Monumental Mountain Lakes

Just as West Virginia earned its nickname, the Mountain State, from its rolling hills and forest-covered mountains, the Mountain Lakes region is also named after its natural beauty. The lakes in this area—Stonewall Jackson, Stonecoal, Summersville, Sutton and Burnsville—are the main attractions for both locals and visitors, but they are not all the communities have to offer. The seven counties in this region—Clay, Nicholas, Webster, Braxton, Upshur, Lewis and Gilmer—have been known to work together to help the entire region succeed. With an abundance of outdoor recreation and newer investments in tourism and the arts, this region is bound to become a year-round destination for tourists and locals alike.

Growth and Revitalization

Lewis County is one of six Blueprint Communities in West Virginia. The Blueprint Communities program was created by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and lasts for approximately 10 years. It supports the development of local leadership, collaboration across sectors and strategic planning, according to the West Virginia Community Development Hub. Lewis County, the only Blueprint Community that encompasses an entire county, is in its fourth year of the program. Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Queen says the county has been applying for grants to help with the Blueprint program for assistance in assessing dilapidated structures throughout the community. The City of Weston is also beginning the process of tearing down some dilapidated structures after receiving grant funding.

As for housing and developments, the program helped fund a housing study and summit in Lewis County, which should open doors to more affordable housing opportunities. Queen says the county has also long been needing a recreation center and is in the process of planning for one.

“With the Blueprint initiative, we’ve been able to start a trail system, and we are working to get trails throughout Lewis County that would connect into Braxton and Harrison counties,” Queen says.

Lewis County was added to the Mountaineer Trail Network, along with 14 other northern West Virginia counties, in 2022. The network is modeled as a non-motorized equivalent to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails for biking and boating.

Lewis County has also been named a Gateway Community in partnership with Upshur County. For this initiative, eight communities were chosen by the Appalachian Regional Commission to participate in collaborative projects and partnerships made throughout the year to enhance an already close bond between the counties.

“We already naturally work together, but we need to put more out there. The more we do, the stronger those ties are going to be made,” says Laura Meadows, former executive director of the Upshur County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).

In Webster County, an old Go-Mart is being turned into a new visitor’s center in Webster Springs. The city of Summersville is also making plans for a new visitor’s center that will highlight all of Nicholas County, including parts not near the lake, such as the Monongahela National Forest.

“There’s so much beauty in this region,” says Summersville Mayor Robert Shafer. “Our focus would be to complement in a big way not only what we do but what we offer as people head into the New River Gorge National Park.”

Education

The Mountain Lakes region has two higher education institutions, and both are on a mission to help solve local challenges and close employment gaps. Recent initiatives at West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) in Buckhannon are aiming to help solve employment shortages in both health care and education. President James Moore says health care education is being expanded through a partnership with Mon Health Systems. Priority access to education is granted to Mon Health employees and in return, graduates of WVWC’s nursing program who are also Mon Health Scholars will be guaranteed full employment at Mon Health Systems.

WVWC is also moving efforts to offer enrollment for a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health degree by January 2024 that will graduate licensed counselors. The college is partnering with Community Care of West Virginia for this program.

“Just like the nursing shortage we are trying to solve here, the mental health crisis across the country is certainly being felt everywhere. We see day-in and day-out the impact a shortage of mental health professionals is having on our kids, on our friends and on our co-workers,” Moore says.

In partnership with Upshur County Schools, WVWC also offers a program called Grow Your Own to help with a teacher shortage in the area. Local high school juniors and seniors may enroll in college courses at WVWC—earning six credits each year—and then begin the university’s teacher-education program after graduating high school. Through this initiative, students will graduate college in three years and then be able to start a job as a full-time teacher within the Upshur County Schools system.

With its attainment of university status in 2022, Glenville State now has graduate degree offerings. President Mark Manchin says the university is creating a College of Health Sciences where master’s degrees can be obtained for physician’s assistants and other health care programs. Glenville recently started training new nurses for the workforce through its Bachelor of Nursing degree in partnership with Marshall University. By working with Marshall, which already has an accredited nursing program, Manchin says Glenville can get quality nurses into the workforce more quickly.

Glenville State is also working to help resolve the statewide teacher shortage. Manchin says there are around 1,500 certified teaching positions unfilled within the state.

“We are growing our education program, adding additional staff, identifying additional resources and working with the West Virginia Department of Education to assure we can produce the teachers necessary to fill our classrooms with qualified, accredited teachers,” Manchin says.

Outdoor Recreation

Summersville is home to West Virginia’s largest, most scenic lake and the state’s only working lighthouse. Here, thrill seekers and outdoor enthusiasts can go boating, fishing, water skiing, scuba diving, jet skiing and swimming alongside a 1,000-foot sandy beach. Others who prefer dry land may go rock climbing, hiking, picnicking or camping. Those who enjoy hunting or bird watching can appreciate about 6,000 acres of land leased to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Brandy Acord, lake manager at Summersville Lake and Dam, says safety and disaster prevention is always a top priority. In fact, Summersville Dam has prevented about $1 billion worth of flood damage since its construction.

In December 2022, the City of Summersville purchased 125 acres for a state-of-the-art outdoor recreational facility. Shafer says phase one will include putting in 25 to 40 miles of mountain bike trails.

“I always say it’s hard to believe we are a city with a population of about 3,400,” Shafer says. “But we are a city with big opportunity and attitude to go with it.”

Another opportunity coming to fruition is the Young Life camp project in Summersville. In 2015, Christian faith-based youth mentoring ministry Young Life purchased a 1,120-acre camp in Nicholas County on the Gauley River that the organization has been investing in since. Scott Berg, regional director of Young Life Mountain State, says there are currently yurts and a nice lodge, but the entire project is not yet complete. Young Life hopes to have the next phase finished and open in 2025. There are around 20 Young Life camps across the country that are comparable to this property, with the nearest being Goshen, VA. Berg says the camps will offer not only opportunities for more exposure and tourism in the area, but also more meaning for the students’ lives.

Summersville is not the only Mountain Lakes city to play host to a myriad of outdoor activities. The town of Sutton lies along the Elk River, which offers opportunities for kayaking and hiking. In the summer, the town holds the Elk River Float, giving the community and outsiders the chance to get together and kayak down the river. Sutton Lake also offers a marina with opportunities for water sports, from paddleboarding to houseboating.

Sutton is also home to the Elk River Hotel and Cafe. In addition to the hotel, historic mansion and cafe, the establishment offers four glamping domes with plans to add seven more before the year ends. Jill Sligar, general manager at Elk River Hotel and Cafe, says the new domes offer a unique camping experience with their panoramic views of nature and the river. Each one comes with private bathrooms, a wet bar, one or two beds, heating and air conditioning. A new 32-foot clear event dome is also available for small weddings or events.

In Lewis County, Stonewall Resort has opportunities for tennis, pickleball, kayaking, paddleboarding, mountain biking, hiking, golfing, boating and even a pooch park for travelers with pets. The resort also offers scenic tours of the lake on its 100-passenger excursion boat.

“No matter your interest, Stonewall Resort offers something for everyone throughout the year, and we strive to facilitate unique experiences that lead to special memories,” says Julie Davis-Petit, director of sales and marketing at Stonewall.

In Gilmer County, the Little Kanawha River Trail is a great opportunity for beginner water enthusiasts. Around 159 miles, the trail goes from Braxton County through Gilmer, Calhoun and all the way up to Wood County. Jeff Campbell, president of the Gilmer County Economic Development Association, says the trail was the result of an economic development study done about 10 years ago by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

“Historically, people in our area have turned their backs on the Little Kanawha River and kind of looked at it as a threat because of flooding, but we really need to look at it as an asset and turn it into an opportunity for tourism and recreational activities,” Campbell says.

Cedar Creek State Park is also in Gilmer County and offers about 2,500 acres great for camping with seven miles of trails and lakes stocked with trout.

Arts and Culture

The arts scene is certainly growing in Buckhannon, as city leaders hope the community becomes a hub for the arts. The renovation of the Colonial Arts Center is projected to open in spring 2023. The city purchased the building on Main Street that was once a theater, according to Meadows. The building now contains workspaces for artists, storage, gallery space, two theater spaces for live shows and even film production opportunities. Another nearby historic abandoned building was purchased by a group of artists called The Infamous Art Collective. Once renovated, that space is expected to be available for future showcases, studio space, galleries and other artistic needs.

As for performing arts, Buckhannon will host the World Association of Marching Show Bands at WVWC in July 2023. Twenty different international bands will be attending the competition and will march in a parade through the town. This is the second time the competition has been held in the U.S.

In Richwood, the Mountain Color Art Show and Art Walk takes place each fall. The art show features pieces from award-winning and amateur artists from Nicholas and surrounding counties. Whether native Appalachians or adopted into the area, the artists’ pride for the Appalachian heritage and culture shows through their works.

Unique Attractions

Bigfoot, monsters, hauntings and ghost towns prove Braxton County is embracing all things strange. Home of the Flatwoods Monster, Braxton County operates the Flatwoods Monster Museum in Sutton to celebrate the legends of this elusive creature. Stories from the 1950s say the monster appeared to be 10-feet tall with a head shaped like a spade and glowing eyes. The monster wore a dark, presumably metal, dress. Look for the painted Monster Chairs around the county. If that doesn’t satisfy your craving for peculiar things, the newer Bigfoot Museum encourages believers and skeptics alike to learn about the mysterious creature and sightings around Sutton Lake. To keep the hunt for Bigfoot alive, the town of Sutton has now had two Bigfoot Festivals that Andrew Smith, Braxton County CVB executive director, says are showing promise. In its second year, the 2022 festival brought around 4,000 people to the small town.

Smith says there is also a Queen-Anne style house across from the Flatwoods Monster Museum called the Haymond House where current owners claim to have experienced paranormal activity. Guests are welcome to visit the late 1800s home that has been host to sightings of orbs, shadows and figures as well as mysterious noises such as footsteps.

“Focusing on this new market of paranormal tourism has given us a lot of different avenues to partner with different areas or attractions in West Virginia,” Smith says. “We’ve been successful in networking to help each other because we’ve noticed these attractions bring a lot of people into the state as a whole and then these folks visit other parts of the state. It seems to be a market we’re not even close to exhausting yet.”

Braxton County is not the only place to use its history to promote paranormal tourism. Lewis County is home to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, which, on top of being a nationally recognized historic landmark, is known for its ghost inhabitants. Located in Weston, WV, walk-in tour season is from April to mid-November.

On top of folklore attracting visitors to the area, a variety of unique festivals take place year-round throughout the Mountain Lakes region. In Clay County, the Golden Delicious Apple—officially named the state fruit in 1995—is the theme of a festival that takes place each fall to celebrate the finding of the first apple of its kind in 1912. The festival offers an apple bake off, quilt show, live music and more.

Webster County, where timber and woodchopping are king, is home to the Woodchopping Festival every Memorial Day weekend. The festival brings in more than 100 world-class TimberSport athletes to compete for the title of Southeastern World Champion Woodchopper and a purse of prize money worth more than $30,000.

“It’s hard to explain to people what woodchopping is until they see it, hear it and smell the sawdust,” says Alex Fliegel, Webster County CVB director.

This year will mark the 53rd year of the annual Nicholas County Potato Festival. Set for September 8-9, the festival has been known to draw as many as 7,000 people when the weather is nice. Visitors of the festival can expect live entertainment, carnival rides, contests, a potato auction, parades, a car show, pageants and more.

“The Nicholas County Potato Festival celebrates the agricultural history of the county, particularly potato farming,” says Marianne Taylor, executive director of the Summersville Arena & Conference Center.