Spring Is Coming, And So Is The Ramps And Rail Festival In Elkins, West Virginia

Have you ever wondered what would happen if West Virginia's favorite vegetable married West Virginia's favorite mode of transportation? If so, wonder no more, because that exact unlikely match occurs every year here in West Virginia, and you're even invited to come join in the fun. Welcome to the annual Ramps and Rail Festival held every spring (in April) in Elkins, West Virginia.

Each spring, ramp connoisseurs and railroad afficionados come together for a joint celebration of their shared interests.

The name of the yearly event that brings these two very different hobbies together?  It's the Ramps and Rail Festival, and it's held each April in Elkins, West Virginia.

Every year for more than a decade, this festival has celebrated these two iconic West Virginia experiences - that of foraging and feeding on the native Appalachian ramp that grows so well in the Mountain State and that of witnessing and riding on the behemoth trains linked to the historic state industries of coal and logging.

The Ramps and Rail Festival is hosted by the Elkins Depot Welcome Center, and each year, the Depot offers a full day's worth of fun events to those who have gathered to celebrate ramps and rails.

Expect lots of ramp-themed foods. A ramperoni roll, anyone? How about ramp burgers, ramp chili, ramp risotto, and four dozen other tasty choices?

Expect live music. Expect crafts and other vendors. Often there's a silent auction. Sometimes, the festival includes a walk/run.

And of course, there's always the rails portion of Ramps and Rails. The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers some of the first rides of the year to Ramps and Rails Festival goers.

Did you know about the Ramps and Rails Festival coming up this spring in Elkins, West Virginia? Have you ever attended one? To learn more, including this year's date (it's always sometime in April!), visit the Elkins Depot website or the Elkins Depot Welcome Center Facebook Page. Need a meal or a place to stay in Elkins when you visit this cute mountain town? Try Forks Inn.