“Almost Heaven”. “Wild and wonderful”. “The Mountain State”. You might’ve heard West Virginia called such as these many times, but until you experience this beautiful countryside for yourself, you might not know exactly how apt these descriptors are. Now, travel can be expensive. Fortunately, when Fallout 76 releases on November 14 of this year, Bethesda Game Studios is providing an inexpensive alternative way to explore the Mountain Mama’s beauty and majesty, albeit through the tongue-in-cheek lens of their post-apocalyptic RPG franchise and reshaped into a square, geographical map befitting of a video game.
Being a West Virginia native myself, who also had the opportunity to explore the nuclear-ravaged hillsides of 2102 Appalachia when Bethesda invited me to attend a Fallout 76 reveal event earlier this month, I felt it was my duty to provide a Top 10 List of West Virginia Tourist Locations that everyone should visit when the game releases later this year.
10: Camden Park
West Virginia’s only amusement park, Camden Park opened in 1903 outside of Huntington, WV and is one of only thirteen trolley parks still open in the United States. In the game, Camden Park is located in the Ash Heap area of Appalachia, just down the hills from the city of Beckley. The park’s entrance sign is nearly identical to that of its real world counterpart, advertising “Rides, Picnics, (and) Fun For All” but with a cartoon cat instead of the smiling clown that has invited patrons for decades. Once inside, take a ride on The Widow Maker! This is Fallout 76’s version of the Big Dipper, Camden Park’s premier attraction, a traditional wooden roller coaster built in 1958 and one of only three National Amusement Devices coasters still operating.
9: New River Gorge
The New River Gorge Bridge, the fourth-largest single-span arch bridge in the world, is located both in game and in reality near Fayetteville, WV. Home to Fayette County’s yearly “Bridge Day” celebration, the bridge is a popular destination for BASE jumping and rappelling during this one-day festival, as it’s the only day of the year where these activities are allowed.
8: Green Bank Observatory
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope is the world’s premiere fully-steerable single-dish radio telescope with a diameter of 100 meters. Formerly part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory but now operated by the Green Bank Observatory, this telescope rests in the United States National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000 square-mile rectangle of land encompassing parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland where most forms of broadcast transmissions are purposefully restricted to prevent interference with scientific research and military intelligence. In game, the GBT was heavily featured in a quest chain detailing some of the history of Appalachia during the time period between Bombs Drop Day and Reclamation.
7: Moundsville Penitentiary
The West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV is a tourist attraction and training facility that operated as a prison from 1876 to 1995. Featured in a variety of television and film media, the Moundsville Penitentiary has been considered one of the most haunted prisons in America, as it had been listed on the top ten list of most violent prisons according to the Department of Justice. A fantastic “haunted house” pairs with an incredibly interesting historical tour and it makes for an excellent Halloween experience that’s definitely worth the trip in October!
6: Woodburn Hall at West Virginia University
Woodburn Circle is a focal point of West Virginia University’s downtown Morgantown campus. Known as the WVU Quadrangle, it consists of three architecturally historic collegiate buildings: Martin Hall, Woodburn Hall, and Chitwood Hall. In Fallout 76, WVU has been reimagined as Vault-Tec University, referencing the infamous corporation responsible for nearly everything in the Fallout universe. Knowing the university’s real-world history, it will be difficult to determine if any flaming couches were the result of post-apocalyptic ravaging or football victory celebration!
5: Snowshoe Ski Resort
The Snowshoe Mountain Resort rests in the Allegheny Mountains, in the bowl between Cheat Mountain and Back Allegheny Mountain. Also featuring a Gary Player-designed golf course, the resort’s most unique feature is his shopping and dining area, The Village at Snowshoe, which sits at the mountain’s summit instead of its base. You can discover an exploratory quest chain in Fallout 76’s Top-of-the-World Resort. Just ascend the mountain once the radio signal guides you and enjoy a breathtaking view of Appalachia.
4: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Another excellent haunted attraction in West Virginia, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital in Weston, WV that operated from 1864 until 1994. The facility, also known as the Weston State Hospital, was built to house 250 people but had as many as 2400 patient in the 1950s. Reopened in 2007, scare lovers can spend the night touring the asylum or enjoying the haunted house in the building next door. Come prepared with plenty of resources when you visit the Asylum in game, as you’ll need to repair a series of turrets around the building. While you may not see any ghosts or spirits, you can expect to encounter a Scorchbeast or two!
3: Harpers Ferry
Historic Harpers Ferry is a small 19th century village located at the eastern-most point of the state. Surrounded by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and bordered by both the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, visitors can enjoy a variety of tours, living history museums, and outdoor activities. This beautiful area is perfect for hiking and biking, as the Appalachian Trail runs directly through the center of town. The town has been moved significantly westward in Fallout 76 to help fit the geographical square of the game map, putting it far closer to the Morgantown of the game.
2: WV Capitol Building – Charleston, WV
Being able to visit the Capitol Building of the respective area has become a staple of Bethesda’s Fallout games and 76 provides no exception. Swing on down to Charleston and explore the seat of government for the state of West Virginia.
1: The Greenbrier Resort – White Sulphur Springs, WV
Home to the PGA Tour event the Greenbrier Classic, this luxurious five-star resort (known as the Whitespring in game, referencing the city where it resides) is also home to a formerly classified underground bunker designed as an emergency relocation center for the housing of Congress in response to a nuclear attack. A sulphur water spring exists at the center of the grounds, surrounded by the green-domed, white-columned spring house, the Greenbrier’s symbol for decades. Check out the on-site casino, hit the links, then explore “Project Greek Island”, the project name for the underground bunker!d
