and hiking.
D. Big Mountain Country
Big Mountain County, location of West Virginia’s second-highest peak, serves as the birthplace of eight rivers-the Greenbier, Gauley, Cheat, Cherry, Elk, Williams, Cranberry, and Tygart-while its Seneca State Forest, which borders the former in Pocahontas County, is the state’s oldest. An interesting array of sights include steam-powered logging railroads, astronomical observatories, preserved towns, a premier ski resort, and their associated assortment of outdoor sports and activities.
The Durbin and Greenbier Valley Railroad’s fourth excursion train, the “Durbin Rocket,” departs from the town of Durbin itself, located some 40 miles from Elkins.
Powered by a 55-ton steam engine built for the Moore-Keppel Lumber Company in nearby Randolph County, and one of only three remaining geared Climax logging locomotives, the train makes a two-hour, 11-mile round-trip run along the Greenbier River and through the Monongahela National Forest as far as Piney Island, where the rental “castaway caboose” is disconnected and pushed onto a very short spur track for a one or more night stay.
The ultra-modern, high-tech National Radio Astronomy Observatory, located a short distance away in Green Bank, offers an opportunity to learn about radio wave astronomy.
Designing, building, and operating the world’s most advanced and sophisticated radio telescopes, the observatory produces images of celestial bodies, such as planets, stars, and galaxies, millions of light-years away by recording their radio omission quantities.
The Green Bank Science Center, nucleus of this experience, features a museum which introduces the science of radio astronomy, radio waves, telescope operation, and what is being learned through them about the universe; the Galaxy Gift Shop; the Starlight Café; and the departure point for the escorted bus tour of the facility, prior to which an introductory film and lecture are presented in the theater.
The tour’s highlight is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), designed when the previous 300-foot device collapsed in 1988 and Congress was forced to appropriate emergency funds to design it.
Dedicated on August 25, 2000, after a nine-year development period, it is 485 feet tall, is comprised of 2,004 panels, has a 100-by-110 meter diameter, a 2.3 acre surface area, and weighs 17 million pounds. The world’s largest, fully maneuverable telescope with a computer-controlled reflecting surface, it is functionally independent of the sun, permitting 24-hour-per-day operation, and receives wavelengths which vary between 1/8th of an inch to nine feet.
Initially employed in conjunction with the Arecibo Observatory to produce images of Venus, it later detected three new pulsars (spinning neutron stars) in the Messier 62 region.
A 15-minute drive from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is another significant sight, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tracing its origins to 1899 when John G. Luke acquired more than 67,000 acres of red spruce in an area which ultimately developed into the town of Cass, it became the headquarters of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. The town, supporting the workforce needed to convert the raw resources into finished products, sprouted shops, services, houses, a sawmill, tracks, and a railroad to haul the timber.
Instrumental to the operation had been the Shay, or similarly-designed Climax and Heisler steam locomotives, whose direct gearing delivered positive control and more even power, allowing them to ply often temporarily-laid tracks, steep grades, and hairpin turns, all the while pulling heavy, freshly-felled timber loads. The Western Maryland #6, at 162 tons, was the last, and heaviest, Shay locomotive ever built. The railroad inaugurated its first service in 1901.
During two 11-hour, six-day-per-week shifts, the town’s mill was able to cut more than 125,000 board feet of lumber per shift and dry 360,000 per run with its 11 miles of steam pipes, adding up to 1.5 million board feet cut per week and 35 million per year. After 40 years of milling at Cass and Spruce, more than two billion board feet of lumber and paper had been produced.
Operating until 1943, the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company sold the enterprise to the Mower Lumber Company, which maintained it for another 17 years, at which time it was closed and purchased by the state of West Virginia, in 1961.
The railroad and the town of Cass, which remain virtually unchanged, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Aside from the historic buildings, there are several other attractions. Connected to the large Cass Company Store is the railroad-themed Last Run Restaurant. Turn-of-the-century logging can be gleaned at the Cass Historical Museum. The Shay Railroad Shop, having once housed coal bins, offers additional books and crafts for sale. The metal, Cass Showcase building above it, having stored hay to feed horse teams, features an introductory film and an HO-scale train and town layout reflecting their 1930s appearance.
Escorted walking tours of Cass, usually conducted in the afternoon after the trains have returned from their daily excursions, offer insight into what it had been like to live and work in a turn-of-the-century company town, while the Locomotive Repair Shop tour includes visits to the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association’s shop, the sawmill area, and a look at Shay and Climax locomotive maintenance and repair.
An excursion on the Cass Scenic Railroad itself, which commenced tourist rides in 1963 and is therefore the longest-running scenic rail journey in the country, is a living history experience. Pulled by one of the original Shay or Climax steam locomotives, the train accommodates passengers in equally authentic logging cars which have been converted to coaches with wooden, bench-like seats and roofs, while a single enclosed car, offering reserved seating, sports booth-like accommodation and is designated “Leatherbark Creek.”
All trains depart from Cass’s reconstructed depot, at a 2,456-foot elevation, climbing Leatherneck Run, negotiating 11-percent grades, maneuvering and reversing through a lower and upper switchback, and arriving at Whittaker Station, which features a snack stand, views of the eastern West Virginia mountains, and a reconstructed, 1946 logging camp. The eight-mile round-trip back to Cass requires two hours.
A four-and-a-half hour, 22-mile round-trip continues up Back Allegheny Mountain, passing Old Spruce and the Oats Creek Water Tank, and plying track laid by the Mower Lumber company, before reaching 4,842-foot Bald Knob, West Virginia’s third-highest peak.
Limited runs are also offered to Spruce, an abandoned logging town on the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. This train also transits Whittaker Station.
Although not affiliated with the Cass Scenic Railroad, the Boyer Station Restaurant, located six miles from Green Bank on Route 28, offers inexpensive, home-cooked, country-style meals amidst railroad décor with wooden, rail depot-reminiscent tables and benches, train and logging memorabilia, and large-scale, track-mounted model railroads. It is part of a 20-room motel and campground complex.
Winter sports account for a significant portion of the Big Mountain Country’s offerings. Ten miles from Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is Snowshoe Mountain.
Located in the bowl-shaped convergence of Cheat and Back Allegheny Mountain at the head of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, the area, striped of trees by logging between 1905 and 1960, had been discovered by Thomas Brigham, a North Carolina dentist, who had previously opened the Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain Ski Resorts.
Reflecting European style, Snowshoe Village is located on the mountain’s summit and offers 1,400 hotel and condominium rooms, restaurants, shops, services, and entertainment. The 244-acre resort, which combines the Snowshoe and Silver Creek areas, has a 3,348-foot base; a 4,848-foot summit, making it the highest such ski resort in the mid-Atlantic and southeast; 14 chairlifts; 60 runs, of which the longest is 1.5 miles; and 1,500-foot vertical drops at Cupp Run and Shay’s Revenge. Average snowfall is 180 inches. Spring, summer, and fall activities include golf, boating, bicycling, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, skating, and swimming.
The extended area’s Seneca State Forest, named after the Native Americans who had once roamed the land, borders the Greenbier River in Pocahontas County and contains 23 miles of forest, 11,684 acres of woodlands, a four-acre lake for boating and trout, largemouth bass, and bluegill fishing, hiking tails, pioneer cabins, and rustic campsites.
4. NEW RIVER-GREENBRIER VALLEY
The New River-Greenbrier Valley region of West Virginia is topographically diverse and ruggedly beautiful.
Split by the Gauley River, its northern section is comprised of a rugged plateau in which is nestled the calm, azure Summersville Lake, while mountainous ridgelines, affording extensive interior coal mining, are characteristic of its central region. Horse and cattle grazing is prevalent on the flat farm expanses which intersperse the eastern edge’s lush, green mountain plateau, divided by the Greenbrier River, the largest, untamed water channel in the eastern United States, which flows through it. Its southern region is a jigsaw puzzle of omni-directional ridgelines and very narrow valleys.
New and Bluestone River-formed gorges provide a wealth of rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting opportunities in this region of the state.
The area’s most prominent, and beautiful, topographical feature is the New River Gorge National River. Flowing from below Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, to the north of the US Highway 19 bridge near Fayetteville, it dissects all the physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Mountains. A rugged, white water river, and among the oldest in North America, it flows northward through steep canyons and geological formations. Approximately 1,000 feet separate its bottom from its adjacent plateau. On July 30, 1998, it was named an American Heritage River, one of 14 waterways so designated.
Its related park encompasses 70,000 acres.
Signature of the New River Gorge National Park is its New River Gorge Bridge. Completed on October 22, 1977 at a $37 million cost, the dual-hinged, steel arch bridge is 3,030 feet long, 69.3 feet wide, and has an 876-foot clearance. Carrying the four lanes of US Route 19, it was then the world’s longest, and is currently the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas and the second highest in the world after the Millau Viaduct in France. Its longest single span, between arches, is 1,700 feet.
There are three related visitor centers and vantage points. The Canyon Rim Visitor Center, located two miles north of Fayetteville on Route 19, offers exhibits, films, interpretive programs, trails, and a scenic overlook, while the Grandview Center is located in Thurmond off of Interstate 64 on Route 25. The park’s headquarters are in Glen Jean.
Fayetteville is the hub for New River Gorge kayaking and white water rafting.
Coal, as synonymous with West Virginia as logging, is an industry the tourist should experience sometime during his visit. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, located in the city of the same name, offers just such an opportunity.
A 1,400-square-foot Company Store, coal museum, fudgery, and gift shop serves as a visitor’s center and threshold to the sight’s two major components. A coal camp, the first of these, depicts 20th-century life in a typical coal town, represented by several relocated and restored buildings.
Plying 1,500 feet of underground passages in the 36-inch, Phillips-Sprague Seam Mine, which had been active between 1883 and 1953, track-guided “man-cars” driven by authentic miners, encompass the complex’s second component and make periodic stops in the cold, damp, and dark passage to discuss and illustrate the advancement of mining techniques. The rock duster, for example, ensured that coal dust would not explode deep in the mine. Strategically positioned roof bolts avoided cave-ins. Pumps extracted water. Dangerously low oxygen levels dictated immediate evacuation.
Coal had fueled the world’s steam engines for industrial plants and rail and sea transportation.
The Phillips-Sprague Mine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
5. CONCLUSION
West Virginia’s three principle regions of Charleston, the Potomac Highlands, and the New River-Greenbier Valley offer immersive experiences into the past which shaped the present by means of its pristinely beautiful and resource-rich mines and mountains that yielded coal, timber, logging railroads, and an abundance of outdoor sports.
Source by Robert Waldvogel
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Time continues to pass with accelerated force, while history plants its seeds. Often, we don’t pay attention to the subtle changes making their way into our environment and tend to miss out on marvelous transformations.
With technological advances and world revolutions, many significant sights and cities have undergone drastic redesigns that have enabled them to develop in a modernized world. Discoveries following world wars and new machines have allowed for structures to be rebuilt in efficient ways that help progress societies.
Looking back at the changes can be quite shocking and can even provide you with a new perspective. From developing luxurious high-rises to cutting-edge renovations, the planet has seen vast improvements over time that can be remembered with pride and appreciation. Below are 8 before and after photos of places that have changed significantly from the past.
1. The Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris, France during the 1950s and in 2018. This spot was where famous French artists, like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the man who made their famous posters, according to The Guardian, frequented before it was accidentally burnt down in 1915. It was later rebuilt and revived as a club for entertainers during the 1920s and on, and hosted icons like Mistinguett, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. Now it primarily serves as a tourist attraction, with extravagant shows filled with bright lights and costumes, that are open to the public.
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2. The Tower Bridge in London, England, from 1894 to 2017. This viaduct adjacent to the Tower of London, a historic castle, took 8 years to build and has now become a staple attraction for visitors from around the world. In 2008, the bridge began to undergo what was a four-year-long major renovation project, which included LED lights and a new paint job, says The Telegraph.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
3. Mulberry Street, in New York City, USA from 1900 to 2014. This road is located in the centre of Little Italy, in Manhattan and has been a setting to many prominent events through history, as well as Mafia crimes, explains Lonely Planet. The sidewalks are no longer covered with carts and merchants, but with busy patios of popular restaurants.
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4. The Great Library in Osgoode Hall, Toronto, Canada from the 19th century to 2018. This space was an addition following renovations to Osgoode Hall in 1929, uniquely meant for the Law Society of Upper Canada, says Blog TO. It contains 120,000 legal volumes and is a private space paid for by lawyers who are members, that opens to the public during regular operating hours. Its layout and furniture style has changed, but it remains one of Toronto’s hidden treasures.
Wikimedia / Instagram
5. Los Angeles City Hall in California, from 1927 to 2018. This building is located in the Civic Center district of downtown Los Angeles and houses the mayor’s office, according to their personal Facebook page. Being located in a prime spot, it has had the chance to be included as the backdrop of many famous movies and shows, such as The Adventures of Superman, War of the Worlds and L.A. Confidential. You can now find it surrounded by palm trees and sports cars.
Wikimedia / Instagram
6. Museum of the City of Lodz, in Łódź, Poland from the 1920’s to 2017. The castle was previously owned by a Polish-Jewish businessman, Izrael Poznański, and served as a personal palace with numerous offices and dining spaces, explains Culture.pl, a Polish historical website. The space now works as a museum honoring architecture and national history.
Facebook / Refotografie
7. Dubai, UAE from 2005 to 2012. This global city has quickly transformed from being a desert to becoming a business hub and one of the most visited places in the Middle East. Countless skyscrapers were built over the last decade, including the tallest tower in the world, Burj Khalifa, confirms Guinness World Records. Oil revenue initially launched its development but now its funding relies primarily on tourism, real estate and aviation.
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8. The Coney Island Cyclone at Luna Park in Coney Island, New York from 1961 to 2018. Originally created as a part of a long-time amusement park, Astroland, the ride has now become an iconic part of the island and its culture. Made of wood over 90 years ago, says Fortune, the roller coaster currently finds itself surrounded by many new, high-tech counterparts.
Wikimedia / Tumblr
9. Front Street in Toronto, Canada, from 1950 to 2018. The main road, which is now home to the Fairmont Royal York hotel and Union Station, was excavated mid-twentieth century for the construction of the subway, according to Toronto.ca. The street was first laid out in 1796 and is still one of the most walked-on in the city.
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10. Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City, from 1952 to 2018. At the time of its erection, this multi-purpose stadium was the largest in the country. Since that time it’s held the 1955 Pan American Games, the 1968 Summer Olympics, says Olympic.org, and a few 1986 FIFA World Cup games. As a constituent of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, it also works as a playing field on campus.
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11. The Bode Museum on the Museum Island in Berlin, Germany, from 1909 to 2018. Originally, the building was called the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, after Emperor Frederick III, explains Visit Berlin, but was later renamed in 1956 to honour its first curator. Today, it sits near the Fernsehturm Tower, and holds works varying in eras, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
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12. The Acropolis of Athens, in Greece, from the 1900’s to 2018. The Acropolis, meaning “highest point,” in Greek, says the English Oxford Dictionary, is an ancient fortress located above the capital city of Athens. It’s comprised of a number of ancient buildings, including the Parthenon. The archaic site remains a historical attraction that is recognized worldwide.
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13. Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, from 1937 to 2018. The famous beach officially opened to the public in 1882, and since has been a popular retreat for locals and visitors, alike. Though it is historically famous for its strict laws against indecent swimwear, according to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, it has now converted to contemporary norms and allows bikinis and topless sunbathing.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
14. Tokyo Station Building in Chiyoda, Tokyo from 1997 to 2018. The Marunouchi business district, neighboring the Imperial Palace, is where the original building still lies. An expansion, not far from the Ginza commercial district, was added more recently, with further renovations developing until 2013. Shockingly, two Japanese prime ministers were assassinated at the station, one in 1921 and the other in 1930, says CNN.
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15. Pike Street in Seattle, Washington, from 1909 to 2018. Seattle’s Pike Street is most famous for being residence to Pike Place Market, the country’s oldest operated public farmers’ markets, dating back to 1907, according to Seattle.gov. The 33rd most visited tourist attraction in the world sees more than 10 million people yearly and contains a variety of family-owned shops, restaurants and fresh seafood and produce.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
16. The Chicago Skyline, in the State of Illinois, from 1970 to 2018. This beautiful metropolitan city inhabits over 2.7 million people and is the third-largest in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. Being the birthplace of the first skyscraper in 1885, as reported by The Guardian, it now holds more than 100 high-rises, making its skyline one of the most noteworthy.
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17. Jama Masjid in Delhi, India from 1976 to 2018. Built in 1644 following orders by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, it is one of the largest mosques ever built in India and can hold up to 25,000 guests. The building faced two attacks, one bombing in 2006, and a shooting in 2010, though none were fatal, says the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
18. Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 1976 to 2018. The city of Chiang Mai is the largest in northern Thailand. Found above the Ping River, says Chiang Mai by Hotels.com, it holds some of the most beautiful Buddhist temples, dating back to the 13th century. The old city is where these intricate gems exist, a place often crowded with awestruck tourists.
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19. Hampton Court Gardens in London, England, from the 1930’s to 2018. Home to a large trapezoid maze, commissioned in the 18th century, it covers 60 acres of land, says Historical Royal Palaces, and is known for being remarkably well-kept. It sits behind a palace originally belonging to King Henry the 8th during the 16th century and is now open for public tours.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
20. Beacon Hill, Hong Kong, China in the 1970’s to 2018. Located in the northern region of the Kowloon peninsula, this high hill is over 400 metres tall and is a part of Lion Rock Country Park, says the AFCD of the government of Hong Kong. The hill was also used as a lookout spot for intruders during the reign of the Qing Dynasty and is now a site occupied by a police transmitter and radar station.
Wikimedia / Shutterstock
The post 20 Before And After Photos That Capture How Much The World Has Changed appeared first on Providr.com.
The post 20 Before And After Photos That Capture How Much The World Has Changed appeared first on Lazy Updates.
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Henry County Community Calendar
Bethel United Methodist Church, 245 Fairview Road in Stockbridge, is hosting its second annual Awesome Blossom Spring Fest on May 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will feature local and regional arts and crafters, live entertainment, children’s activities, an antique auto exhibit and lots of great food. Visit awesomeblossomfestival.com for more information.
Pregnancy Resource Center of Henry County is hosting its annual “Run for the Bun” 5K race and walk to benefit the center. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with the race to begin at 8:30 a.m at Trailhead Park, located at Cleveland Street and Indian Creek Road in Locust Grove. For more information and to register, visit prchc.org.
Join the Locust Grove community May 6 for Locust Grove Middle School’s inaugural Derby Days 5K and fun run. All ages are invited to participate and wear their best derby hats. Events begin with registration at 7 a.m. and include a hat contest and silent auction at the school, 3315 S. Ola Road in Locust Grove. For more information and to register, visit ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=46786.
Rutabaga’s Market & Cafe and LeAnn’s Gourmet Foods will host a farmer’s market on Cherry Street and James Street in Downtown Hampton starting the first Saturday in May through October. The market is free to all vendors, and everything must be handmade or grown.
Henry County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. will host a Senior Fraud Prevention Seminar, presented by AARP. The seminar will be held on May 6 at the Piedmont Henry Education Building in The Foundation Boardroom, 1133 Eagles Landing Parkway in Stockbridge, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. RSVP by May 4 by emailing your first and last name to [email protected].
The Genealogical Society presents a new entertainment event, “Promenade Through History: A Visit with the Past.” This event offers a look at the history and heritage of Henry County through the people who experienced it. The show will be presented at Cannon Cleveland Contemporary Chapel, 2480 Ga. Higway 42 N. in McDonough, at 2 and 5 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit henryclaytongenealogy.com.
Stockbridge Dialysis and Southside Kidney Clinics will host a free community Health Fair Carnival from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3580 Cameron Parkway in Stockbridge. There will be children’s activities, games, snacks and door prizes. Free health screenings will also be available. For more information visit southsidekidneyclinics.com.
Henry County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. invites the community to a Legislative Review 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fairview Recreation Center, 35 Austin Road in Stockbridge. State representatives will review active Georgia bills that were introduced, enrolled and passed in the last General Assembly, and the New Georgia Project will discuss best ways to strengthen community involvement and activism.
Waste Industries has openings for Class A or B CDL drivers at its Stockbridge location, 3351 N. Highway 42 in Stockbridge. The business is hosting a job fair with on-site interviews from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 11. For more information, call 404-337-9499.
The Agape Princess House, a faith-based transitional home for women recovering from abuse, will hold its inaugural “Tennis FUNraiser” at Eagle’s Landing Country Club, 100 Eagles Landing Way in Stockbridge, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event features tennis tournaments, lunch, games and activities. Sign in begins at 8 a.m. Register to play online at bit.ly/agape-1st-tennis before May 5.
What would Elvis look and sound like if he were alive today? Enjoy “Elvis at 80” at the Heritage Senior Center, 1050 Florence McGarity Blvd. in McDonough, from 10 a.m. to noon. This concert is free and open to the public.
AARP is offering a six-hour safe driver class at the Fairview Library, 28 Fairview Road in Stockbridge, beginning at 10 a.m. This class can help reduce automobile insurance rates. Participants should bring a lunch. The cost is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. To register, call 770-922-7965.
The city of Stockbridge is hosting a memorial march to honor men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The event, a ceremonial 1-mile walk, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon at Merle Manders Conference Center, 111 Davis Road in Stockbridge. Visit cityofstockbridge.com for more information.
Healing Hearts Ministries is hosting a summer day camp from May 30 to July 28, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekly camp cost is $85, with extended morning and evening camp hours at an additional cost. The camp will be held at 45 Parkland Drive in Stockbridge. To register, call or text 4040-748-2217 or email [email protected]
The Caribbean Association of Georgia Inc. will celebrate National Caribbean American Heritage Month by once again hosting the McDonough Caribbean Cultural Festival at Alexander Park on Atlanta Street in McDonough from 1 to 8 p.m. This free, family-friendly event will feature food, music and entertainment.
Arts Clayton will host the 14th annual Allen Vigil Golf Classic at Eagle’s Landing Country Club, 100 Eagle’s Landing Way in Stockbridge. For more information or to request an invitation, contact Linda Crissey at 770-473-5831 or [email protected].
Alcoholics Anonymous meets at noon Monday through Saturday at 151 Macon St. in McDonough. Call 678-972-9029 or visit the organization online at aa.atlanta.org to find a meeting near you.
Harbor of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors support group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of every month in the Education Building, Room A, at Piedmont Henry Hospital. For more information, call Teresa Garmon at 770-602-4510 or email [email protected].
Join the Southside Christian Fellowship church, 750 Mt. Carmel Road in McDonough, every third Saturday of the month for “Breaking Every Chain of Bondage and Addition,” a journey to recovery through music, drama and teaching. Meet and greet begins at 6:30 p.m., with presentation to begin at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Dewayne Goodwin at 678-520-9115.
McDonough Group 1951 is hosting monthly meetings. The groups will meet at Wesley Way United Methodist Church, 150 John Wesley Way, at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month. Families Anonymous is a worldwide, 12-step self-help program for relatives and friends concerned about and affected by substance abuse or behavioral problems of a loved one. No dues or fees are required. The group uses only first names to preserve anonymity. Visitors welcome. For more information, call 770-315-6057 or email [email protected].
GED Classes are held every Monday and Thursday evening at Cochran Public Library, 174 Burke St. in Stockbridge. To sign up, contact Southern Crescent Technical College at 770-914-4422.
Homestead Hospice in Jackson is looking for volunteers in Henry County to visit with patients and provide comfort, companionship and emotional support. The hospice provides training and ongoing support to volunteers. For more information, call Gay Moncrief at 770-775-0100 or email [email protected].
Monthly Meeting
The community and business owners are invited to participate in Get Georgia Ready. Monthly meetings are held at 10 a.m. the first Tuesday of every month in the Piedmont Henry Education Foundation Building. For more information, email Regina Lewis-Ward at [email protected] or call 770-884-1938.
The Henry County Toastmasters Club meets the first and third Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Piedmont Henry Hospital Education Center Building on the first floor. For more about this event and the club, visit toastmastersclubs.org or email Debbie Thompson at [email protected].
TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, Chapter 0395 McDonough, meets at 6 p.m. every Thursday in the WBI education building adjacent to the McDonough Church of Christ entrance, 400 Lake Dow Road in McDonough. TOPS is open to everyone seeking to lose weight and live healthily. For more information, call 404-803-1519.
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A Tourist Guide to West Virginia
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1. INTRODUCTION
West Virginia, endlessly covered with forests and known as the “Mountain State,” offers breathtaking scenery, natural resource-related sights, and year-round, outdoor activities.
Once rich in coal and timber, it was shaped by the mines and logging railroads which extracted them, but when decades of removal began to deplete these commodities, their rolling, green-carpeted mountains yielded secondary byproducts-namely, hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, climbing, and hunting to tourists and sports enthusiasts alike. Its New River Gorge, which offers many similar activities, is equally beautiful with its rugged banks and azure surfaces, while the principle city of Charleston, revitalized during the 1970s and 1980s, now features museums, art, shopping malls, restaurants, and world-class performance venues.
2. CHARLESTON
Located on the Kanawha River, and sporting an easily negotiable street grid system, it is subdivided into the Capitol Complex and the downtown area with the East End Historic District linking the two.
From the former, which is the heart of state government, juts the ubiquitously visible, gold-domed Capitol Building itself. Constructed of buff Indiana limestone and 4,640 tons of steel, which themselves required the temporary laying of a spur rail line to transport them, the building had been laid in three stages during an eight-year period: 1924 to 1925 for the west wing, 1926 to 1927 for the east wing, and 1930 to 1932 for the connecting rotunda. It was officially dedicated by Governor William G. Conley on June 20, 1932, on the occasion of West Virginia’s 69th birthday as a state.
Its gold dome, which extends five feet higher than that of the Capitol in Washington, is gilded in 23 ½-karat gold leaf, applied between 1988 and 1991 as tiny squares to cover the otherwise copper and lead surface.
Two-thirds of its interior, which encompasses 535,000 square feet subdivided into 333 rooms, is comprised of Italian travertine, imperial derby, and Tennessee marble, and the chandelier in the rotunda, its center piece, is made of 10,180 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal illuminated by 96 light bulbs. Weighing 4,000 pounds, it hangs from a 54-foot brass and bronze chain.
Across from the State Capitol, but still within the complex, is the West Virginia Cultural Center. Opened in 1976 and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, it was created to showcase the state’s artistic, cultural, and historical heritage, and houses the West Virginia State Museum, the archives and history library, a gift shop, and a venue for cultural events, performances, and related programs.
The former, a collection of items which represents the state’s land, people, and culture, is subdivided into 24 significant scenes covering five periods: Prehistory (3 million years BC to 1650 AD), Frontier (1754-1860), the Civil War and the 35th State (1861 to 1899), Industrialization (1900 to 1945), and Change and Tradition (1954 to the 21st century). The 24 representations themselves trace the state’s evolution and include such periods as “Coal Forest,” “River Plains,” “Wilderness,” “The Fort,” “Harper’s Ferry,” “Building the Rails,” “Coal Mine,” “Main Street, West Virginia,” and “New River Gorge.”
Thirteen monuments, memorials, and statues honoring West Virginians for their contributions to the state and the nation grace the Capitol Complex’s landscaped grounds.
Culture can also be experienced at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, a modern, 240,000-square-foot, three-level complex which opened on July 12, 2003 and represents one of the most ambitious economic, cultural, and educational projects in West Virginia’s history. Offering sciences, visual arts, and performing arts under a single roof, the center houses the dual-level Avampato Discovery Museum, an interactive, youth-oriented experience with sections such as Health Royale, KidSpace, Earth City, and Gizmo Factory. A 9,000-square-foot Art Gallery, located on the second floor, features both temporary and permanent exhibits, the latter emphasizing 19th and 20th century art by names such as Andy Warhol, Stuart Davis, Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Vida Frey, and Albert Paley. The ElectricSky Theater, a 61-foot domed planetarium, offers daily astronomy shows and wide screen presentations. Live performances are staged in two locations: the 1,883-seat Maier Foundation Performance Hall, which is home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, but otherwise offers a variety of performance types, from comedy to popular singers, bands, repertory, and Broadway plays, and the 200-seat Walker Theater, which features plays and dances with cabaret-style seating for the Woody Hawley singer-songwriter program. The Douglas V. Reynolds Intermezzo Café and three classrooms are located on the lower level.
Shopping can be done at two major venues. The Charleston Town Center Mall, located adjacent to the Town Center Marriott and Embassy Suites Hotel, and near the Civic Center, is a one million square foot, tri-level complex with more than 130 stores, three anchor department stores, six full-service restaurants, and a food court with ten additional fast food venues, and is accessed through three convenient parking garages. Sporting a three-story atrium and fountain, the upscale, Kanawha Valley complex was the largest urban shopping center east of the Mississippi River when it opened in 1983.
The Capitol Market, located on Capitol and Sixth Streets in the restored and converted, 1800s Kanawha and Michigan Railroad depot, is subdivided into both in- and outdoor markets, the latter of which can only be used by bona fide farmers and receives daily, fresh, seasonal deliveries, usually consisting of flowers, shrubs, and trees in the spring; fruits and vegetables in the summer; pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks in the fall; and Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands in the winter. The indoor market sells seafood, cheeses, and wines, and offers several small food stands and a full-service Italian restaurant.
An evening can be spent at the TriState Racetrack and Gaming Center. Located a 15-minute drive from Charleston in Cross Lanes, the venue offers 90,000 square feet of gaming entertainment, inclusive of more than 1,300 slot machines, live racing, a poker room, blackjack, roulette, and craps, and four restaurants: the French Quarter Restaurant and Bar, the First Turn Restaurant, the Café Orleans, and Crescent City.
3. POTOMAC HIGHLANDS
The Potomac Highlands, located in the eastern portion of the state on the Allegheny Plateau, is a tapestry of diverse geographic regions and covers eight counties. Alternatively designated ��Mountain Highlands,” it had been formed some 250 million years ago when the North American and African continental collision had produced a single, uplifted mass. Subjected to millennia of wind- and water-caused erosion, it resulted in successive valleys and parallel ridges, and today the area encompasses two national forests: Canaan Valley, the highest east of the Mississippi River, and Spruce Knob, at 4,861 feet, West Virginia’s highest point. Its green-covered mountains yielded abundant timber, the logging railroads necessary to harness it, two premier ski resorts, and a myriad of outdoor sports and activities.
The Potomac Highlands can be subdivided into the Tygart Valley, Seneca Rocks, Canaan Valley, and Big Mountain Country.
A. Tygart Valley
The town of Elkins, located in the Tygart Valley, is the transportation, shopping, and social center of the east central Appalachian Mountains and serves as a base for Potomac Highland excursions.
Established in 1890 by Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen. B. Elkins, his son-in-law and business partner, it originated as a shipping hub for their coal, timber, and railroad empire, the latter the result of their self-financed construction of the West Virginia Central Railroad, whose track stretched between Cumberland, Maryland, and Elkins, and served as the threshold to some of the world’s richest timber and mineral resources.
The town, serving the needs of the coal miners, loggers, and railroad workers, sprouted central maintenance shops and steadily expanded, peaking in 1920, before commencing a resource depletion-caused decline, until the last train, carrying coal and timber products to the rest of the country, departed the depot in 1959.
The tracks lay barren and unused for almost half a century until 2007, when the newly-established Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad again resurrected them-and the town-transporting the first tourists for scenic-ride purposes and resparking a slow growth cycle with a subsequently built restaurant and live theater in its historic Elkins Railyard and additional hotels nearby. Consistently ranked as one of the country’s best small art towns, it is once again the service hub of the Mountain Highlands, reverting to its original purpose of providing hotel, restaurant, shop, and entertainment services, but now to a new group-tourists.
The railroad remains its focus. The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers three departures from the Elkins depot. The first of these, the “New Tygart Flyer,” is a four-hour, 46-mile round-trip run which plunges through the Cheat Mountain Tunnel, passes the towns of Bowdon and Bemis, parallels the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, and stops at the horseshoe-shaped High Falls of Cheat, during which time it serves an en route, buffet luncheon. Upgraded table service is available in 1922-ear deluxe Pullman Palace cars for a slightly higher price.
The “Cheat Mountain Salamander” is a nine-hour, 128-mile round-trip to Spruce, and includes a buffet lunch and dinner, while the “Mountain Express Dinner Train” mimics the New Tygart Flyer’s route, but features a four-course meal in a formally set dining car.
The Railyard Restaurant, sandwiched between the Elkins depot and the American Mountain Theater, provides all on board meals. Emulating the depot itself with its exterior brick construction, the $2.5 million, 220-seat restaurant, leased to the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad, serves family-style cuisine on its main level and upscale dinners in its second-floor Vista Dome Dining Room, its menus inspired by railroad car fare from the 1920s to the 1940s. It toted the opening slogan of, “Take the track to the place with exceptional taste.”
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad’s Rails and Trails Gift Shop is located on its main level.
Continuing the historic, red brick exterior, the adjacent American Mountain Theater, founded in 2003 by Elkins native and RCA recording artist, Susie Heckel, traces its origins to a variety show performed for tourists at a different location. But increasing demand merited the November, 2006, ground-braking for a $1.7 million, 12,784-square-foot, 525-seat structure with aid from her sister, Beverly Sexton, and her husband, Kenny, who owned the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Theater in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Opening the following July, the theater offered family-oriented, Branson-style entertainment performed by a nine-member cast, with Kenny Sexton serving as its president and producer and Beverly writing the score. Two-hour evening shows include comedy, impressions, and country, gospel, bluegrass, and pop music.
Davis and Elkins College, located only a few blocks from the Historic Railyard, shares the same founders as the town of Elkins itself-namely, Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen B. Elkins. Established in 1901 when they donated land and funding to create a college associated with the Presbyterian Church, it was originally located south of town. Its Board of Trustees first met the following year and classes were first held on September 21, 1904.
Today, the coeducational, liberal arts college, located on a 170-acre hilled, wooded campus with views of the Appalachian Mountains, is comprised of 22 new and historic buildings in two sections-the north, which stretches to the athletic fields and the front campus, which is located on a ridge overlooking Elkins. Thirty associate and baccalaureate arts, sciences, pre-professional, and professional degree programs are offered to a 700-student base.
One of its historic buildings is Graceland Inn. Designed by the Baltimore architectural firm of Baldwin and Pennington, the castle-like, Queen Anne-style mansion, originally located on a 360-acre farm, was completed in 1893. Initially called “Mingo Moor,” and intermittently “Mingo Hall” after the area south of Elkins, the estate served as the summer residence of Senator Davis, who regularly transported a train of invited friends and associates during July and August so that they could escape the Washington heat and enjoy Elkins’ higher-elevation, cooler temperatures.
The estate was ultimately renamed “Graceland” after Davis’ youngest daughter, Grace. Following his wife’s death in 1902, he continued to conduct business from offices inside it, while Grace herself resided there during the summer months with her family.
The estate was finally ceded to her own children, Ellen Bruce Lee and John A. Kennedy, its last two owners.
Acquired by the West Virginia Presbyterian Education Fund in 1941, it was used as a male residence hall by the college until 1970, whereafter it was closed. Restored during the mid-1990s, it subsequently reopened as an historic country inn and as a dynamic learning lab for hospitality students.
Overlooking the town of Elkins, on the Davis and Elkins College campus, Graceland Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features a two-story great hall richly decorated with hardwoods, such as quartered oak, bird’s eye maple, cherry, and walnut, a grand staircase, a parlor, a library, and its original stained glass windows. The Mingo Room Restaurant, reflecting the mansion’s initial designation and open to the public, is subdivided into four small rooms lined with red oak and fireplaces and an outdoor verandah, and eleven guest rooms, located on the second and third floors and named after prominent family members, contain antiques, canopy beds, armoires, marble bathrooms, and claw foot tubs.
Graceland Inn, the David and Elkins College, the town of Elkins itself, the historic depot and railyard, their tracks, and the Appalachian Mountain’s coal and timber resources are all inextricably tied to the town’s past–and its future.
B. Seneca Rocks
“Seneca Rocks” designates both a region of the Potomac Highlands and the outcroppings after which that region is named.
Resembling a razor back, or shark’s fin, and located at the confluence of the Seneca Creek and the North Fork South Branch Potomac River, the 250-foot-thick, 900-foot-high Seneca Rocks, accessible by West Virginia Route 28, were formed 400 million years ago during the Silurian Period in an extensive sand shoal at the edge of the ancient Iapetus Ocean. As the seas decreased in size, the rock uplifted and folded, erosion ultimately wearing away its upper surface and leaving the arching folds and craggy profile they exhibit today.
Made of white and gray tuscarora quartzite, the formation features both a north and south peak, with a notch separating the two.
The current Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, which replaced the original visitor’s center, features relief models of the area, films, interpretive programs, and a bookshop.
A path leads to the Sites Homestead, part of the center. Constructed in 1839 by William Sites as a single-room log cabin below Seneca Rocks Ridge, it is typical of then-current Appalachian homes whose German Blockbau-style featured square logs and v-notched corner joints spread apart by stone and clay chinks.
In the late-1860s, one of Sites’ sons expanded the homestead, adding a second floor, and, after use as a hay barn, the Forest Service purchased it in 1969, restoring it during the 1980s. In 1993, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The greater Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, offering significant outdoor sports opportunities, contains a key portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, whose mountains and forests collect water which then flows into the Potomac River and the bay itself. Acting as a cleansing and filtering mechanism, its headwater forests purify the water before it reaches the streams. Spruce Knob is both the highest point in the Chesapeake Watershed and the entire state of West Virginia.
Aside from facilitating water, the area has provided sustenance to humans, who first lived in Native American villages within its mountains, and then created farming settlements and logging camps, extracting its resources and supporting life for some 13,000 years. Today, it is home to 15 million people.
The Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area itself is part of the much larger Monongahela National Forest. Established in 1920 with an initial 7,200 acres, the present 910,155-acre forest contains the headwaters of the Monongahela, Potomac, Greenbrier, Elk, Tygart, and Gauley Rivers; five federally-designated “wildernesses”-Dolly Sods, Outer Creek, Laurel Fork North, Laurel Fork South, and Cranberry-whose very remote and primitive areas only offer lower-standard trail markings; and four lakes.
A Mecca for outdoor sports enthusiasts, the national forest features 169 hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails which cover more than 800 miles, 576 miles of trout streams, 129 miles of warm-water fishing, 23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas, and wildlife viewing of black bear, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, gray fox, rabbits, snowshoe hare, grouse, and woodcock.
C. Canaan Valley
Blanketed with bigtooth aspen, balsam fir, and spruce, Canaan Valley, stretching 14 miles, is the highest such valley east of the Mississippi River, its namesake mountain separating it from the Blackwater River and creating a deep, narrow canyon in the Allegheny Plateau.
The pristinely beautiful area encompasses two state parks-Canaan Valley Resort and Black Water Falls State Parks; two ski areas-again Canaan Valley Resort and Timberline Four Seasons Resort; and the nation’s 500th wildlife refuge.
Natural sports abound: hiking, horseback riding, fishing, golfing, swimming, rafting, and interpretive nature walking during the summer, and skiing, snowboarding, and tubing during the winter.
Nucleus of most of this is 6,000-acre Canaan Valley Resort State Park, which encompasses 18 miles of trails, wetlands, open meadows, northern hardwood forests, wildlife, 200 species of birds, and 600 types of wildflowers.
Canaan Valley Resort, located within the park, offers 250 modern guest rooms, 23 two-, three-, and four-bedroom mountain cabins with fireplaces and full kitchens, 34 paved, wooded campsites with full hook-ups, and six lounges and restaurants, including the Hickory Dining Room in the main lodge.
Its 4,280-foot mountain, whose longest run is 1.25 miles and whose vertical drop is 850 feet, features one quad and two triple lifts, and 11 trails for night skiing. Its winter activities, like those of the extended Canaan Valley, include skiing, snowboarding, airboarding, tubing, snowshoeing, and ice skating, while summer programs include scenic chairlift rides, guided walks, golf, tennis, and hiking.
D. Big Mountain Country
Big Mountain County, location of West Virginia’s second-highest peak, serves as the birthplace of eight rivers-the Greenbier, Gauley, Cheat, Cherry, Elk, Williams, Cranberry, and Tygart-while its Seneca State Forest, which borders the former in Pocahontas County, is the state’s oldest. An interesting array of sights include steam-powered logging railroads, astronomical observatories, preserved towns, a premier ski resort, and their associated assortment of outdoor sports and activities.
The Durbin and Greenbier Valley Railroad’s fourth excursion train, the “Durbin Rocket,” departs from the town of Durbin itself, located some 40 miles from Elkins.
Powered by a 55-ton steam engine built for the Moore-Keppel Lumber Company in nearby Randolph County, and one of only three remaining geared Climax logging locomotives, the train makes a two-hour, 11-mile round-trip run along the Greenbier River and through the Monongahela National Forest as far as Piney Island, where the rental “castaway caboose” is disconnected and pushed onto a very short spur track for a one or more night stay.
The ultra-modern, high-tech National Radio Astronomy Observatory, located a short distance away in Green Bank, offers an opportunity to learn about radio wave astronomy.
Designing, building, and operating the world’s most advanced and sophisticated radio telescopes, the observatory produces images of celestial bodies, such as planets, stars, and galaxies, millions of light-years away by recording their radio omission quantities.
The Green Bank Science Center, nucleus of this experience, features a museum which introduces the science of radio astronomy, radio waves, telescope operation, and what is being learned through them about the universe; the Galaxy Gift Shop; the Starlight Café; and the departure point for the escorted bus tour of the facility, prior to which an introductory film and lecture are presented in the theater.
The tour’s highlight is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), designed when the previous 300-foot device collapsed in 1988 and Congress was forced to appropriate emergency funds to design it.
Dedicated on August 25, 2000, after a nine-year development period, it is 485 feet tall, is comprised of 2,004 panels, has a 100-by-110 meter diameter, a 2.3 acre surface area, and weighs 17 million pounds. The world’s largest, fully maneuverable telescope with a computer-controlled reflecting surface, it is functionally independent of the sun, permitting 24-hour-per-day operation, and receives wavelengths which vary between 1/8th of an inch to nine feet.
Initially employed in conjunction with the Arecibo Observatory to produce images of Venus, it later detected three new pulsars (spinning neutron stars) in the Messier 62 region.
A 15-minute drive from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is another significant sight, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tracing its origins to 1899 when John G. Luke acquired more than 67,000 acres of red spruce in an area which ultimately developed into the town of Cass, it became the headquarters of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. The town, supporting the workforce needed to convert the raw resources into finished products, sprouted shops, services, houses, a sawmill, tracks, and a railroad to haul the timber.
Instrumental to the operation had been the Shay, or similarly-designed Climax and Heisler steam locomotives, whose direct gearing delivered positive control and more even power, allowing them to ply often temporarily-laid tracks, steep grades, and hairpin turns, all the while pulling heavy, freshly-felled timber loads. The Western Maryland #6, at 162 tons, was the last, and heaviest, Shay locomotive ever built. The railroad inaugurated its first service in 1901.
During two 11-hour, six-day-per-week shifts, the town’s mill was able to cut more than 125,000 board feet of lumber per shift and dry 360,000 per run with its 11 miles of steam pipes, adding up to 1.5 million board feet cut per week and 35 million per year. After 40 years of milling at Cass and Spruce, more than two billion board feet of lumber and paper had been produced.
Operating until 1943, the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company sold the enterprise to the Mower Lumber Company, which maintained it for another 17 years, at which time it was closed and purchased by the state of West Virginia, in 1961.
The railroad and the town of Cass, which remain virtually unchanged, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Aside from the historic buildings, there are several other attractions. Connected to the large Cass Company Store is the railroad-themed Last Run Restaurant. Turn-of-the-century logging can be gleaned at the Cass Historical Museum. The Shay Railroad Shop, having once housed coal bins, offers additional books and crafts for sale. The metal, Cass Showcase building above it, having stored hay to feed horse teams, features an introductory film and an HO-scale train and town layout reflecting their 1930s appearance.
Escorted walking tours of Cass, usually conducted in the afternoon after the trains have returned from their daily excursions, offer insight into what it had been like to live and work in a turn-of-the-century company town, while the Locomotive Repair Shop tour includes visits to the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association’s shop, the sawmill area, and a look at Shay and Climax locomotive maintenance and repair.
An excursion on the Cass Scenic Railroad itself, which commenced tourist rides in 1963 and is therefore the longest-running scenic rail journey in the country, is a living history experience. Pulled by one of the original Shay or Climax steam locomotives, the train accommodates passengers in equally authentic logging cars which have been converted to coaches with wooden, bench-like seats and roofs, while a single enclosed car, offering reserved seating, sports booth-like accommodation and is designated “Leatherbark Creek.”
All trains depart from Cass’s reconstructed depot, at a 2,456-foot elevation, climbing Leatherneck Run, negotiating 11-percent grades, maneuvering and reversing through a lower and upper switchback, and arriving at Whittaker Station, which features a snack stand, views of the eastern West Virginia mountains, and a reconstructed, 1946 logging camp. The eight-mile round-trip back to Cass requires two hours.
A four-and-a-half hour, 22-mile round-trip continues up Back Allegheny Mountain, passing Old Spruce and the Oats Creek Water Tank, and plying track laid by the Mower Lumber company, before reaching 4,842-foot Bald Knob, West Virginia’s third-highest peak.
Limited runs are also offered to Spruce, an abandoned logging town on the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. This train also transits Whittaker Station.
Although not affiliated with the Cass Scenic Railroad, the Boyer Station Restaurant, located six miles from Green Bank on Route 28, offers inexpensive, home-cooked, country-style meals amidst railroad décor with wooden, rail depot-reminiscent tables and benches, train and logging memorabilia, and large-scale, track-mounted model railroads. It is part of a 20-room motel and campground complex.
Winter sports account for a significant portion of the Big Mountain Country’s offerings. Ten miles from Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is Snowshoe Mountain.
Located in the bowl-shaped convergence of Cheat and Back Allegheny Mountain at the head of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, the area, striped of trees by logging between 1905 and 1960, had been discovered by Thomas Brigham, a North Carolina dentist, who had previously opened the Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain Ski Resorts.
Reflecting European style, Snowshoe Village is located on the mountain’s summit and offers 1,400 hotel and condominium rooms, restaurants, shops, services, and entertainment. The 244-acre resort, which combines the Snowshoe and Silver Creek areas, has a 3,348-foot base; a 4,848-foot summit, making it the highest such ski resort in the mid-Atlantic and southeast; 14 chairlifts; 60 runs, of which the longest is 1.5 miles; and 1,500-foot vertical drops at Cupp Run and Shay’s Revenge. Average snowfall is 180 inches. Spring, summer, and fall activities include golf, boating, bicycling, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, skating, and swimming.
The extended area’s Seneca State Forest, named after the Native Americans who had once roamed the land, borders the Greenbier River in Pocahontas County and contains 23 miles of forest, 11,684 acres of woodlands, a four-acre lake for boating and trout, largemouth bass, and bluegill fishing, hiking tails, pioneer cabins, and rustic campsites.
4. NEW RIVER-GREENBRIER VALLEY
The New River-Greenbrier Valley region of West Virginia is topographically diverse and ruggedly beautiful.
Split by the Gauley River, its northern section is comprised of a rugged plateau in which is nestled the calm, azure Summersville Lake, while mountainous ridgelines, affording extensive interior coal mining, are characteristic of its central region. Horse and cattle grazing is prevalent on the flat farm expanses which intersperse the eastern edge’s lush, green mountain plateau, divided by the Greenbrier River, the largest, untamed water channel in the eastern United States, which flows through it. Its southern region is a jigsaw puzzle of omni-directional ridgelines and very narrow valleys.
New and Bluestone River-formed gorges provide a wealth of rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting opportunities in this region of the state.
The area’s most prominent, and beautiful, topographical feature is the New River Gorge National River. Flowing from below Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, to the north of the US Highway 19 bridge near Fayetteville, it dissects all the physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Mountains. A rugged, white water river, and among the oldest in North America, it flows northward through steep canyons and geological formations. Approximately 1,000 feet separate its bottom from its adjacent plateau. On July 30, 1998, it was named an American Heritage River, one of 14 waterways so designated.
Its related park encompasses 70,000 acres.
Signature of the New River Gorge National Park is its New River Gorge Bridge. Completed on October 22, 1977 at a $37 million cost, the dual-hinged, steel arch bridge is 3,030 feet long, 69.3 feet wide, and has an 876-foot clearance. Carrying the four lanes of US Route 19, it was then the world’s longest, and is currently the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas and the second highest in the world after the Millau Viaduct in France. Its longest single span, between arches, is 1,700 feet.
There are three related visitor centers and vantage points. The Canyon Rim Visitor Center, located two miles north of Fayetteville on Route 19, offers exhibits, films, interpretive programs, trails, and a scenic overlook, while the Grandview Center is located in Thurmond off of Interstate 64 on Route 25. The park’s headquarters are in Glen Jean.
Fayetteville is the hub for New River Gorge kayaking and white water rafting.
Coal, as synonymous with West Virginia as logging, is an industry the tourist should experience sometime during his visit. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, located in the city of the same name, offers just such an opportunity.
A 1,400-square-foot Company Store, coal museum, fudgery, and gift shop serves as a visitor’s center and threshold to the sight’s two major components. A coal camp, the first of these, depicts 20th-century life in a typical coal town, represented by several relocated and restored buildings.
Plying 1,500 feet of underground passages in the 36-inch, Phillips-Sprague Seam Mine, which had been active between 1883 and 1953, track-guided “man-cars” driven by authentic miners, encompass the complex’s second component and make periodic stops in the cold, damp, and dark passage to discuss and illustrate the advancement of mining techniques. The rock duster, for example, ensured that coal dust would not explode deep in the mine. Strategically positioned roof bolts avoided cave-ins. Pumps extracted water. Dangerously low oxygen levels dictated immediate evacuation.
Coal had fueled the world’s steam engines for industrial plants and rail and sea transportation.
The Phillips-Sprague Mine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
5. CONCLUSION
West Virginia’s three principle regions of Charleston, the Potomac Highlands, and the New River-Greenbier Valley offer immersive experiences into the past which shaped the present by means of its pristinely beautiful and resource-rich mines and mountains that yielded coal, timber, logging railroads, and an abundance of outdoor sports.
Source by Robert Waldvogel
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