Beckley

By car

Beckley is situated at the southern end of I-77, the West Virginia turnpike, 70 miles south of Charleston. From Beckley, both I-64 and I-77 head towards Charleston in the northwest; I-64 continues to Virginia Beach, Virginia in the east, while I-77 heads south towards Charlotte, North Carolina.

By bus

• Greyhound, 105 3rd Avenue, +1 304-253-8333. Open 7AM to 5:30PM Monday to Saturday; and 7AM to 10AM, and 2PM to 5PM on Sunday.

By train

• Amtrak, WV-41 N by Depot Road in Prince (about 30 minutes northeast), +1 304-253-6651. Open 9:30AM to 9:30PM Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

By plane

• Raleigh County Memorial Airport

  phone: +1 304-255-0476
  address: 176 Airport Circle, Beaver
  Nonstop service on United to Washington-Dulles and Shenandoah Valley. Flights from Charlotte

• Community Action Lines, 299 Gray Flats Road, +1 304-252-6396. Provided by the Raleigh County Community Action Association, and free for local students.

• Uptown Beckley includes the brick-paved Main Street with shops, galleries, eateries and the courthouse. The area is undergoing revitalization and features events throughout the year, including a chili night when visitors can sample the entries in a chili-judging contest.

• Theatre West Virginia

  address: 4700 Grandview Road
  In Beaver. A professional touring and historical outdoor drama theatre company, holding performances in a dramatic amphitheatre. Among their outdoor musical dramas: "Honey in the Rock", which tells the story of the birth of West Virginia, and "Hatfields and McCoys", which relives the famous feud. Tickets $15.
• Beckley is the northern terminus of the Coal Heritage Trail, a 97-mile scenic drive that passes mine-owners' mansions, miners' homes, company stores, coal tipples and state parks, before ending in Bluefield.

• West Virginia University Institute of Technology

  address: 512 South Kanawha Street

• Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

  phone: +1 304-256-1747
  address: 513 Ewart Avenue
  Tours available 10AM to 5:30PM daily, April 1 through November 1. Visitors get a realistic look at coal mining as it was at the turn of the century, by travelling 1500 feet underground in authentic mining cars and touring the historic coal camp on the grounds, with veteran miners as guides. Be sure to bring a jacket, as temperatures underground stay at 58 degrees year-round. Adults $15.

• Winterplace Ski Resort

  phone: +1 304-787-3221
  address: 100 Old Flat Top Mountain Road
  In Ghent, or 800-607-SNOW (7669). Open 9AM to 10PM on weekdays, 8AM to 10PM on weekends and holidays, December through March. 27 trails, a terrain park, 16 snowtubing lanes, 9 ski lifts and 5 tubing lifts, and a vertical drop of 603 feet. Rental shop and four restaurants on-site. Skiing and snowboarding lessons available. $27-137 (lift tickets, including multi-day), $22-71 (rentals), $42-104 (lessons).

• Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia

  phone: +1 304-252-3730
  address: 513 Ewart Avenue
  Open 10AM to 6PM daily, April through October; and 10AM to 5PM Tuesday through Saturday, November through March. Four railroad boxcars, a planetarium, a recreated Appalachian mountain homestead, and three rotating exhibits designed to entertain and educate on subjects like biology and art.

• Someplace Special Gem Mine

  address: 323 Rakes Road
  Shady Spring, Wv.

(304)575-9732
A public gem mine located in Shady Spring Wv . Lots of valuable gemstones found daily. Keep what you find.
Google Someplace Special Gem Mine to see more

• Tamarack

  address: 1 Tamarack Park
  Selling "the best of West Virginia", Tamarack offers a one-stop-shop for high-quality and authentic West Virginia culture, heritage, handcrafts, fine art, regional cuisine and music. It's one of the best places in the state to stop if you're looking for a really nice souvenir: you can buy hand-carved furniture, glass, pottery, Appalachian quilts, and regional specialty foods. The food court features signature dining options from the Greenbrier Hotel. There are six resident artists on-site who give demonstrations throughout the day, and Tamarack boasts a 178-seat theatre for live musical, theater, dance and storytelling performances.

Malls

• Cranberry Station, 206 Beckley Plaza, +1 304-256-0616. Over 75 specialty shops.

• Crossroads Mall

  phone: +1 304-255-6176
  address: 2 Crossroads Mall in Mount Hope
  Open 10AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday, and 12PM to 6PM on Sunday. Over 45 department and specialty stores, and a six-screen cinema.

• Raleigh Mall

  phone: +1 304-252-7817
  address: 4301 Robert C Byrd Drive
  Beckley's first mall.

• Char Restaurant

  address: 100 Char Drive
  A family-owned and -operated restaurant since 1965, voted "Best Restaurant in West Virginia", with excellent food, friendly service and inviting ambiance. Steaks, chops, seafood and traditional Italian favorites. Try the fried olives, brascioli and their bread pudding.

• King Tut Drive-In

  address: 301 N Eisenhower Drive
  A family-owned drive-in since the early 1940s, serving recipes handed down for generations. Sandwiches, pizzas and full dinners, with freshly-baked bread, soups made from scratch, and homemade pies. Try their award-winning pork barbecue sandwiches, stone-baked pizza and twice-baked potatoes. $1.50-8, pizzas $11-17.50.

• Young Chow's

  phone: +1 304-253-CHOW
  address: 219 Pikeview Drive
  Chinese-American and Japanese appetizers, soups, salads, vegetables, poultry, beef, pork, seafood, rice, noodles, grilled dinners, sushi and desserts. Meals come with free fried noodles with dipping sauces, and Chow's spicy cabbage. Try the fried ice cream. $5-25.

• Daniel Vineyards

  address: 200 Twin Oaks Road
  In Crab Orchard. Open 10AM to 5PM Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 5PM on Sunday. International award-winning estate-grown wine, with a tasting room. 11 red and white wines, including one made entirely from blackberries.

Budget

• Budget Inn

  address: 223 S Heber Street

• Green Bank Motel

  address: 505 S Eisenhower Drive

• Honey in the Rock Motel

  address: 2315 South Fayette Street
  91 rooms. Average price $30.

• Pagoda Motel

  address: 1114 Harper Road

• Pinecrest Motel

  address: 230 N Eisenhower Drive

Mid-range

• Best Western Four Seasons Inn

  address: 1939 Harper Road
  80 rooms. Free continental breakfast.

• Comfort Inn

  phone: +1 304-255-2161
  address: 1909 Harper Road
  130 rooms. Exercise gym. Free continental breakfast.

• Country Inns & Suites

  phone: +1 304-252-5100
  address: 2120 Harper Road
  157 rooms. Swim-through heated indoor/outdoor pool, whirlpool, health club. Free continental-plus breakfast.

• Courtyard by Marriott Beckley

  phone: +1 304-252-9800
  address: 124 Hylton Lane
  106 rooms. Exercise room, indoor pool, whirlpool. Free healthy breakfast buffet and morning newspaper.

• Days Inn Beckley

  address: 300 Harper Park Drive
  120 rooms. Seasonal outdoor swimming pool, fitness center. Free deluxe continental breakfast.

• Fairfield Inn Beckley

  phone: +1 304-252-8661
  address: 125 Hylton Lane
  89 rooms. Seasonal outdoor pool, whirlpool.

• Hampton Inn

  phone: +1 304-252-2121
  address: 110 Harper Park Drive
  108 rooms. Outdoor pool. Free continental breakfast and newspaper.

• Howard Johnson Express Inn

  phone: +1 304-255-5900
  address: 1907 Harper Road
  50 rooms. Outdoor pool.

• Microtel Inn Beckley

  phone: +1 304-256-2000
  address: 2130 Harper Road
  75 rooms. Indoor pool, whirlpool. Free continental breakfast.

• Park Inn and Suites

  address: 134 Harper Park Drive
  55 rooms. Outdoor seasonal pool. Free continental breakfast.

• Quality Inn Beckley

  phone: +1 304-255-1511
  address: 1924 Harper Road
  103 rooms. Exercise room, heated outdoor pool. On-site restaurant and lounge called Morgan's Food and Spirits. Jacuzzi rooms available. Full free breakfast buffet.

• Red Carpet Inn

  address: 2315 S Fayette Street
  21 rooms. Outdoor pool. Free breakfast.

• Super 8

  address: 2014 Harper Road
  71 rooms. Fitness center.

Splurge

• The Resort at Glade Springs

  address: 255 Resort Drive
  In Daniels. Lodging for up to 350 people in The Inn, Manor Houses, Oak Lane Villas, Executive Suites, Chestnut Hill Lodges and Stone Manor. Two golf courses, fitness center, spa offering massages and facials, whirlpool, steam room, sauna, canoe and kayak rental, paddle boats, fly-fishing, clay skeet shooting, horseback and pony rides, bike riding, walking trails, day camps. Four on-site restaurants. $119-509 (double occupancy), $1000 (9-person manor).

Bed and breakfasts

• Mavis Manor B & B Style Family Retreat

  address: 122 Tower Rd
  4 rooms. 1890s Queen Anne Victorian Manor, Flat Top.

• The local newspaper is the Register-Herald, +1 304-255-4400 or +1-800-950-0250, .

• Fayetteville is about 30 minutes northeast on US-19.
• Charleston is about 1 hour northwest on I-64 / I-77.
• Lewisburg is about 1 hour east on I-64.
• Bluefield is about 1 hour south on I-77.