Where outdoor transplants meet conservative mountain folks, Fayetteville, West Virginia earns its designation as the “Coolest Small Town.” At first glance, it might seem unlikely that anyone would want to vacation in West Virginia. When telling people about my family vacation plans, the response often resembled some variation of, “Why, did you lose a bet?” West Virginia’s reputation is in part a result of the many dubious superlatives it holds, like having the highest rate of obesity in the U.S. or having the most toothless citizens of any state. Neither one of these statistics is helped by the fact that West Virginia consistently ranks as one of the worst school systems in the nation.
But once you paddle the rivers, climb the mountains and ride the trails you’ll know why outdoorsy people flock to this area. Not only is this area a natural playground, West Virginians are the most welcoming people you may ever meet. Since being here, we’ve had people give us freshly picked raspberries and insist on driving out of their way to make sure we get to hard-to-find 
swimming spots. After two days of being in town, we couldn’t walk a block in downtown without bumping into someone who said hello to us, whether it be the guy at the visitor’s center who gave us directions to nearby hikes or the server at the local cafe.
Sitting around the campfire, eating gooey s’mores and reminiscing about what adventures caused which bruises, I feel about 12 years old. Just being in West Virginia helps my busy extended family to slow down and soak up some of the simple pleasures abundant in this beautiful countryside. My family, ranging from 10 months to sixty-eight years old, hails from Germany, California and Maryland. While we have quite varying interests, we share a love for the outdoors. Planning a family vacation meant figuring out how to satisfy the adrenalin junkies amongst us (namely my sister and I), along with a young family of three (read needs time to get out the door and more mellow activities) and my parents (who just want to spend as much time as possible with all of us while bringing their three dogs who have become surrogate children).
Fayetteville offers something for all of us. Our days evolve into early morning climbing missions for my sister and I while the rest of the crew enjoys extra sleep and a leisurely breakfast. The New River Gorge boasts world-class climbing, and even more spectacular are the cliffs surrounding Summersville Lake. We decide to hire a guide to show us some good top roping routes and our guide from Hard Rock Climbing couldn’t be more patient or enthusiastic. After getting our bearings on the rock, we climb on our own for the rest of the week. Our nieces, ten and five years old, are so enthralled with our climbing tales that they decide to join us. Since we don’t have harnesses or helmets small enough, we find some mellow 
opportunities for the girls to enjoy the rocks.
After enjoying the coolest part of the day being active, once it begins to heat up, we head for the water. The two best kid and dog friendly spots are Summersville Lake and Stone Cliff Beach. We loaded the car with inner tubes and enjoy cooling off and grilling on the beach. For the days when I still haven’t quite satisfied my adrenalin junkie side, I head down to Fayetteville Station, the take out for the Lower New River, to find other kayakers to paddle the class III-IV stretch of whitewater. For those not familiar with white water kayaking, numerous rafting companies in the area take those looking to experience a rush down the rapids.
We spend the evenings exploring the town of Fayetteville, dancing up a dust storm at a local country concert or simply unwinding at the cabin playing board games and sitting around the camp fire. When the day’s adventures leave us too tired to cook, we enjoy one of the many restaurants in Fayetteville. Our personal favorites are Pies and Pints, offering gourmet pizza and good beer selections, and the Secret Sandwich Society, selling delicious sandwiches, soups and salads.
Our vacation in West Virginia exceeds our expectations with its natural beauty and friendly people, while simultaneously confirming every stereotype. We only sample but a few of the recreational opportunities available in the area. Several companies offer zip-line tours, mountain biking rentals, helicopter tours, and horseback riding trips. But don’t take my word on it – check out Fayetteville for yourself.
River Chica is a recovering attorney who is spending a year traveling the world and kayaking, climbing, running, camping and otherwise spending time on or near a river. You can follow her adventures on her blog.
This sounds like a great time. I love visiting small towns and getting to see the culture. Nice article.
As someone who grew up close to Fayetteville, allow me to come to the defense of my state, just a little. All of the wonderful things that you said are, indeed, true. And the more dubious distinctions are also, unfortunately, true. However, I am a graduate of the school systems- I graduated from college and law school, as well. I am not obese (neither are my husband and children) and I have teeth! And I am definitely NOT “conservative mountain folk”!!!! I grew up in the mountains and am absolutely liberal. We’re really just like everyone else from every other state, except, perhaps a little friendlier than most. Thank you for helping to dispel some of these myths surrounding my home and I am glad you enjoyed your vacation here..
As someone who also grew up close to Fayetteville, I’m so happy to know that vacationers are finally becoming aware of the opportunities in WV. I’ve traveled many places throughout the U.S. and the world, and think that the beauty of the WV mountains rivals any place I’ve been. While I don’t currently live in WV, I’m always happy to come home – to breathe the fresh air, paddle the whitewater, ski, or simply enjoy the WV hospitality.
Like the last commenter, I also feel the urge to comment on the stereotypes. Many southern states share the same issues, yet we don’t only associate them with their problems. I feel that we would all do WV a great service by sharing with others what a great state it is without feeling obligated to apologize or even mention stereotypes. There’s so much more to focus on, why waste our breath (or print) reinforcing the association?
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed your vacation. I have lived in many states and I must say, WV has no more conservative mountain folk than any other state. I also don’t know many people that are missing a bunch of teeth. This is a beautiful area with lots to offer, and yes we are very friendly. There also happens to be many schools right around the area you visited that have high national honors. Most people who look at WV with a stereotypical view are simply ill-educated and have never spent any real time in the state. I hope you come back soon!
I love Fayetteville, I camped there in the gorge for 2 months and am going back to stay in a cabin for the winter in the beginning of the new year. I had a really bad drug problem and being in the gorge and going back to basic helped me get and stay sober. Sometimes the best medication is to just slow down and enjoy mother nature! Thank you wild and wonderful West virginia!
love
Christine
“Neither one of these statistics is helped by the fact that West Virginia consistently ranks as one of the worst school systems in the nation.”
I beg to differ. I don’t know what WV’s rank is but I do have a story. My husband and I are divorced and he moved to WV by his family. I live in NW Indiana, about 30 miles SE of Chicago, and the Chicago influence is dominant in the public school system here. My son was constantly being shut down because of opposing viewpoints he asked about in History class (my son is very well read for his age). The teacher either ridiculed him &/or told him to “Sit down & shut up!” year after year. We went to the School City Administration and had a meeting with the Principal, the School City Administrator, myself, & my son. After listening to every story my son told that happened day after day, year after year, and nearly driving him to tears, the Administrator said this, “We understand completely where you are coming from, but there is nothing we can do, our hands are tied.” And the principal could have cared less. Some learning environment, huh? So I let my son go at the age of 16. He moved in with his dad and started at Grafton HS his sophmore year (in October). I am proud to say that my son just graduated with 25 college credits and honors! We absolutely made the best call possible and I am forever grateful to the state of WV and Grafton HS. Thank God we had a choice — there are so many people that do not and they are stuck with garbage “education” for their children. It explains so much about the state of our nation.