—coal was again on the decline, and optimism was high for tourism. The interstate highway system had recently been completed here, and the state’s close proximity to huge pockets of the nation’s population made it the place to go for travellers seeking adventure and escape from their concrete jungles. By this time, 34 state parks were fully operational and welcoming guests. Blennerhassett Island Historical Park, Camp Creek State Forest, and the Greenbrier River Trail were all added to the roster in this decade. The number of rafting outfitters operating on the state’s whitewater continued to multiply. Service industries catering to highway travellers flourished and would continue to do so, especially with the construction of Corridor H from Elkins to Seneca Rocks. West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling opened to the public, and the first Tudor’s Biscuit World greeted guests in Charleston. Hotel chains became an option alongside locally owned motels. By 1990, visitors to West Virginia had another mountain resort vacation option—Stonewall Resort State Park in Roanoke. Tamarack, just off the West Virginia Turnpike near Beckley, opened to showcase West Virginia–made products and foods in 1996. Heritage Farm Museum and Village opened the same year in Huntington, offering a peek into life in early Appalachia. Risk-takers welcomed the introduction of
94 wvl • summer 2020 ” If you want to know what the most frequent recreational activity is in the United States of America, it's something called walking. Not walking to open the door or walking to turn on or off the tv set, but walking for the purpose of recreation. The second most popular form of recreation is, in fact, driving. Driving for recreation. video lottery, slot machines, and video poker in casinos and hot spots around the state. And work began on the first few hundred miles of what would become the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in the southern counties—a major economic boon for the region. “ So as far as I'm concerned forget Colorado. Forget Oregon. Forget Wyoming and Vermont. When it comes to skiing, biking, hiking, water rafting, West Virginia is where it's at. - Senator Jay Rockefeller
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