Fayetteville, WV: The “Coolest Small Town” Close to Home
I often share information around mine and my husband’s travels, but I’ve never fully dedicated a blog post to the amazing, wild and wonderful small-town-turned-tourist-hot-spot that is Fayetteville, West Virginia.
Fayetteville is one of my favorite places on earth; seriously, I grew up only 15 minutes away from it and most of my time spent exploring the mountains and New River (as well as cool, local-flavor cafés and restaurants) in high school occurred there. When we returned to West Virginia for an extended stay-cation during the pandemic, Fayetteville once again became one of mine and Andrew’s go-to spots for hiking, swimming, and wining and dining, and here’s why—
Fayetteville, WV portrait photograph by the lovely local photographer Sheena Pendley.
Fayetteville, West Virginia: things to do
Fayetteville, WV is a summer tourism hot-spot, namely for its incredible hiking trails of all skill levels and lengths, including the famous Long Point and Kaymoor Top trails, among others. The National Park Service lays out information around these incredible trails, and in my experience you can do them time and time again (and in all seasons!) and never tire of them. Some take you to beautiful overlooks and others to secluded swimming holes (which we always enjoy taking a dip in on sweltering summer days!), as well as to certain rock-climbing access routes and beyond. There are even shorter, paved trails with accessibility features built-in; seriously, there’s something for everyone to do outdoors in and around Fayetteville, West Virginia!
A view of the New River Gorge National River from Beauty Mountain Trailhead; photo by Sheena Pendley.
After a long day of hiking, rafting, or climbing, local flavor eateries are just the thing to do in and around town. My favorite local eateries in Fayetteville that offer the most unique atmospheric venues and incredible dishes include Cathedral Café (my absolute favorite brunch and lunch spot), and Pies & Pints.
Cathedral Café is a gorgeous, intimate eatery that features a full-service espresso bar, a smoothie and juicing station, and a full-service kitchen serving some of the best brunch-and-lunchy eats for miles. Pies & Pints, on the other hand, serves up dinner dishes fit for a perfect date night or evening out with friends, such as whole gourmet pizza pies, local craft brews, and more. Either way, you cannot go wrong with these unique, diverse eateries (and many others in town, like Secret Sandwich Society and The Grove, which are currently under reconstruction after an unfortunate kitchen fire— I definitely hope to see them back soon, as they’re another one of my favorite eatery-and-bar combos in the area!)
Another Sheena Pendley portait of me, taken upstairs in the cool, intimately beautiful Cathedral Café.
Fayetteville, WV: places to stay
Fayetteville, WV and the surrounding area also hosts some of the best adventure-oriented resorts in the state IMHO, including Adventures on the Gorge and ACE Adventure Resort, both of which offer lodging and adventure packages to guests at honestly unbeatable rates. Here are some photos from our stay last summer in a beautiful cabin at ACE, complete with a hot tub and secluded deck area that made for a really peaceful, serene summer stay:
Glowin’ in the summer sun in beautiful West Virginia. This was the most relaxing weekend ever, honestly!
There are so many more things that make Fayetteville, WV the most beautiful and entertaining spot in the state in my opinion, and this post barely scratches the surface of all you can explore there. Visit the city website to learn more, and pay a visit for yourself to see all this cool small-town has to offer in the beautiful hills of Wild & Wonderful West Virginia!
Xoxo, MM.