We recently traveled to Mercer County, West Virginia for a weekend getaway!
Mercer County is located in Southern West Virginia approximately 5 hours from Washington DC and 5 and a half hours from Baltimore, Maryland.
Mercer County is the perfect destination for outdoor adventure. Mercer County offers fishing, hunting, mountain bike riding, hiking, skiing and they are known for their ATV trails.
We spent a total of 3 days in Mercer County as part of our paid partnership with Visit Mercer CVB and West Virginia Tourism, here is everything we did!
Day 1:
We arrived in Princeton and stopped at the Princeton Railroad Museum. It was free to visited but donations are appreciated. The volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable. The museum is 2 stories with a miniature train display, railroad memorabilia and coal mining artifacts. The museum highlighted the history of the area and the Virginian railroad. Outside of the museum, there is a caboose that you are able to go inside and explore. Next door, there is an agriculture museum filled with pictures and antiques from the past.
From there, we stopped at Pinnacle Rock State Park & hiked .6 miles to view the overlook which was absolutely stunning. Pinnacle Rock State Park is known for the sandstone formation that gives the park its name. The state park is located on U.S. Route 52 in Bramwell, West Virginia. Pinnacle Rock State Park features many trails, a playground and a pavilion area foe picnics.
We checked into our cozy cabin at the beautiful Riverfront ATV Resort which is located on the Bluestone National Scenic River in Bluefield, West Virginia. The Riverfront ATV Resort is conveniently located near the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System which is ideal for any ATV enthusiasts.
Riverfront ATV Resort offers a variety of different ways you can stay, they offer small cabins, medium cabins, large cabins, RV sites and primitive tent sites.
We stayed in a large cabin which sleeps up to 8. The large cabins that we stayed in had many amenities including hot tubs, air conditioning, heater, fire ring, kitchen, microwave, stove, refrigerator, charcoal grill, rocking chairs, private shower, picnic table, linens, towels and kitchen utensils.The kids loved the swing attached to the tree and spent many hours swinging. Kayaks are available to use on the river which the kids also had a blast with. We started kayaking together as a family last year and it was fun watching them practice. We brought our own fishing poles to fish along the river. We didn't catch anything this time but fishing is always a fun experience. Looking to book a stay at the Riverfront ATV Resort? Check out their website https://www.riverfrontatvresort.com availability and costs.
We had dinner at The Rail Yard with serves signature milkshakes, burgers, salads, wraps and beer. After dinner, we headed up to East River Mountain scenic overview to check out the the Almost Heaven swing. Did you know that there are currently 9 Almost Heaven swings locations throughout the state of West Virginia? We would love to visit all 9. The weather was not on our side when we went up to East River Mountain but it was still fun to see one of the swings.
Day 2:
The next morning we had Breakfast at Tudors Biscuit World which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and have several locations around West Virginia. From there we headed over to Eagle ATV Tours for an ATV tour. Eagle ATV Tours offers ATV and SXS rentals. The rentals come with a built in Yamaha Adventure Pro System that allows you to experience a self guided tour. There is a map on the screen and are able to follow the navigation system. They also offer private tours of the Hatfield McCoy trail System. To book your ATV tour, all the information can be found at https://eagleatvtours.com
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System also known as the "trails of heaven" is a mecca for all-terrain enthusiasts. The trails are designed for all skill levels of riders from pros to beginners. The Hatfield- McCoy Trail System is made up pf more than 700 miles of off-road adventure wind through these southern mountains which is the largest in the entire East Coast.
After out ATV tour, we stopped in Historic Bramwell where we learned that Bramwell was once a small coal mining town and in the 1800s was once known for having the largest number of millionaires per capita of any town in America. You are able to go for a stroll down Millionaire Row and view the the unique victorian homes once owned by coal barons. We also stopped at the train depot visitor center in Bramwell. The train depot is officially known as as the Southern Interpretive Center of the Coal Heritage Trail, a National Historic Byway.
We had lunch at the Bramwell Corner Shop, named one of the top 101 unique places to dine in West Virginia. The Bramwell Corner Shop milkshakes were rated number 1 in West Virginia. They serve delicious food, handmade ice cream and have an original gooseneck soda fountain with cokes made the old fashioned way!
We then made our way to charming city of Princeston. We stopped at the Blue Ridge Bee Company where we shopped and grabbed ice cream. The Blue Ridge Bee Company had a variety of unique items including honey, tea, soaps, lotions, jams, candles and even live bees! To shop online, head over to https://blueridgebeecompany.com to check out some of the products they have.
Princeston, West Virginia is famous for its murals and there are so many to see! Across the street from the Princeton library, in a small passageway, we found Artist's Alley. We admired the different artwork painted on the walls ranging from animals, landscapes to more playful paintings.
We had Mexican food at Campestre Mexican Bar & Grille, serving a variety of different Mexican dishes. We enjoyed our meal and the generous portions, everything was delicious.
Day 3:
On Day three, we woke up early and headed over to Dolly's Diner for breakfast. Walking into Dolly's Diner was a blast from the past. The staff was welcoming and the food was great. This 1950's Retro themed diner serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dolly's Diner has been named top 12 retro diners in the South by Southern Living Magazine.
Before we headed home, we stopped at Camp Creek State Park where we hiked both Campbell Falls and Marsh Fork Falls, both were quick walks to the waterfalls which is great for the kids. Camp Creek State Park offers many activities including biking, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and horseback riding. In addition, there is a playground, basketball courts, volleyball courts, badminton courts and horseshoe areas.
Ready for your own trip to West Virginia? Head to WVTourism.com to learn more and start planning! We can’t wait to go back.
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