Fayetteville (West Virginia)

Fayetteville is situated on the segment of US-19 that intersects I-77 between Beckley and Sutton. Coming from the north, take I-77 exit 57; from the south, take exit 48.

• Mountain Transit Authority, ☏ +1 304 872-5872, toll-free: +1-877-712-9432. 1096 Broad St in Summersville. Daily bus service throughout Fayette County, as well as Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas and Webster counties. (updated Nov 2019)

• Downtown Fayetteville is the historic district in the center of town, with shops and restaurants and galleries. It was used as a stand-in for the town of Frazier's Bottom in the film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. The Fayetteville Historic Convention and Visitors' Bureau, housed in the Historic Fayette Jail, is at 306 N Court Street, +1 304 574-1500 or +1-888-574-1500. You can take a guided walking tour of the historic downtown homes at designated times.
• New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The park's primary Canyon Rim Visitor Center sits directly across the New River Gorge Bridge from Fayetteville. (updated May 2023)
• New River Gorge Bridge, route 19 north of Fayetteville, +1 304 574-2115. Visitors' center open daily from 9AM-5PM. Completed in 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge was the longest steel-arch bridge in the world until the construction of the Lupu Bridge in Shanghai in 2003. Every third Saturday in October, the bridge is home to Bridge Day, when the bridge is opened to pedestrians for great views, organized walks, parachuting and rappelling demonstrations to the river 876 feet below, music, and a variety of vendors. There are beautiful views from a distance of the bridge spanning the gorge; the Canyon Rim Visitors' Center just north of the bridge features an exhibit room, gift shop and a boardwalk with two observation decks.
• 🌍 Hawks Nest State Park, US-60 8 miles west of US-19, ☏ +1 304 658-5212. Tram operates 11AM-4:45PM on weekdays (closed Wednesdays) and 9AM-6:45PM on weekends, May through October (weekends only during May and September). 276 acres on the New River Gorge, with a 31-room lodge featuring panoramic views of the Gorge and Hawks Nest Lake. Hawks Nest Restaurant is the only restaurant overlooking the New River Canyon. Hiking trails, swimming, whitewater rafting, three gift shops, an aerial tramway and jetboat rides on the New River. Lodge is $53 - $107 per night. $3 for tram rides, $18 for jetboat rides. 
• 🌍 Babcock State Park (WV-41 S, two miles south of US-60), ☏ +1 304 438-3004. 4,127 acres of mountain vistas with scenic overlooks, a fast-flowing trout stream, and the Glade Creek Grist Mill, a fully-operable recreation of the original grist mill from 1890. Visitors can hike, fish, swim, go horseback riding, or take paddleboats, rowboats or canoes out on the 19-acre Boley Lake. 
• Midland Trail Scenic Byway. Runs along route 60 from Kenova and Huntington in the west to Lewisburg in the east. Fayetteville is about 10 minutes south of Hico, at the intersection of US-19 and US-60. It's a beautiful road to drive, full of wooded mountain curves, waterfalls, rivers and scenic vistas. 

• Mystery Hole, 16724 Midland Trail (US-60) in Ansted, ☏ +1 304 658-9101. Open 10:30AM-6PM, April through October. A museum of sorts, housed in an old Quonset hut, where the law of gravity seems to go berserk. Admission $5. 
• Take an airplane tour of the New River Gorge. Before he passed away in 2001, you could hire "Five Dollar Frank" Thomas to take you up in his Cessna 172 Skyhawk for $5; these days, you'll have to find a more expensive carrier.

• Chimney Corner USA, 15328 Midland Way in Chimney Corner, +1 304 632-1002. Appalachian arts and crafts, quilts, baskets, books, handwoven rugs, brooms, cornmeal, honey, pottery, and coal collectibles.
• Gauley River Pottery, 526 West Mount Lookout Road (On US-19 near Hico), ☏ +1 304 872-2841, +1 304 872-0244. Open 10AM-4PM Wednesday through Sunday, or by appointment. Housed in a 1901 general store, selling functional, wheel thrown, handcrafted stoneware and handmade ceramics. Visitors can watch the artists throwing, trimming, adding handles and adornments, waxing and glazing in their studio. 
• Waterstone Outdoors, 101 E Wiseman Avenue, ☏ +1 304 574-2425. A retail store for all your outdoor needs, specializing in rock climbing; climbing guides also available. 

• Gino's Pizza & Spaghetti, 85 Fayette Town Center, ☏ +1 304 574-2604. A favorite West Virginia chain serving pizza, pasta, calzones, subs, pubwiches, pepperoni rolls and sandwiches. 
• Smokey's on the Gorge, Ames Heights Road and US-19, ☏ +1 304 574-4905. Open for dinner 5PM-8PM Sunday through Thursday and 5PM-9PM Friday and Saturday, between May 1st and Labor Day weekend; open for breakfast with advance reservations; call for off-season hours. A breakfast buffet, dinner buffet and salad bar in a timber-frame pavilion overlooking the New River Gorge. The dinner buffet features Appalachian favorites like barbecued wild boar ribs, grilled quail, morel mushrooms and rainbow trout. 

• Cathedral Cafe, 134 S Court Street, ☏ +1 304 574-0202. A coffee and teahouse located in a remodeled 90-year-old stone church, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try the hand-dipped milkshakes. 
• Red Dog River Saloon, Fayette Station Road, toll-free: +1-800-879-7483. A saloon with live music, big-screen TVs, billiards, and the area's largest beverage selection. (updated Nov 2019)

• Adventures on the Gorge, Deluxe Mountain Cabins located near the rim of the New River Gorge bridge.
• Country River Inn, Gatewood Road, ☏ +1 304 574-0055. 6 rooms. Microwave, refrigerator, CD player. Complimentary continental breakfast. On-site restaurant called the Cabin Cafe offers homemade sandwiches and pizza and a nightly dinner buffet. $79 - $109. 
• Quality Inn New River Gorge, Laurel Creek Road and US-19, +1 304 574-3443 or +1-800-228-3323, . Gift shop; outdoor pool; tennis, basketball and volleyball courts. Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. On-site restaurant called the Whitewater Bar and Grill, open daily from 11AM-midnight, serving salads, sandwiches and steaks.
• The Ponderosa Lodge, US-60 in Lookout (mile marker 67), ☏ +1 304 438-7113, toll-free: +1-877-246-9972. A 10,000 sq. ft. lodge specializing in family reunions, group retreats and destination weddings in the New River Gorge area. 
• Opossum Creek Retreat, Your cabin in the woods.Opossum Creek Cabin Rentals
• The Confluence Resort, Hico (15 minutes from Fayetteville), ☏ +1 304-573-4900. The finest lodging available in the area. High end luxury homes in a spectacular natural setting bordering the Gauley River National Recreation Area. 

The New River Gorge CVB can help you find lodging, restaurants and packages for the area in and around Fayetteville. Additionally, the Southern West Virginia CVB offers west virginia vacation and travel information on the Southern West Virginia region.

• Oak Hill is practically adjacent to Fayetteville on US-19.
• Summersville, about 30 minutes north on US-19, is home to the largest lake in West Virginia, part of West Virginia's Mountain Lakes District.
• Beckley, about 30 minutes south on US-19, is the nearest spot if you want to do any heavy-duty shopping.
• Lewisburg, a little over 1 hour east on US-60 and US-64, is an old-fashioned town that's home to the Greenbrier Resort.
• Richwood, a little over 1 hour northeast, is a historic former lumber town adjoining the Cranberry Wilderness of Monongahela National Forest
• Hinton, about an hour south, is the counterpart to Fayetteville at the southern end of the national park.
• Charleston, a little over 1 hour west on US-64, is the state capital.
• Bluefield, a little over 1 hour south on US-77, is a lovely mountain town on the Virginia border.