Although it can be enjoyable to explore West Virginia on your own, a sightseeing tour is sometimes the only way to do certain activities. Even if that is not true for a particular location, a tour basically serves as the “highlight reel” of an attraction, showing you the best it has to offer, and providing some insight that you might not normally know when trekking on your own. Either way, if you are looking for the best sightseeing tours in the Mountain State, read on.
1. Dolly Sods Wilderness, Monongahela National Forest
This location is a must see for all West Virginians. This area has an ecology reminiscent of northern Canada, largely due to southward shifting ice sheets that deposited both flora and fauna into this region during the Pleistocene Epoch. Dress for cooler temperatures when you go.
Stationed in Harpers Ferry, these tours take you rafting along the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. These tours are suitable for all levels of experience, including beginners. The tour price covers all required equipment for whatever package you choose to purchase.
Helicopter Solution offers flying tours over the Blue Ridge area, displaying a bird's eyes view of the beautiful scenery of south western West Virginia.
This tour takes sightseers through Lost World Caverns, a 45 minute trek deep underground, suitable for all ages. There is a also an extended flashlight tour that requires both climbing and crawling. Certain restrictions apply for that one, such as age and physical ability.
Mystery Hole bills itself as a strange area where normal gravity is altered. While there, you will see a ball roll uphill and a woman balance on a chair supported by a thin plank of wood nailed to a wall.
This coal mine tour is led by veteran miners who demonstrate what it is like working in a real mine, both in the past and today. Visitors are taken through the repurposed mine on a "coal car train" that periodically stops at certain significant areas along the way. The attraction also includes historic coal town locations and an Appalachian village of the late nineteenth century.
This was a huge bunker hidden behind a wall beneath the Greenbrier Resort that was originally intended to house congress in the event of nuclear war. It has since been discontinued for that purpose, but still remains open for tours.
The dish at the observatory is the largest fully steerable telescope in the world. At 485 feet, it is taller than the Statue of Liberty, and almost as tall as the National Monument. Tours of the adjacent facility and telescope itself are available throughout the year. They even have a cafe if you want a bite to eat during your visit.
This closed penitentiary is considered one of the most haunted locations in West Virginia. The staff offers regular tours and even overnight stays, if you want to thoroughly investigate the hauntings that occur in the facility.
10. New River Gorge Bridge Walk Tour, Fayetteville
This is a great tour as long as you're not afraid of heights. The tour leads you across the bridge, then below to a hiking trail with safety harnesses. Tours range from 2 to 4 hours and are available for individual or group tours.
This tour offers several packages, many of which last for several days and provide rides through the most scenic locations in the area on authentic steam locomotives. Packages include meals, hotel accommodations and entertainment for a very reasonable price.
Although these are among the best sightseeing tours, they are not the only ones. Do a little digging around to see what else the state has to offer.
What tours do you recommend? Help others looking for some really great tours by commenting below.
