Get To Know Fayetteville, West Virginia

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A posterchild for coal country revitalization, Fayetteville serves as the northern gateway to the neighboring 70,000-acre New River Gorge National Park & Preserve and has parlayed outdoor tourism into an explosive and ongoing renaissance. The tiny-but-famed adventure town is now home to a broad fleet of outfitters and guide services that cater to everything from whitewater rafting to rock climbing and downhill mountain biking. Boutique shops line its quaint streets, and a budding craft spirits and restaurant scene has emerged to feed the thousands of hungry guests who visit each year.

Best Places to Eat, Drink, and Explore

BEST WAY TO START THE DAY: Cathedral Café

Cathedral Café occupies—you guessed it—a smartly overhauled historic church downtown. Wash down house- made bagels, tasty slices of quiche, traditional breakfast platters, or omelets with savory Equal Exchange coffee drinks or bloody marys in a beautiful converted-sanctuary dining room.

BEST GOURMET LUNCH: Secret Sandwich Society

Cathedral Cafe Image courtesy of Ryan Persinger Photography — Cathedral Café, Image courtesy of Ryan Persinger Photography

Headed out on an adventure? Let Secret Sandwich Society level up your picnic basket with gourmet handhelds and craft pickles. Bakery-fresh breads are stuffed with regionally sourced meats like sweet Italian sausage or house- smoked pork shoulder slathered in creamy pimento cheese.

MOST ADVENTUROUS PINTS: Bridge Brew Works

Bridge Brew Works sits on the wooded outskirts of town near the border of New River Gorge National Park. Pick from a fleet of 20 house-crafted brews in a rustic farmhouse taproom with exposed rafters, or enjoy the weather in a sprawling beer garden with food trucks and live music on weekends.

COOLEST BAR: Charlie’s Pub

No trip to a new destination is com- plete without a stop at a beloved local dive—and Charlie’s Pub more than makes the grade. Expect dim lights, old-school pool hall vibes, a coin-fed jukebox, famous housemade pickles, and killer regional bands on weekends.

BEST LOW-KEY FINE DINING: Wanderlust Creative Foods

Don’t let the hypercasual setting fool you: Wanderlust Creative Foods boasts a fusion of chef-driven, global culinary delights run through a blender of Appalachian goodness. Menus change weekly with stunners like a pair of seared diver scallops served in a pool of grilled summer corn velouté and garnished with basil foam, peeled lemon, edible flowers, and bean sprouts.

BEST CRAFT BREWS: Pies & Pints

Pies & Pints couples an expansive menu of more than 50 regional craft beers, ciders, and THC-spiked concoctions with finger-lickin’-good pub fare and a broad selection of wood-oven pizza. Don’t miss the heirloom tomato pie, which brings a colorful array of meaty, namesake slices complemented by fresh parsley, oregano, basil pesto, mozzarella, and a dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Biggest Claim to Fame

Bridge Day

Bridge Day is the Mountain State’s largest annual single-day festival, and Fayetteville plays its gracious master of ceremonies. The event is held on the third Saturday of each October and focuses on daredevil leaps from an iconic 876-foot single-arch bridge that spans the New River Gorge. Hundreds of base jumpers line up to launch from a monstrous trebuchet, pull the ripcord, and glide through a picturesque tableau of the river winding through forested, thousand-foot cliffs. Spectators watch from the bridge or a 3,030-foot-long catwalk that passes beneath it. But the fest is about more than aerial stunts: There’s a 5K foot race, an organized river float, scenic bus tours through the national park,
a downtown chili cookoff, and much more.

Where to Stay

Morris Harvey House I nn

The historic Morris Harvey House Inn occupies a stunningly reno- vated Queen Anne-style manor in the heart of town that dates back to 1902. Its five suite-style rooms are uniquely appointed with a mix of period-correct antiques, original touches—think marble-tiled fireplaces with ornate wood casements—and modern amenities like luxury mattresses and walk-in, subway-tiled glass showers. On-site bar and lounge area Rosa’s Speakeasy serves upscale small plates and to-die-for craft cocktails in a Roaring Twenties meets Victorian Gothic setting that feels plucked from the mind of Oscar Wilde.