Evyn is the best bartender ever!…read more Beers were cold and good and local. Vibe is chill.

What's not to love - bikes, beer and goats!…read more We had fantastic service in the bike shop as well as the eatery. We came on a Tuesday, which is there big prep day for food but still had plenty of options for a snack after a day on the trails. Overall great vibes and service!

Our rafting experience was a 10/10. The Gauley has always been on my bucket list, and Ace knocked…read moreit out of the park. Our raft guide Rebeca was absolutely stellar and professional. We are so grateful we were able to experience this river with her and she made it so worth it. Thank you Ace!

Rafting: Our guide Carter was friendly, experienced and helpful. This young man knows his stuff. I…read morefelt confident being in his boat and under his guidance. Our trip was an eventful one down the lower Gauley. He helped other boats by retrieving someone's shoe and two oars that were lost during one of the rapids. He also rescued a lost dog that kept following and swimming toward us. We pulled her into the boat and joined us through a few rapids before finding some riverside campers to take care of her. WHAT an experience! Ziplining: Davey and Mason were also friendly and professional. Making jokes along the way while taking care of group members who were more anxious. Seriously, every member of the staff that I came in contact with, from the lady who took my reservations, the people who set us up with gear, orientated us before the rafting, helped us in the gift shop, the BRAVE bus drivers, the videographer Nico... they all seemed to love their jobs and were good at it. High praise all around.

Fantastic experience using the shuttle that has a few stops, but we took the one to Rotary Park for…read morea 3 hour kayak adventure. We had not been out to kayak before, so they gave us a quick lesson, that was very helpful. They took that time, which gave the whole group confidence to get out to try something new. The prices are reasonable for everything we needed to paddle down the river. (2018)With so many national chain shops, this is a prime example why local is the best option. The staff is helpful and encouraging toward having a positive experience all around. The consignment shop section seems to be a nice way to clear out some old gear and buy new gear from the sales. We personally scheduled a kayak trip, that was rescheduled due to unusual flooding and then refunded after a hurricane. The refund was no problem and did not lose a deposit or anything. Clearly honest and want everyone to have a good time.

I ran in for some hiking sneakers and they happened to have all the new, best brands. I was…read morepleasantly surprised. Took me a total of 10 minutes and I was on my way to some beautiful waterfalls nearby.

What an amazing bike shop! We are visiting from Florida and they were able to help us quickly with…read morea flat tire and few other items. The owner was SO friendly and knowledgeable. We are so appreciative.

Excellent bike shop with passionate and well-informed owners (and a super-cool and super-chill…read moredog!). I bought a bike rack for my car here and the owner at my request put it together and on my car and made sure it was good to go--which seems a simple thing but might not have happened at some stores. Though I'm handy with tools, there was a real peace of mind knowing an expert put it on my car and got it squared away before I hit the Interstate. There's no pressure here, either: I mentioned I might want to upgrade my Stumpjumper sometime to a bike more in the $8,000-$10,000 range and we talked about various bikes some but they didn't take me by the shirtsleeve and try to show me their most-expensive models at all. There's just a real sense of good people here who truly want their customers to get what they want and need and placing that ethos far above making a quick profit off people. Very impressed.

What a stunning national park! We made the 5 hour drive from Louisville, and weren't sure exactly…read morewhat to expect. We were blown away with how beautiful and full all the trees were. While we decided to just stick with hiking, the national park offers rafting, fishing, hunting, and bridge walking. The canyon rim visitor center was packed with useful information and history, the staff were friendly and helped us map out our day. This national park has free entry which was a nice bonus! If you're camping go early because you can't reserve campsites and they fill up fast. We couldn't find a spot for the first night and ended up having to stay at a paid campground outside the park. The second night we found a spot at Meadow Creek campground, it's an open field surrounded by trees. Don't miss the waterfall or the old railroad town of Thurmond! Those were the highlights of our trip.

The newest National Park!…read more We did the Bridge Walk and drove the Fayette station road. Both highly recommended! You'll cover all angles of the bridge (well, not an aerial view) by doing both. The bridge walk was a unique, bucket list experience and the 8 mile one way drive was very picturesque. I wish we had time to do the whitewater rafting. It's class 4, so if you're inexperienced you definitely need an outfitter and a guide. Next time! Make sure you visit the Canyon Rim visitor center too which has an epic view of the bridge and canyon in back!

April, 2025. We visited Abington, Virginia quite a few years ago. After discovering the Virginia…read moreCreeper Trail at that time, we promised that we'd return "someday" to bike at least part of the trail. This trail is a nationally-acclaimed Rails-to-Trails that extends for 34 miles and over 47 trestle bridges. While best known as a biking trail, it's actually a multi-use trail with bikers, walkers, stroller pushers, runners, equestrians, and more, especially near the access points. In the past, the trail started near Whitetop, went about 18 miles to the center point near Damascus, and ended in the charming town of Abingdon (or vice versa). Unfortunately, Damascus was hard hit by Hurricane Helene, and 18 trestle bridges were destroyed as well as many portions of the trail so the Whitetop to Damascus portion of the trail is currently closed. The 18-mile stretch from Damascus to Abington IS open. While there are bike rental companies, as well as shuttle services to take you to the trail's start, we brought our own bikes. We decided to ride the 8.5 mile segment from Abingdon (elevation: 2,020' to Alvarado Station (the old train stop at 1,750') and back. This "lower" section is considered a relatively easy to moderate stretch through rolling farmland and forests and over beautiful trestle bridges. As mentioned, our turning point was Alvarado Station, where we enjoyed our picnic lunch on a bench river-side. The stop also had drinks and snacks available for sale, a water refill station, restrooms, and a big, friendly dog eyeing our lunches! The trail is wide in most areas, and is very well-maintained. There are multiple access points with parking lots, information kiosks, regular mileage markers, benches, photo ops, and some restrooms. In a relatively recent development, e-bikes are now allowed on the trail. With its restaurants, breweries, shops, local theater, and more, make some extra time to visit Abingdon!

Love riding the Virginia Creeper Trail. Most people ride it from Whitetop Mountain down to…read moreDamascus, but it's just as enjoyable riding the section from Abingdon to Damascus, and back. Both routes offer beautiful scenery and make for a great ride. ‍

We had dinner at Elk River this past weekend. Compared to the hustle bustle of Snowshoe, and the…read moremediocre Intrawest food, this was heavenly. We arrived at 7:30 and were immediately seated. Our waiter was superb and was able to discern the difference between being there when you needed him and be away when we were engaged in conversation. The food was amazing and impeccably served. We got several appetizers, followed by a wonderful trout salad to entice the pallate. Then we had six different entrees, each more tasty than the previous one. I had the lamb chops that made me lick my fingers. Apple pie for dessert complimented the offerings. I've decided to upgrade my previous rating to a 5-star. This was a memorable dinner.

I really loved this spot for xcountry skiing. They were very friendly and helpful during the rental…read moreprocess. The trails, especially those next to the river, were quite scenic. I went back a second day. My only advice: open the restaurant for a simple lunch, or at least coffee/muffins. Thanks!!

One of the best State Parks in Virginia! Nice trails, easy access. Lots to offer families.read more

The park itself is beautiful and I enjoy the beach park. Although, the staff does the park a…read moredisservice. Park rangers don't do anything, it's a very uncomfortable environment when the park rangers are barking orders without having any work done themselves, at least through my observations. The maintenance crew also seems to slack off on occasion on the bathrooms with the lifeguards cleaning the stalls?? I will be returning but I don't expect the staff will to be very helpful.

Meadow Creek Campground is a terrific place stay outdoors while exploring around New River Gorge…read moreNational Park. When first planning out my itinerary for visiting the park, I had researched that there were plentiful campgrounds located within the area. So...I knew I would be camping out somewhere for my first night at New River Gorge. I just didn't know where exactly I would end my day. Well...after finishing hanging out at the Grand View section of the park in late afternoon, I was okay to start looking for a campground. I always refer to the trusty app on my phone called Campendium, to find my campsites. And as usual, Campendium did not disappoint! I quickly browsed all the reviews for Meadow Creek and was excited to come here. From the Grand View part of New River Gorge (which btw, is one of the primary highlights of the park), it was just 17 miles to drive to Meadow Creek. And best of all the location of the campground was in the proper direction for my next destination, being Sandstone Falls. Let me give some details about how simple it is come to Meadow Creek and get a campsite for the night... and yes, it has to be one of the easiest spots (in terms of finding a place to rest at while on a whim) I have ever come across along my journeys around the USA. - Cell phone reception works fine in the area, so simply plug "Meadow Creek Campground" into Google Maps and you'll easily be directed here. - It is free to camp out! How cool. Once I arrived, the instruction board mentioned to just pick a campsite and it's yours! How simple! - There must have been about 25 - 30 campsites available for choosing, and basically there was no one here. I had my pick of any site. - All the sites were situated on soft, fluffy grass, which always is beneficial when pitching a tent. This way you can have a gentle, comfortable sleep. - The sites all had barbecue pits. They were well spaced apart from each other to feel like you have privacy. You can start charcoal grills also. - A very interesting fact is this...trailers and RVs are not allowed!!! Prohibited! That's so peculiar? Usually, you have RV sites and parks that don't allow tents. But here it was the opposite. So nice for me, someone who carries a tent in the trunk of my car, to feel like I was prioritized, lol. Btw, I noticed the folks that were spending the night here actually slept in their cars rather than pitching tents. - They have vault toilets houses but they're extremely well maintained and clean. In fact, when I stepped inside one of them, it smelt beautifully, with a nice fragrance. - Located just 2.5 miles down the road is the Sandstone General Store and Eatery. This local little joint has groceries, gas and supplies...ideal for picking up anything to cook on your barbecue. You could even purchase prepared sandwiches if you don't feel like cooking. And prices here were extremely cheap, considering there's not much around to this part of the park. - You can do some hiking/walking right along the New River to get some fresh air and appreciate the woodsy/forestry setting. - When I visited back in the middle of May of 2022, the weather was perfect and not too chilly at night. Couldn't have asked for a better evening with a few stars up in the sky. - I believe you can stay up to 14 evenings here, all for free! You can camp for free, use the facilities for free, and occupy a campsite all for free. Thank you to the National Parks Services for Meadow Creek Campground! Although Meadow Creek was a wonderful experience for me...I do need to mention some parts that were a little bit of a letdown... 1. Cell phone coverage in this specific campground was minimal. Yet, when I walked down the creek area, my reception worked just fine. Hmmm? 2. Okay, yes, the train tracks. During the night I did hear trains running on the tracks that were very loud. Still, I don't mind these types of things as I'm an easy sleeper. 3. This is going a bit overboard, no there aren't any AMP power stations, lol. Overall, I can't say enough good things about Meadow Creek Campground. It was certainly one of the best highlights to my time visiting New River Gorge National Park.

Never a bad time! Repeat customer! I love that you can wake up and throw your pole in the water…read morewithout going anywhere. Best campground I've been to