The more northern of the two tunnels on I-77 between Charlotte and Cleveland (yeah, the highway…read morestarts in Columbia and it has several other cities along the way but I'm uncaring about those facts), the East River Mountain Tunnel goes under the border of West Virginia and Virginia. At 5,412 feel long, it joins the cities of Bluefield WV and Rocky Gap VA. It took five years to build and was completed in 1974. It has saved travelers the difficult journey of going up and down the mountain on US-52. If you're headed northbound, exit one is immediately after the end of the tunnel. If your eyes take more than a moment to adjust from darkness to light, you may have some trouble. There is no toll to use the tunnel. [Review 20387 overall - 1446 in Virginia - 1365 of 2023.]

A tunnel that runs literally through East River Mountain, instead of a road and us literally…read moredriving up the mountain. Since the elevation for the mountain is more than 3,000 feet, the logical solution was a tunnel through both mountains, so they built this tunnel for us to drive through the mountain. There are actually two of these similar tunnels along I77, but this particular tunnel starts in Virginia and ends in West Virginia, or vice versa. The state line falls almost exactly across the midpoint of the tunnel, with 51% of the tunnel residing in West Virginia and the remaining 49% on the Virginia side. Because of that, both states antied up the 40 million for the project, that started in 1969 and completed in 1974.

The Lincoln Theatre was opened in 1929 and its history is quite fascinating. My friends live in…read moreMarion and wanted me to see the local offerings. We went into the theater shop midday and they asked the lovely woman running the theater if we could have a tour? She was in the middle of getting ready for that night's Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in true sweet Southern hospitality, cheerfully let us in so we could look around and she could talk to us about the establishment. The theatre was lovingly restored in the 1980s by locals who turned it into a nonprofit. PBS broadcasts its Song of the Mountains show here monthly. The woman we spoke to was working on grants to bring in movies and other performances to the theater. It would be a great venue for all of the above. As I had an early flight home the next day, we didn't come back to see the show, but I truly believe this is a gem to be checked out in Marion.

Perfect venue in a small town, have seen great entertainment here! All seating has great views,…read moreprices are reasonable

About five miles out from Abingdon and well worth the drive down the country roads to get there,…read moreWhite's Mill and mercantile is a restored/working 18th century water mill that produces the best coarse ground yellow grits I have ever had (my first taste was the White's Mill Grit Cakes served at Abingdon's Bone Fire Smokehouse and I've never looked back/had better since). The goodness of those yellow grits are the main reason I'm writing this review, but the mill itself and the adjacent "mercantile" country store (where you can find said grits available for purchase stored within a chest freezer alongside other White's Mill milled grains (like cornmeal, flour, white grits etc.). I've never seen anyone attending the mill any time I have visited thus I cautiously wander around inside with at least one buddy in tow as the interior looks every bit as old as it's 1790 establish date (the 1866 restoration notwithstanding). From the entrance level there are rooms both upstairs and down, the lover level revealing a cool living room type of space complete with a hearth/fireplace and a lot of huge, aged and complicated-looking gears and other oddly quiet antiquated mechanics in motion. It feels like entering a portal to another time; braving the creaking stairs within the mill is an adventure in and of itself. The mercantile is an old house-turned-store next to the mill stocked windows-to-walls with goods, wears, and--let's be real--junk. If you like being overwhelmed with multiple rooms full of stuff and sifting through troves seeking treasures, get thee to this out-of-the-way country store. Aside from grain, jellies, and jams, you can find all kinds of antiques and other random oddities that only rural bric-a-brac magnets like this place can accrue. As a final testament to the boss quality of White's Mill yellow grits: when I moved to Japan I brought two bags with me that I keep squirreled away in the freezer for days when I have a fever for the flavor. To cook coarse yellow grits: boil 4 parts water and add 1 part grits. Stir every few minutes for about 25 minutes until they reach a naturally creamy consistency. Experiment to find your flavor by adding seasoning, cream/milk/water, cheese, other stuff etc. -or- let them cool and make polenta-like grit cakes :)

The bridge was looking a little wind damaged at rickety this morning so we opted not to make the…read moreclimb. However, the view from the ground here is still fantastic looking out at the mountains of Virginia. On a clear day, you can see quite some distance. There is a small gift shop here if you're looking for snacks or mementoes. A shaded picnic area is also nearby. The view is free. The climb up the 100 foot tower is not. It was built in 1947 and is still looking good. [Review 530 of 2025 - 1470 in Virginia - 24091 overall]

This place is the perfect example of how important location is in a business. The Big Walker…read moreLookout is located away from everything else in a gorgeous spot on the side of a mountain. The views are fantastic. I stopped for a drink and a snack before an off-roading trip. The inside of the store is full of souvenirs, knick-knacks, etc. I was able to pickup a drink and a snack and move on. The cashier was friendly. The outside is kind of run-down. There is a bridge from the tower over the parking lot that ends in broken boards and potential serious injury. I wouldn't walk on it. Overall, meh. It's in a great spot, but they could invest in their business a little more.

Bluefield's most precious gem! Full of well made eccentric art with plenty of interactive…read moreexperiences for all ages. The people that run this are the kindest you will ever meet.

A Very eclectic museum called the Thin Dime Museum or The Ramsey school has been started in an old…read moreschool in Bluefield, WV. Fortunately I called ahead to set up a tour (205-5404754) because they are only open Saturday 11-4. What a gem in local history and artists. They had just opened a section on "Wheels" by George T Anderson, Jr on the history of wheels brought to life with hand carved and handmade examples throughout time. There was a native American section with more arrowheads than I have ever seen collected. A 2 seater outhouse and an African-American musician section. Loads of local history and so many other sections to see. We were there almost 2 hours and you could easily spend more time if you wanted. If you are looking for a unique experience this is the place to go!

It's a simple memorial, but it's sobering. The April 16 Memorial is located on the campus of…read moreVirginia Tech, and it commemorates the 32 people who were killed by a deranged student on campus in 2007. The memorial is right in front of Burruss Hall, which serves as an administration building. It's kind of surreal to be standing at this memorial, looking at the photos of the lives lost to this senseless violence, while students and faculty bustle about. It's an example of how life continues, even as we look back and remember the lives that were cut short. I was staying at the hotel on campus and wanted to see the April 16 Memorial, so I walked to it. It's about a 10 minute walk. You pretty much can't miss it.

This is the April 16 memorial for the unfortunate events that happened on Virginia techs campus on…read morethat day. This is a nice tribute, but very sad tribute. I hate to see that this thing exists because the events should never happened. I'm glad they do tribute.

The view is amazing. It's really something when you really read about the facts of it. People drive…read moreover it every day without ever realizing what a feet it really is. Below in the photos are some of the facts as well as a link to website other places. https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/nrgbridge.htm

Whether you're driving across or visiting the National Park, the New River Gorge Bridge is a…read moremust-see in West Virginia. You can visit the National Park center and collect stamps in your passport or take one of many trails that give you beautiful views of the bridge and nature. No matter what you choose, the scenery is stunning! If you're a Fallout 76 fan, add this location to your FO76 itinerary. We did a 4 day Fallout trip around West Virginia and we were glad we added this massive bridge and National Park to our itinerary.

The cave tour experience was OK. It was my first experience in a cave so it was interesting…read more Basically they offer a general tour every hour on the hour during business hours. A person will lead a group of people (there was 4 in our group) inside the cave and act as a tour guide. This tour is a 2 part tour: one part is the Civil War aspect where soldiers were using the mine while the second part is historical (natural cave formations). Our tour lasted about an hour. I recommend that you wear tennis shoes or hiking shoes. The cave is slippery and your walking uphill and downhill in various parts of the cave. Also a light jacket or sweater comes in handy because the air has a chill in it especially early or late in the day. Another strong recommendation is bring your own flashlight. The flashlight provided by the tour was weak and usually the battery is almost drained by the time you get it. If you are not in decent shape or if you have difficulty bending over I recommend passing. Think of it as going up and down several flights of stairs in damp, dark conditions. If you want pictures then a camera with a flash is required. I have a Canon T3i with a flash and it took good pictures. The pictures taking with smartphones did not turn out very good. I heard they have a more involved cave tour where you can crawl through the mud and get more hands-on with the experience. I did not do this part of the tour but heard it was interesting.

Came to visit these caverns on the way to visit another, but ended up here at the recommendation of…read morea local. The cave itself is miles long and the beginner tour is guided and runs about an hour or so long. The cave is very interesting as there is much civil war history, as well as of the course geological history and curiousity as well. Hard for me to gauge the experience compared to other caverns, since this was really my first time down in a real cave like this. I'd give the cave and guided tour 4 stars. Worth the money. What really turned me off, was the bible lesson that came with it. They make a point of mentioning at the commencement of the tour that they are bible believers and even put a copy of the bible in their exhibit with other pieces, petrified stone, and civil war era relics. Mind you, the bible didn't come out of the cave from the civil war era or anything... It's just a new bible they put there to talk about at the beginning of each tour. When I asked something about the giant sloth bone casting, part of the response was that they believe the "great flood" washed them in... Same with the shells and coral fragments... YIKES... Anyway, I'm not trying to be insensitive to religion, I just wasn't expecting a bible lesson during my cave tour and was a bit surprised to see the people actually hadn't heard of or believe in plate tectonics. Minus 2 stars for the whole religion thing... At the end of the day, it was a nice tour and it's a nice place, but the religion thing was a sour note for me and just wasn't really necessary or relevant to the attraction.

This place is definitely worth checking out! Had no clue this place existed until we passed by it…read morewhile visiting Williamson. The history of the Coal House is very unique! There is a nice little gift shop inside as well.

From the owner: Housing the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce, The world famous Coal House is a visitor's welcome…read morecenter and gateway to the Hatfield McCoy Mountains of southern West Virginia. #VisitTheTug

We came across the statue. We are visiting the Virginia Tech stadium. It is of their former coach…read morethat they have this cool looking statue outside the stadium. We enjoyed finding things like this.