Coal mining is a deeply ingrained (no pun intended) part of West Virginia. The dangers associated with the work tend to limit what non-coal miners know about the profession. This is one reason why the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, also known as the Phillips-Sprague Mine, exists: to teach visitors the history of coal and the processes through which the mineral is extracted from the Earth.

The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine serves as the focal point of the New River Park in Beckley. There are many aspects of the exhibition that you can explore when you visit.
Flickr/Dan Stiver
The underground tour will take you on a ride in coal cars through a restored mine designed for tourists.
TripAdvisor/Christine S
The "coal car train" hauls about 35 people at a time along 1,500 feet of track underground. They are several stops along the way as the tour guides explain different aspects of mining coal.

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TripAdvisor/Christine S
The guides are all veteran coal miners, and they will demonstrate what it was like to mine the coal and explain the dangers associated with the profession. Since the mine has a consistent temperature of 58 degrees, don't forget to bring a jacket.
But there is so much more to see at the Exhibition.
WikiMedia/Carol M. Highsmith
There is the Coal Company House, which was an onsite house built by the company for a worker and his family.
You will want to visit the Coal Camp School, a one room schoolhouse built in 1925 where the miners' children were educated.
The exhibition features the Superintendent's House, the Coal Camp Church and the Miner's Shanty, which was a small shack designed for a single worker to stay in while away from home during the work week.
The grounds also house a youth museum, a country store and a recreated Appalachian town typical of the late 19th century.

For more information about the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, including hours and fees, visit their website here.

Have you ever been to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine? Feel free to leave a comment and describe your experience.

To learn more about West Virginia, check out this recreated frontier town just outside Huntington.

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