This state park has so much to offer! The trails are well maintained and easily accessible, the…read morelodge is beautiful with a delicious restaurant inside, and there are even cave tours! Some caves only run seasonally, but I took two tours on a Sunday, and it felt like a good amount at a time. Tickets for tours are purchased at the Welcome Center, day of. There's a self explore cave, too, but you need two adults minimum in your party and each with a flashlight. The arches and natural bridges in this park were amazing sites, scattered along the park. I took on the challenge of hitting each arch / bridge, and it was doable in under 5 miles if you move between accesses.

I started visiting Carter Caves State Park when I was young. Fast forward to 2024. I planned a…read morevisit with my nieces and their kids when I was in town. None of my great nieces and nephews had been inside a cave. We arrived at roughly 11:15 AM. I purchased tickets at the Welcome Center for everyone to tour Saltpetre (AKA Saltpeter) Cave at 11:30 AM. It was $54 for three adults and four children. We followed our tour guide across the street, up a hill, then down the stairs and into the earth we went. This cave was used in the War of 1812 to make gunpowder. We got a history lesson from our tour guide who was so patient with the kids. This cave was the driest of all the caves at the park, so no stalactites hanging from the ceiling. But bonus was, no water on our shoes. If you want to see bats, this is not the cave. The cave used to have thousands of bats. The park conservationists are working to increase bat living in this cave. After the tour, we had to turn up our feet, one at a time, so the tour guide could spray the bottom of our shoes with soap and water. He told us this was done to prevent carrying germs/bacteria out of the cave that could harm the bat population at the park. The tour lasted roughly 45 minutes. It was worth the time and money! The kids had a blast. Only one was scared when the lights were turned off momentarily so we could experience total darkness and silence. My nephew Cooper lasted about 3 minutes, then, in his little whimpering voice, he asked if the lights could be turned back on. I can't say enough great things about our cave guide. We left the Welcome Center and headed to the public pool. The pool was free for those camping and staying in cabins. We went on a Monday, so everyone was $3. Pretty good deal! The pool was clean. Only light snacks available, icecream, chips and soda. I highly recommend you add Carter Caves to your summer fun list!

One of Nitro's best kept secrets, conveniently close to town but far enough out to be the perfect…read moreway to escape the hustle and bustle for a little while. Beautiful and peaceful place to relax, spend time with the family (including the canine members of the family), fish, hike (with a mix of clear gravel trails or rougher dirt trails), or even take a canoe or kayak out on the lake. Also great for group picnics, community events, weddings, birthday parties, or just gathering with friends for a relaxing day by the lake.

Nice walk around the lake and (if you like) through the woods. Picnic areas. Gazebo. Dog run. I go…read morethere in all seasons.

We had a hankering for kayaking for quite some time, so my buddy Pasi, his tall little birdie and I…read moreall went out for a day at Beech Fork State Park to do just that. The park, massive in size at over 3,100 acres in size, overwhelmed my pupils as I've never seen anything quite so large -- except my buddy's orange cat. The young lad at the marina was friendly and chill, so he got us suited up and we spent our one-hour slot on the muddy waters. The Oldtown kayaks worked nicely, although the Pelican that I never bought when I worked retail had a much nicer Finnish to it. Let's go Lahti Pelicans! After chasing down ducks and swatting cicadas, we reached dry land and surrendered what was left of our cleanliness in the process. I had to get some of that Beech Fork brown off of my Vogue-tier short king legs. "Did you have fun?" asked the marina worker. "Yes we did," we replied. The trails weren't well maintained.

I haven't been there in awhile; but, the last few times that my dog and I took our RV there, we…read morethought it was outstanding! It's one of the few places that we found where you could camp right near the water! If you're looking for a great campground near the Tri-State area, we don't think you can beat it!

A park to play…read more The Emery Bennitt park is a huge area of over 200 acres. Lot of of room to run, walk or seek some quiet. The park has lots of places to play, softball, baseball and soccer fields are everywhere. Well maintained and taken care of, these are places where young ones will learn about sports and what teams and competition is about. The park is a place that anyone can use. So nice that such a cool place is available for all.

Unfortunately, it's a dive. Splash pad doesn't work and the grounds are poorly maintained. Giving…read moreit one star is too much

This is a pretty fun place that my family and I went and visited while we were on our adventure…read morethrough 14 different states. First date that we went through with West Virginia so we decided to stop at this Magic Island Park. It was raining that day so we did not get to spend too much time here unfortunately but the little amount of time that we didn't get to spend while the sun was out my children have fun and it was nice to see

We had lunch at Anglers Cove today. The buffet was delicious and our waitress, Jayden, was…read morewonderful!

We hiked the fern valley trail. It was pretty easy. Well suited for little ones and adults. There's…read morea few spots near the lake where you might have to help smaller kids but our daughter and her friend managed well enough. Saw a lot of little toads on the trail. Lots of butterflies and squirrels. We managed to see a Heron fishing and flying. That made the trip in my opinion. We walked around the lodge. Not too much to see in there. Looks like a decent enough place to stay. Staff wasn't very friendly but I guess you can't expect much out of government employees having to work a holiday.

The dedicated area of riverfront is modest, with concrete steps leading down to the banks of a…read morerather messy industrial river, a large waterfront amphitheater, and various seats and signage. They had restrooms, which were in pretty unpleasant condition. There were locals there from a wide variety of backgrounds, as this seemed to be one of the few opportunities to get to the waterfront around the town's floodwall. There's not much to actually do other than sit around, and given the surrounding wilderness is so much prettier than this, I struggle to see it as having anything other than limited use. And it needed better maintenance.

It was a sunny early April afternoon when I visited this park. It was obvious people were just…read moregetting their boats out for the season because they were all over the place on this weekend afternoon. There are plenty of trees and flowers. Places for kids to play and parents to gather. We found ourselves a place to just sit by the water and talk about all the things around us. It was a nice place to relax and take a break from touring the town and Marshall campus.

Gorgeous, spacious park! We stopped with our students after…read morea field trip to Vern Riffe Center. We had lunch, and then the kids had a great time enjoying your playground equipment. Tennis court, splash pad, great walking path. Up keep on the park is phenomenal. It's was a beautiful day with the Kentucky Hills in the distance and the rock formations to our north! Thanks for allowing us to enjoy such a great spot. The kids, teachers and parents all enjoyed the afternoon.

Not a bad little park with tennis courts, basketball courts, swings, water splash pad, play area…read morefor kids, Fit Trail plus a 9 hole disc golf course.

Virginia Point Park is located in Kenova, WV. There is a campground ran by the City but there is…read moremuch more here too if you are looking for fishing or simply to relax. Dogs are allowed and the park is truly a hidden little gem. The park is a little difficult to find and it is hidden so use your GPS. It is located out past Dreamland Pool. Virginia Park is at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers and it is the most westerly point in West Virginia. It's been around before West Virginia was a state (hence the name VA Point). The park features a large boat ramp, sports fields, a covered shelter, and bathrooms. You can stand in the park and have unobstructed views of Ohio and Kentucky. Need info on camping? Go to: https://kenovawv.com/virginia-point-campground) For general park info, you can visit: https://kenovawv.com/parks

Great view right on the river. Plenty of benches and spots to hang out. Plenty of shade and dog…read morefriendly