For a leisurely backroads route, continue on County 817 along the Kanawha River for 35
miles to U.S. 60, taking it east through “Chemical Valley” to Charleston . For the more direct main route, take U.S. 35 to U.S. 64 east to Charleston. Here, the State Capitol , with its gleaming dome gilded in gold leaf, is a classic example of Renaissance architecture. The adjacent Culture Center or the Clay Center for
the Arts ( theclaycenter.org ) can scratch your museum itch. Grab a meal and some West Virginia–made souvenirs at Capitol Market ( capitolmarket.net )—pick food up here, too, for a picnic on the more rural parts of the route to come. If you’re staying the night, you can catch a live music show most nights of the week.
Kanawha-Ohio Valley
Following U.S. 119 northeast takes you over productive old oil and gas fields through Clendenin to Spencer , formerly home to a large sweater factory. Catch a matinee here at the Robey Theatre , the longest continuously operating theater in West Virginia ( robeytheatre.com ). Or
A tour of the Kanawha and Ohio Valley region spans the state’s oldest oil and gas history and today’s recreation hotspots. Starting in Parkersburg , a visit to the Oil and Gas Museum lays the groundwork for full appreciation of this tour ( oilandgasmuseum.org ). Southward over State 68, the tour skirts the majestic Ohio River and
to
joins State 2 at Ravenswood , one of the nation’s major aluminum manufacturing centers, and continues on to historic Pt. Pleasant . The confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio rivers here marks the bloody 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant , prelude to the American Revolution. Tu-Endie-Wei State Park commemorates this occasion. The ’50s never heard of the Mothman, but you can recall the 1966–67 events that involved this
continue on to Cedar Creek , where a right turn-off leads to Cedar Creek State Park , a great place for a lakeside picnic. Continue on to Glenville , home of Glenville State College and, since 1950, of the West Virginia State Folk Festival —also the origin of “The West Virginia Hills,” designated a state song in 1961. From Glenville, State 5 carries
the motorist along the scenic Little Kanawha valley through Burning Springs , where the state’s first commercial oil well was drilled. It’s hard to believe that, in the 1860s, Burning Springs was larger than Parkersburg. Find Burning Springs Park and a roadside historical marker a half-mile past the hard right curve
legendary creature whose popularity only seems to grow at the Mothman statue and museum ( mothmanmuseum.com ).
Crossing the Kanawha River and taking U.S. 35 east from Henderson , a detour to the left in two miles onto parallel County 817 takes you, not quite 5 miles on, past the grand former Mount Vernon Dairy Farm . The house and other structures were modeled after George Washington’s Virginia home and built on land once owned by him.
in the highway at the river ( “Burning Springs Park” on Facebook ). Continuing on State 5, switch to State 14 North at Elizabeth for the return to your starting point at Parkersburg.
Main route: 268 miles. Parkersburg to Ravenswood on State 68, 30 miles—Ravenswood to Point Pleasant on State 2, 28 miles— Henderson to U.S. 64 on U.S. 35, 36 miles—U.S. 35 to Charleston on U.S. 64, 16 miles—Charleston to Glenville on U.S. 119, 92 miles—Glenville to Elizabeth on State 5, 47 miles—Elizabeth to Parkersburg on State 14, 19 miles.
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