Friendly. Informative Interesting. New. Information Good food. Personal touch…read more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want to tour Loretta Lynn's original home in Van Lear, Kentucky you must stop by Webb's…read moregrocery, pay a $5 entry fee, and follow the tour guide in your car a mile or so to the home. The young man that runs the store is a distant relative of Loretta Lynn. But for folks in this community this store is one of the only stores within many miles of their home. He has a few Loretta Lynn's souvenirs such as t-shirts and magnets. But there is also canned goods, soda, and water for sale. The store is very old and was a railroad company store when it was originally built. I believe he told me it was around a 125 years old. He has done a great job of keeping this place up as it did not have that old smell that you find in a lot of places. Of course you will also find a ton of Loretta Lynn memorabilia throughout the store as well as other older relics of times past, such as an old Pepsi clock, soda bottles and signs. It was a quaint old store that takes you back to simple yet tough times for many Americans in the late 1800s to early 1900's. I loved it!

i enjoyed, its simple, you get to actually walk thru the house. there are a lot of people in this…read morecountry that need to see how a lot of people once lived. infract there still are people that do.

Deep down in the Holler of Kentucky is where you will be!…read more We were on the motorcycle and it was raining so the road was wet and slick. Stopped at the General Store and the gentleman that was there was so nice and answered any questions. Rode back to where Loretta Lynn's home place was and such beautiful scenery. Wasn't able to go inside the hone as it hadn't opened up yet due to Covid but was able to get some good photos from the road. If you are on a bike, there is a gravel spot where we parked/turned around. Was told if you go back further that it's a dead need and hard to get turned around. We enjoyed our ride through here and now know why it called the "Holler"

This was a little more than I expected from a roadside stop. The woman behind the counter, a…read moredescendent of the families, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly to us. We were the only ones in there and she let us browse without interruption. There were photos and artifacts, coal from nearby, historical documents, and photos for sale. The gift shop portion was just a few shelves of the typical souvenir items like mugs, shot glasses, magnets, and moonshine chocolate from Pigeon Forge. They do offer sandwiches and ice cream. We split a strawberry cheesecake scoop and it was fresh and delicious for the hot afternoon day. They have gem mining outside near the family still and family well. I think it's definitely worth stopping in, if only for ice cream, a few mins in the AC, and a clean port-o-potty outside. Ice cream and a magnet cost me under $10. Parking is a gravel lot out front. It's about a quarter mile, if that, from the parking area for the cemetery.

Drove hours to see this and was extremely disappointed. Small room behind a curtain in a little…read moreshop on the road next to the Hatfield Cemetery, the "museum" was filled with copies of books, movie posters, and photos you can find in most books of the internet. The gift shop has more items than the museum has in original items. Do not waste your time.

$5 entrance fee. Small, but interesting display of artifacts with a timeline of events from shortly…read morebefore WW1 through 1940s. Worth the entrance price.

The WV Mine Wars Museum is a great spot to visit in the area for some updates on local coal mining…read morehistory. They have done an amazing job at putting the museum together and its clear that everyone involved has poured their heart into the town. Keep up the great work !

This is the centerpiece of Saltville. This unoriginally named town holds more intrigue than you…read morewould probably think. The salt is a product of some unusual geologic conditions that lead animal bones to be well preserved, making this a top site for archaeology. In addition, the salt was also of enormous economic value and was a military asset during the Civil War, making this the site of a significant set of armed conflict. Some other environmental and cultural history pops up as well. The museum has several well-produced and substantial documentaries showing in a tiny theater. The two rooms of exhibits take up more time than you'd think, and I was probably there for an hour and a half or so. The $5 admission is worth it, easily. The town continues to have some unusually salty ponds that you can walk around on some paved trails, as well as some historic markers and a recreated set of salt mining equipment on the edge of town. All of these features and more can be viewed and contextualized on the museum's topographic map/diaorama. It's not a metropolis, but it is an interesting place.

Self guided tour. Small but very well organized and awesome artifacts. Information on Civil War,…read moreNative Americans, geology and fossils. They also have a few videos to watch.

I've been near and around Butcher Holler countless times, in fact, my mother-in-law used to live…read morejust down the road from it. My husband who was born and raised in Van Lear had been inside either. Finally, on our last trip to the Paintsville area, we made it inside. It's everything that you can imagine. Honestly, it's probably bigger than you would think of for a childhood home of a self-proclaimed poor country singer. It's the childhood home of Loretta Lynn that obviously at least partially inspired the song "Coal Miner's Daughter." It's nestled between two fog-shrouded mountains up a "holler" just two miles southeast of the coal mining camp of Van Lear, which is part of the big city of Paintsville. The house is now owned by Loretta Lynn's brother. The day that we were there, his daughter, Loretta Lynn's niece gave us our tour. When we first walked in, she was giving another group their tour, and the way she explained it, is that to go in and look around, it's free, but a tour is $5 per person. The parking is very limited, there probably couldn't be any more than 5 cars parked in the driveway at once. So, if you have a big vehicle that it's easy to maneuver, forget it.

So interesting to see how people that are now famous began. It's so interesting, and I learned her…read moresister is Crystal Gayle

I was debating about whether or not to visit, as I was afraid it might be a simulation experience…read more Boy, was I wrong! This turned out to be the highlight of my roadtrip. I enjoyed going underground, and our tour guide, Gerald, was great. He was able to answer all the questions he was asked. I also went to some of the outbuildings. I was surprised and pleased to see that there were docents in the Supervisor's house & the school. Both of those women came from coal mining families, and I was lucky to be able to spend some time talking to each of them about their experiences. What a hard -- and kind of sad -- life. I actually felt a little guilty that mine is so much different. I also went into the gift shop, where all of the women were just hilariously funny! They almost made me wish that I lived in the area & wanted a job; I would love to work with them! I encourage everyone to visit the Beckley Coal Mine. It was very informative and eye-opening.

We had a great experience on the mining tour in Beckley! I was born and raised in West Virginia, so…read morecoal has always been part of our history--but I had never actually been inside a mine before. This was such a unique way to experience it firsthand. Our tour guide, Tony, really made the tour. He was incredibly knowledgeable and added a lot of humor, which kept things interesting the entire time. You ride through the mine on a cart that's pulled along, and while you don't get off during the tour, he stops a few times to share stories and information. If you're extremely claustrophobic, it might not be for you--but personally, I didn't find it too bad at all. The whole facility is really well done. There's a gift shop, drinks, restrooms, and a museum inside the depot. Outside, there are several historic buildings and houses you can walk through, and they're all accessible with ramps. Parking is easy and right on site. Overall, it's a really neat experience and a great way to learn more about an important part of West Virginia's history. Definitely worth a visit!

I made a trip down to Charleston with my gold fish's Siberian husky and enjoyed every moment of it…read more My brain was starving for a history lesson, though, so I went downtown to the Culture Center and ballooned it with some of the most interesting facts I've ever heard about the Capitol Building(s). The museum is free, which is a plus. I couldn't bring the dog in though, so cracked the windows and put on some Baha Men for him. I also walked upstairs, looked at the displays and was instantly greeted by a fine young man with a vibrant smile and excellent hair. What a great surprise. The car was gone.

The information and history are great. It's very important for everyone to have access…read more The only thing that's puzzling is that there's no free parking.

For five years I had heard my wife talk about how amazing the Whipple Company Store and Museum was…read more So on our way for a weekend at the New River Gorge we stopped in so I could see myself. Needless to say I was blown away! What an absolute treasure. There was an informative tour about the coal company store, the lives of the miners and their families, the coal wars, and about the architecture. The man leading the tour was knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the area. I would recommend coming here to anyone!!

Great place and very educational....i loved the owners and everybody there, very good people. it…read morewas unforgettable!!