Hiking · Travel

Fairfax Stone State Park

In what is most likely West Virginia's smallest state park, two monuments mark the farthest reaches of Lord Fairfax's land grant from colonial times. Fairfax Stone State Park comprises four acres and is named after the Fairfax Stone, a surveyor’s marker and boundary stone used in the 1700s to settle a dispute over land in… Continue reading Fairfax Stone State Park

Hiking · Travel

Blackwater Falls State Park

Driving in West Virginia can be interesting, in that what shouldn't be as far away is. Because nothing is a straight line, and you have to cross a lot of mountain ridges to get into even the edge of the interior of the state, if you live in the Eastern Panhandle of the state. I… Continue reading Blackwater Falls State Park

Hiking · Travel

Luray Caverns

If you drive I-81, you have definitely passed the (many) signs for Luray Caverns as you enter Virginia. And who doesn't love a good tourist trap, am I right? Kirk and I took the boys down to Luray to visit it this past weekend. It's definitely a good tourist trap, with museums and the requisite… Continue reading Luray Caverns

Hiking · Travel

Walking Elmwood Cemetry’s History

Just a short distance from Morgan's Grove Park is Elmwood Cemetery, just outside the historic town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The cemetery is a worthy visit on the Civil War Trail, as it holds a Confederate Cemetery and a memorial to the men who died in Shepherdstown after the Battle of Antietam, who crossed the… Continue reading Walking Elmwood Cemetry’s History

Travel

Almost Heaven Swing: Rumsey Monument Park

Started in 2022, there are now over 50 Almost Heaven Swings in West Virginia. (The number was at 51 in July of 2025, but there were at least 2 more done since then.) The swings are placed in spots with views for an Instagrammable moment. Until the new one opened this past weekend, there was… Continue reading Almost Heaven Swing: Rumsey Monument Park