My husband was the only airplane mechanic at Bkw. With 35 yrs experience and 5 of those as an FAA…read moreinspector, said he wouldn't put his family on those planes. They stoled the flight log book,closed to doors and took off when my husband told them it was a safety of flight issue. Making their own tires measurements so the can run them like truckers do. Run them until they fall off. FLY AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG WITH THEIR UNSAFE PRACTICES.

The airport itself is very nice and clean. It's a small regional airport but we went to attend the…read morelighting ceremony they had for Christmas lights. They had a special going on that day and stuff for kids. They seemed unorganized to say the least. Had to give drink order 3 times...got coffee and it was cold..I mean like the pot had been turned off cold and it been sitting. I told the server who finally brought fresh and my water finally. Just ordered sandwiches and chili..the sandwiches and fries were fine..but the chili had a good flavor but had not been heated. I mean it was cold as well...after all that I didn't even complain...also they offered 10% off the bill that night for coming..charged full price. I won't be going back.

We had a great time on the Durbin Rocket. 2 hour round trip with a short stop at the end of the…read moretrack before heading back to the train station. Beautiful scenery, friendly crew. Mid-May was a great time to visit. We, literally, had the train to ourselves.

Bob is prompt and professional. Nice, clean vehicle and safe driver. He was available with short…read morenotice and picked me up in a small town that had no other taxi or ride services. I highly recommend him!!

Bob provides excellent and reliable service. He was able to do a pick up at the very last minute,…read morewith short notice early on the morning to the airport. We are so thankful to have his service as a resource in the Blacksburg area. We will definitely be calling him for all our transporting needs. Thanks Bob!

First time rolling into Roanoke Virginia on an Amtrak train into Roanoke station. Like ever. Quite…read morefun and it was an interesting and quiet time. It was cheaper to fly into Washington DC and taking the Amtrak to Roanoke than flying directly in and out of Roanoke regional airport. And so, I took the Amtrak line direct from Washington DC Union station to Roanoke Virginia. It was nice and nonstop. It was a nice and warm March 2026 day in Roanoke, when I arrived. Upon arrival, we disembarked the train and onto the train platform. The Roanoke Amtrak station was nothing more than a stretch of concrete for travelers to walk on after they arrived and signage that welcomed the train and its passengers to the train station. There was no actual building or other facilities that told you what train was departing or arriving. It was just a train station stop in Roanoke, Virginia. Even though Roanoke was a sizable city with its own airport, it felt like it was a small town in the middle of Southwest Virginia. It was a gateway to rural southeast West Virginia and the surrounding areas, but it was the last station where the Southwest Chief train terminated. No train officials to direct you to anywhere, because it wasn't a place where you can transfer to another train. It wasn't the end of the line here in Roanoke. It was a little bit disappointing to see where nobody really cared, since you were on your own. Unless you were traveling with friends or family, you were on your own. The only thing about riding Amtrak is that it can be a very nice experience, especially with the prices. For a 5 hour morning train ride, I spent only $25.00. Quite nice actually. A bit disappointing that only the basic signage that you were in Roanoke and the railroad train tracks ended here. It was nice traveling on a train but the end result was a bit uneventful for sure. The overall experience here on the Amtrak train Southwest Chief from Washington Union station to Roanoke Virginia was very nice and quiet. The Roanoke train station was very basic and very quiet when we arrived on a basic March 2026 afternoon, especially for it being in a downtown area. Once I departed the train with my luggage, I looked around and saw the Roanoke train station signage and was happy that I made it to Roanoke, safe and sound. I looked around for anyone that could point me in the right direction, but only thing I had was my phone and GPS. No security or persons to escort me out of the area, no nothing. It was almost like a public bus terminal but without benches for people to sit and wait. It was like that. Kind of interesting but not really. No restroom facilities or even WiFi or anything. Just a simple space where Amtrak trains can safely park and let their passengers depart. The ambiance was nice and quiet that Wednesday afternoon. I ended up finding my way to the local area bus stop exchange 1/2 mile away, which I walked it with my luggage. After debating not to wait 1 hour for the bus to take me to grab lunch, I walked 2 miles towards my Airbnb for the evening and grabbed a late lunch and dinner around there. The Roanoke Amtrak station is located physically at 55 Norfolk Ave NE in downtown Roanoke. The Museum of Transportation History and the 3rd Street local Roanoke Valley Transit station is nearby. Bookings are typically made online for Amtrak, so best to do that. My time at the Roanoke Amtrak station was brief, knowing that any way out possible was either by walking or calling an Uber for fast service. I decided to walk it because I wanted to save money at the time. For the most part though, it was an interesting experience to arrive at an Amtrak station that did not have a building to house Amtrak station operations, even in a small city town like Roanoke. Just got off the train and walked out of the area and simply into downtown Roanoke. Just like that. It was cool though. No need to pass thru any security or anything to be able to get on or off the train. If you want to, you can use the local bus service to get you to the 3rd street station and walk 0.5 miles to here to wait for your Amtrak train out of Roanoke. If you prefer, there's always walking, Uber, and Lyft at your disposal. Roanoke is a walkable city but usually it's more comfortable if you took the local bus service or ride the local bus for pure enjoyment and convenience. The Amtrak train itself was comfortable and easy enough to sleep upright if you are sitting. They have outlets to charge your devices while traveling on the rails. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Cheap and reliable transportation. Definitely worth considering versus flying. Support local! A+

Great, reliable ride. I was able to get a great nap. My only complaint was that the bathroom was…read morenot very clean.

New River enters Gauley River and becomes the Beautiful Kanawha Falls nearby. Great view from HWY…read more60. Google Gauley Bridge West Virginia for great pics. Depending on water level the area by the campground can be shallow and rocky but great for paddle boards, small boats, bass boats, kayaks. Swimming in different areas. Cathedral Falls is nearby. Upriver from the campground is the entrance to the Hydro Power Plant which is famous for fishing BIG fish caught there and below the Kanawha Falls. The water in New River that comes out by Hydro Powerplant with public fishing, is very much like the Green or Colorado Rivers out west. Not a slow moving water area. More narrow very rocky. Larger rocks and sandy beaches. (So Hydro Power Plant ) is just a few miles up from the campground. Cathedral falls is slightly closer and varies by amount of rain in area at the time. HWY 60 Midland Trail. If you like to ride Porsche, FERRARI, MOTORCYCLE or bullet bike the area up river from campground becomes extremely sloped and rugged, there is a 180 degree turn and some 90 degree turns closer to Chimney Corner. Chimney Corner has a bar pub with great outdoor patio covered areas. There is a gift shop on opposite corner. The lower road goes to the New River the upper Road goes to Hawks Nest State Park a must see in West Virginia. (IF I stayed near Charleston or Huntington) I would think the State was mostly flat with lake looking rivers!) Food in Fayetteville Fire Creek Grill and the Maggies pub across the parking lot from it and gift shop. I have paid much more for much less at the other Fayetteville area brew pubs. Fishing in New River Gauley area is anything from huge predatory fish to panfish and catfish. Some of the record size ones were caught by Kanawha Falls or Hydro Plant by Gauley area. In Gauley Bridge there is a great little SNAK Shop at old train station in Gauley by the Bridges that cross. History buffs in Gauley Civil War lots of history in area with burning of bridges and more. Italian cuisine in Montgomery or at Fire Creek Grill in Fayetteville as Italians from Southern Italy settle here with many other cultures. Coal mining, masons. African American history at Hawks Nest State Park is very detailed. Charleston WV to Gauley Bridge WV via Hwy 60 is about 53 minutes. Or go the ugly non scenic toll road to Beckley area. You decide!

1/18/25…read more Decided last minute to go to do a train ride here: https://mountainrailwv.com. This motel popped up on their website. When I say last minute , I mean last minute. We booked at 9 am and made the 4 hr drive here. We just needed a place to stay for the night as we did not want to drive in poor weather. This motel is about 26 minutes down the road from the train ride we planned to do. There is another working train ride across the street from here but the gal managing the check in / waitressing wasn't sure. The room configuration is tight ...but manageable. What this place lacks in grandeur, hospitality made up for it. Even the regulars greeted us and were very nice to us. It has a very small town feel. Which also means everything/everyone is at a relaxed pace. We needed to ask for help with the tv, but it was not a dealbreaker.

1/19/25 Woke up on Saturday and decided to do a train ride…read more We called to see if there were tickets available. There was for the next day! Since it was a 4 hour drive away and inclement weather was on the horizon, we stayed overnight at the Station 2 Restaurant & Motel-which was about a half hour away from Train Station. Not a problem as last minute beggars can't be choosy. This is the newest option the Greenbrier Express trip takes you through the northern most 15 mile portion of the original 95 mile section of this railroad. First constructed in 1902 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway it is an amazing ride through time as you see remnants of a lumber mill and imagine what it was like during Cass's timber industry. It snowed the ENTIRE approximately 5 hour trip. They instructed us on the phone to expect frigid cold and to dress accordingly. There are restrooms on the train and it is not wheelchair or handicap accessible. SIDE NOTE: This train ride goes through a portion of Monongahela National Forest. This area is quite remote and what we hadn't considered is the WiFi connectivity. I have an iPhone and the hubster has an android. We drove at least 2 hrs with zero connection except when we were actually standing in a business. We ended up plugging in our gps directions in a business then went to the car.. That seemed to work. It is a remote area and we were told that an observatory also impacts radio signals in the area. It was also off season so a lot of things were closed.

I have stayed at the Alderson House quite a bit and will say they truly make you feel welcomed. The…read moreaccommodations are not a five star hotel however the atmosphere is beyond anything that I have ever experienced before. When you make a reservation they ask of you will be joining them for dinner, they prepare a meal for the people who wants to attend. Thank you Alderson House employees for being there. May GOD bless you all. James Clabough

I love the Alderson Hospitality House. It's so accommodating and welcoming to families or friends…read morevisiting from all over the country to see their loved ones. They offer complimentary breakfast and a family style dinner on most nights. Plus their is plenty of room to relax on a balcony to enjoy so quiet time. There are balconies on the 1st 2nd and 3rd floors. There is great number of bedrooms to accommodate the disabled, infants and toddlers, families and singles. It's about 1 mile from the Alderson prison camp which is convenient. They even offer transportation to and from the train station and local airport. Best of all, the bathrooms have heated floors! The area is small town in the mountains so don't expect the best cell service or WiFi. Over all, it's definitely worth the stay bc the staff is amazing!!!