jasper fulton author at My Family Travels
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Inside This West Virginia City’s Basilica Is Stained Glass Some Visitors Call The Most Beautiful They’ve Ever Seen

Some of the best surprises in West Virginia hide behind plain city sidewalks and ordinary brick. You might be passing by on the way to lunch, thinking about nothing much, when...

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Retiring In West Virginia Means A Paid-Off House, A Lake View And A Town Of Neighbors

Some places do not shout for attention, and that is exactly why they stay with you. Picture a quiet mountain town in West Virginia where the mortgage is gone, the water glitters...

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You’d Drive Right Past This Plain West Virginia Roadside Grill, But Locals Line Up For Its Two-Handed Cheeseburgers

Some of the best meals in West Virginia hide behind the plainest front doors. You pass them on the way to somewhere else, never guessing that the folks inside are wrestling with...

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People Cross Half Of West Virginia Before Sunrise For The Donuts At This Little Bakery

Some of the best mornings in West Virginia start with a dark highway, a thermos of coffee, and a craving that will not quit. You pull up to a plain little building that looks like...

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Seven West Virginia Family Orchards Where A Bushel Of Apples Still Costs Less Than The Supermarket

The first time I bit into an apple bought straight off a West Virginia farm, I wondered why I had ever paid grocery store prices for fruit that tasted like cardboard. Out here,...

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Seven West Virginia Country Bakeries Where Saturday Morning Means Warm Cinnamon Rolls By The Dozen

Some of the best mornings in West Virginia start with a wrong turn and a little white sign that just says bakery. You pull over expecting a quick coffee, and suddenly you are holding...

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Before Interstates Existed, Travelers Rested At This 1700s West Virginia Inn Still Serving Supper

Some of the best suppers in West Virginia are hiding behind a white front porch you could easily drive right past. I almost did, until the smell of fresh biscuits and the glow...

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15 West Virginia Dairy Bars Locals Swear Taste Exactly The Way They Did In 1965

Some of the best afternoons in West Virginia start with a hand-painted sign on a two-lane road and a sudden craving you did not know you had. You pull into a gravel lot, order...

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This Unassuming West Virginia Hillside Is Where The Last Battle Of The Revolutionary War’s Frontier Was Fought

You could drive right past this little patch of green grass and never guess what happened there. It looks like a quiet riverside spot for a picnic, a stroll, and maybe a nap on...

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Every Autumn Weekend, This Vintage Train in West Virginia Rolls Through Golden Mountain Foliage

Some of the best memories in West Virginia start with a sound you hear before you see anything, a low whistle drifting over the hills on a cool fall morning. Follow it, and you...

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West Virginia’s Oldest Hardware Store Still Weighs Nails By The Pound In Shepherdstown

Some of the best places in West Virginia hide behind plain wooden doors you might walk right past. I went in expecting a quick look around and a cup of something warm, and I left...

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Nobody Expects To Find A Real Gilded Age Mansion Hiding In A West Virginia Coal Town

You come up a quiet hill in West Virginia expecting maybe a sandwich and a nice view, and then a stone castle of a house rises out of the trees like something from an old storybook....

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Seven West Virginia Mom-And-Pop Butcher Shops Where A Week Of Meals Costs Under Fifty Dollars

Some of the best food memories in West Virginia start with a paper-wrapped package handed across a counter by someone who knows your name. I went looking for small, family-run...

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This West Virginia Heritage Festival Fills A Small Town With Fiddles, Crafts And Kettle-Cooked Food

Some of the best meals in West Virginia are not served in restaurants at all. They come off a hot griddle in a crowded hall, handed over by a volunteer who has been flipping cakes...

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Nearly A Thousand Feet Above The River, This West Virginia Overlook Makes Fall Leaves Look Endless

Some of the best places in West Virginia hide behind a plain road sign and a short walk through the trees. You park, stretch your legs, and figure you will glance at a view for...

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Seven West Virginia Waterfalls You Reach Without Hiking More Than A Few Minutes From The Car

Some of the prettiest water in West Virginia is hiding in plain sight, right beside roads many of us have driven for years. You do not need hiking boots, a trail map, or strong...

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7 West Virginia Country Stores Where Deli Meats Are Still Sliced At The Counter

You pull off a back road in West Virginia because you need gas or a quick bite, and you walk into a little store that smells like fresh bread and smoked ham. Behind a glass case,...

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Seven West Virginia Covered Bridges Old Enough To Remember Horse-And-Buggy Traffic

Some of the best memories in West Virginia are made on back roads, where you round a bend and spot a wooden bridge with a roof over its head. These old spans once echoed with hooves,...

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The Oldest Oil Well In The World Still Stands In A Quiet West Virginia Town

You could drive past it on a lazy afternoon and never guess that a small patch of riverside ground changed the whole world. Out in the rolling hills of West Virginia, a humble...

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This West Virginia Italian Festival Fills Downtown With Live Bands, A Parade And Italian Food

I expected a few food booths and a folding-chair crowd, but the smell of meatballs and warm bread reached me a full block before I saw a single tent. What I found was an entire...

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This Town in West Virginia Lets Retirees Trade High Rent For River Views And Porch Swings

Rent checks have a funny way of eating up a retirement dream one month at a time. I went looking for a spot in West Virginia where the money might stretch further, expecting a...

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Seven West Virginia Meat Markets Where Folks Stock Their Freezers Cheaper Than Any Chain Store

You can drive past a little West Virginia butcher shop a hundred times before you finally pull in and wonder why you waited so long. Inside, the counters are full, the butcher...

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Seven Old-Fashioned West Virginia Diners Where The Coffee Refills Never Stop Coming

Some of the best mornings in West Virginia start in a building you might drive past without a second look. There is a plain sign, a bell over the door, and then the smell of bacon...

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This Unassuming West Virginia Rock Is Where Union Troops Carved Their Names During The Civil War

I pulled off a quiet mountain road in West Virginia expecting a quick stretch of the legs and maybe a sandwich with a view. What I found instead was a hilltop where Civil War soldiers...

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Prohibition Bootleggers Once Ran Barrels Through The Tunnels Beneath This West Virginia Town

Some places in West Virginia hold secrets right under your feet, and you would never guess it walking down a quiet Main Street. Long ago, folks moved goods through hidden brick...

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Prohibition Bootleggers Once Ran Moonshine Through This Sleepy West Virginia Mountain Pass

Tucked into the folds of West Virginia's rolling hills sits a shady green hollow that feels a world away from the busy streets nearby. Long ago, resourceful mountain folk used...

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Seven West Virginia Pepperoni Roll Bakeries Locals Argue Over Like It’s A Family Feud

There's a certain kind of hunger that only warm dough wrapped around savory pepperoni can satisfy, and West Virginia knows this better than anywhere on earth. Chasing that smell...

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This West Virginia Fire Tower Opens Onto A View So Wide You Can See Into Four Counties At Once

Some places make you work a little before they reward you, and this one asks you to trade pavement for a slow climb up a mountain in West Virginia. At the end waits a wooden platform...

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Hidden Beneath A West Virginia Hillside Lies The Cold War Radio Bunker That Would Have Warned The Nation

Some places don't shout for attention. They sit quietly off a country road, waiting for curious folks to wander in and discover just how much history one patch of ground can hold.

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This Little West Virginia Spring Pours Free Mineral Water Folks Fill Their Jugs With To Take Home

Somewhere in the folds of West Virginia's rolling hills, there's a tap that flows all day long with clean mineral water, and it won't cost you a single penny. I'd driven past the...

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Retirees Stretch A Fixed Check Into Comfortable Living In Buckhannon, West Virginia’s Quiet College Town

Picture a place where your monthly check goes further than you thought possible, and the folks next door still wave from their porches. Somewhere in West Virginia, tucked into...

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Seven West Virginia General Stores Where The Wood Floors Still Creak Under Your Boots

Some of the best spots in West Virginia don't shout for attention. They sit quietly along winding mountain roads, tucked into little towns you might drive right past if you blinked.

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Seven West Virginia Steakhouses Where Regulars Swear The Cut Is Worth The Long Drive

Some of the finest meals in West Virginia hide in places you would never expect, tucked into small towns and quiet corners far from the highway. There is something magical about...

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This Little West Virginia Breakfast Counter Serves A Croissant Egg Sandwich Folks Follow The Crowd For

Some of the best breakfasts in West Virginia hide in the smallest towns, waiting for a hungry traveler to wander in by accident. Picture a buttery croissant cradling a perfectly...

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You’d Never Guess This Quiet West Virginia Hillside Hides The Ruins Of A Whole Mill Town

Some places don't announce themselves. You park at the top of a wooded ridge in West Virginia, expecting a simple walk, and instead you find yourself descending into the ghost...

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Nestled In A West Virginia Valley, The Swiss Village Of Helvetia Keeps Its Heritage Alive

Tucked away in a quiet mountain valley in West Virginia, there is a tiny place where the old Alpine world still whispers through the trees. Winding roads lead you past forests...

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This West Virginia Market Keeps Its Indoor Stalls Open And Cozy All Winter, Not Just In Summer

Some places surprise you the moment you walk through the door, and this one hides inside an old train depot in West Virginia. When the cold rolls in and most outdoor markets pack...

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Trains Once Hauled Millionaires To This West Virginia Resort Where Presidents Still Vacation

Tucked deep in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia sits a place that feels almost too grand to be real. Winding roads give way to bright white columns, sweeping lawns, and...

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An Old West Virginia Company Store Now Pours Coffee Where Miners Once Cashed Their Scrip

Some places surprise you the moment you pull off the road, and this one sits quietly in the mountains of West Virginia waiting to tell its story. From the outside it looks like...

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Five West Virginia Drive-In Theaters Still Light Up The Screen Under Open Summer Skies

There's a certain magic in pulling into a gravel lot at dusk, rolling down the windows, and watching a giant screen flicker to life while the summer air cools around you. West...

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Fill A Grocery Bag At The Meat Counter Inside This Morgantown, West Virginia Butcher And Market

Some places in West Virginia sneak up on you. You walk in expecting a quick errand, and you leave already planning your next visit and dreaming about dinner.

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Grandma’s Kitchen Had Nothing On These 7 West Virginia Diners Still Serving Real Home Cooking

Some of the best meals in West Virginia don't come from fancy restaurants with long waits and big prices. They come from little diners tucked along small-town streets, where the...

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Buried Beneath A West Virginia Town Lies The Largest Hand-Cut Sandstone Chamber In America

Some of the best surprises in West Virginia are the ones you never see coming, hidden right below your feet. You could drive right past an ordinary country road, never guessing...

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This Recreated West Virginia Fort Is Where Frontier Pioneers Hid Behind Log Walls In The 1770s

Some places sneak up on you. You expect a quiet stop and a few old buildings, then suddenly you are standing inside towering log walls, listening to a blacksmith hammer glowing...

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This West Virginia Amish Market Runs on Handmade Bread, Fresh-Picked Produce, and a Family That Greets Every Customer

Some of the best food in West Virginia hides down roads you would never think to travel. You round a bend, spot fields stretching toward the hills, and suddenly there is a little...

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This West Virginia Cafe In A Former Church Sets Aside An Outdoor Table For Your Dog

Some of the best mornings start in a building you never expected to walk into. Tucked in a small West Virginia town where the sidewalks fill with hikers and old-timers alike, there's...

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11 Beloved West Virginia Farmers Markets Where $35 Buys More Than You’d Ever Expect

There's a certain thrill in pulling up to a modest little market in West Virginia and walking out with your arms so full you can barely find your keys. A single crumpled bill can...

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This Old-School West Virginia Pub Sits In A Historic House And Serves A Shepherd’s Pie Locals Rave About

Some of the best meals happen by accident, when a sudden craving leads you down a quiet street to a place you never planned to visit. Tucked inside one of the oldest homes in West...

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This Welcoming West Virginia Diner Serves Homemade Country Comfort Food Locals Keep Coming Back For

Some of the best meals in West Virginia hide in plain sight, tucked into a strip of storefronts you might drive past a hundred times. Behind one unassuming door, the kitchen turns...

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This West Virginia Cafe Serves Cheesecake So Good People Drive Across The Whole State For A Slice

Some of the best food in West Virginia hides behind the plainest doors. Picture a little brick storefront on a quiet Main Street, the kind you might walk past without a second...

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This Breathtaking West Virginia View Is the One Almost No Local Has Ever Seen

Some places in West Virginia hide their best secrets in plain sight, right off a road folks drive past every single day. Tucked into the mountains near a rugged gorge, there's...

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This Hidden West Virginia Farm Restaurant Serves Seasonal Dinners Straight From The Field Out Front

Some of the best meals in West Virginia never announce themselves with a big sign or a busy parking lot. Tucked down a quiet road, there is a working farm where the vegetables...

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This Old-Fashioned West Virginia Soda Fountain Still Makes Milkshakes Like It’s the 1950s

Tucked into the hills of southern West Virginia sits a little shop where the milkshakes are still hand-spun the old way, and where walking through the door feels like flipping...

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11 Fascinating West Virginia Discoveries Every Local Should Make At Least Once

There's a special kind of thrill in finding out that a place you've driven past a hundred times holds a story you never knew. West Virginia is packed with corners like that, where...

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11 Unassuming West Virginia Restaurants Locals Swear Beat The Fancy Places Every Time

Some of the best meals in West Virginia hide behind screen doors, old diner windows, and roadside signs you might drive right past. The kind of places where the coffee never runs...

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This Forgotten West Virginia Rail Line Is Now A Pedal-Powered Ride Through The Elk River Valley

Picture yourself gliding along old railroad tracks deep in the West Virginia woods, with a clear creek bubbling right beside you and sunlight flickering through the leaves. No...

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This Unassuming West Virginia Restaurant Fries Clams So Good They’re Worth The Whole Road Trip

You would never guess that some of the freshest seafood in West Virginia hides behind a plain brick storefront in the middle of the Mountain State. Hundreds of miles from any ocean,...

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This Little-Known West Virginia Zoo Lets Your Family Get Close To Exotic Animals On A Back Road

Some of the best days out in West Virginia hide at the end of a winding country lane, where you least expect them. Picture turning off the main road and spotting kangaroos and...

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This West Virginia Arboretum Has Old-Growth Trees Over 200 Years Old And 3.5 Miles Of Trails

There is a spot in West Virginia where you can park beside a busy boulevard, walk about two minutes downhill, and suddenly hear nothing but birds and leaves.

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This Roadside West Virginia Gem Serves Epic Comfort Food That Keeps Locals Coming Back

Some of the best stops in West Virginia don't show up in glossy travel guides. They're the kind of places you almost drive past until something catches your eye and pulls you in.

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