Discover This Underrated West Virginia Town Full of Quirky Charm

Even with fewer than 2200 residents, something about this quirky West Virginia town has always been special. So much so that over half of all American presidents in history have stayed there. Enmeshed in the natural beauty of the Allegheny Mountains, White Sulphur Springs is a place of healing, restoration, political intrigue, and even the ancient art of falconry. If that sequence of descriptors piques your interest, you aren't alone. There are so many reasons to take note of this little town.

The Quirky Attractions That Define This Town

So often when people talk about The Greenbrier, a major draw of White Sulphur Springs, it's to talk about the massive Cold War bunker. Yet people completely gloss over the fact that you can learn falconry there. With beginner and intermediate lessons, participants can interact with trained birds and learn to work with them much in the same way we have for thousands of years. If you'd rather take to the air yourself, they also offer an aerial adventure course. Plus, you can tour that bunker at the resort or check out the Presidents' Cottage Museum to learn about the 28 heads of state who have vacationed there.

If you can't get enough of small-town history, you also have to check out The Schoolhouse Hotel. Formerly known as White Sulphur Springs High School, this boutique hotel is now 30 rooms that give this historic building a new purpose. Whether you were popular in school or not, why not make some new teenage memories in the world’s first fully-ADA compliant boutique hotel?

What It’s Like to Visit

Visiting this small town is all things laidback and reconnecting with your inner self. That's evident considering Greenbrier is not the only resort and spa in this small, rejuvenating, quirky town. Pomona Salt Cave and Spa is also found here, offering visitors a moment of calm in the heart of the mountains by way of its 18,000-pound Himalayan salt cave, salt lodges, and traditional spa activities. It is also a gateway town to Monongahela National Forest, allowing you to really get back to the basics and leave the world behind.

While you're at it, chew on that sense of freedom at Gum Store Studios. In the serenity of nature, this studio allows you to create your own art or enjoy myriad community activities like movie nights, poetry readings, and concerts.

Why It’s Still Flying Under the Radar

Having grown up in a pass-through town, Dousman, Wisconsin, I have a feeling I know why White Sulphur Springs still seems under the radar—there are several more well-known places around it. Even though nearby Lewisburg, for instance, isn't that much bigger than White Sulphur Springs, it does tend to be more of a draw. Maybe this spa town's down-to-earth, under-the-radar profile is what made it extra well-suited for a government bunker? Whatever the case, watched over by the nearby mountains, White Sulphur Springs' dreamy surroundings encapsulate an idyllic West Virginia scene that I think of anytime I hear "Country Roads."