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    Recommended Reviews - The Coal House

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    4 years ago

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    Thurmond Depot - Bridge into Thurmond

    Thurmond Depot

    4.8(15 reviews)
    68.5 mi

    What an amazing site in the National Park. This is an abandoned town from the early to mid 1900's…read morethat had quite the past. They do an excellent job of explaining the buildings and life when it was a booming steam engine railroad town. Take your time visiting the area. I could believe that it is an active Amtrak site today.

    What an amazing place to stop and try to imagine this was once a place bustling with people…read moreworking, traveling, living .. it's so small and empty now that only the pictures can tell the tale! They did a good job putting up information and learned so much about what it was like to work here for the railroads way back when. It's incredible how times change, things become more efficient, jobs are reduced, and eventually eliminated. I spent a total of an hour and 15 minutes here for reference. There is a gift shop where I got my usual souvenir magnet, but there are other neat things here as well! I was tempted to buy the "dining on the railway" book (or a name something like that). A great piece of history here and I hope someday the interiors of the buildings can be brought up to code and replicated to look how they did in their heyday so we can get a real feel of walking into the businesses (also a rebuild of the Lafayette Hotel would be amazing, even if just a smaller scale). I'm glad what is there has been preserved by the NPS! I have to say, I left West Virginia with a treasure trove of history!

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    Thurmond Depot
    Thurmond Depot - The old Main Street

    The old Main Street

    Thurmond Depot - 2nd floor visitor's center

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    2nd floor visitor's center

    Carter Caves State Resort Park - Cave formations!

    Carter Caves State Resort Park

    4.2(36 reviews)
    66.6 mi

    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!

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    Carter Caves State Resort Park - Cave tours!

    Cave tours!

    Carter Caves State Resort Park
    Carter Caves State Resort Park

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    The Coal House - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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