Hometown Highlights: Sushi Dates and River Days in Southern West Virginia
I’m always amazed at the amount of fun, quirky and unique activities one can do in my home state. More specifically, what one can do within ~15 minutes of my hometown (Beckley, WV). Southern WV is full of locally-owned eateries and natural beauty, and recently my husband and I (and our good friend Nina) spent a great weekend eating sushi and hanging out by the beautiful New River. Reader, read on and learn more about spending a weekend chock-full of activities in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!
Sitting by the river in Prince, WV.
Kimono Kin Restaurant: A Beckley, WV Gem
One of my favorite places to eat anytime I’m in Beckley, WV is the locally-owned pan-Asian eatery Kimono Kin. Focused mainly on Japanese cuisine and sushi, Kimono Kin also offers up some of the best Thai green and yellow curry you’ve ever had, and a long list of locally-sourced craft beers. We LOVE this place, and this past weekend we were reminded of just how good the food (and service!) really is— between a shared spicy yellowtail roll and some super-spicy green curry, my husband and I really enjoyed ourselves there.
Glade Creek: Part of the New River Gorge National River in Prince, WV
After dinner, Andrew and I met our friend Nina in town and caravanned down toward Glade Creek, located in the tiny municipality (and railroad town) of Prince, WV. Just beyond the city limits of Beckley, Prince is an old rail-town with tons of great river access spots. One of those access spots is Glade Creek, which is part of the New River Gorge National River (part of the US National Parks system).
If you enter at the Glade Creek entrance (just beyond the train tracks and rail bridge that connects one side of the riverbank to the other), you will soon be headed down a dirt and gravel road that winds down the hill toward the river banks. Eventually, you run right into a campground with some of the best river access in town, called “The Grandview Sandbar.”
From there, you can find tons of camping spots and river access outlets that allow for campfires, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and beyond. The New River isn’t always a hospitable place for swimming (and obviously no lifeguards are around), so exercise caution if you choose to swim in the river. I personally wouldn’t swim if the river were too high or moving too quickly— it’s sometimes best to just sit by the river bank and have a fire with friends, especially if it’s rained recently.
Andrew, Nina and I waded in the more shallow parts of the river bank, swimming a little along the edge since the water was relatively calm and slow-moving. We had just as nice of a time sitting on the rocks and walking around and talking, though, and chasing down some adorable butterflies we saw flitting around the river banks.
The Grandview Sandbar in Glade Creek, WV.
There is so much to do in Wild, Wonderful WV if you just look closely enough. So, what are your favorite things to do in Southern WV? How do you prefer to spend a West Virginia weekend? Let’s talk about it.
Xoxo, MM.