West Virginia's highlands offer yet another side to West Virginia. Small towns dot the mountainous countryside. These towns tend to fall into two categories - your classic Americana, Heartland towns and your classic Mountain, Weekend Get-A-Way towns. The first two towns I visited, Buckhannon and Elkins fell in the first category; Thomas and Davis fall quarely in the second.
BUCKHANNON
Unlike the coal towns in the south of Wes Virginia, Buckhannon and Elkins have fallen victim to Wall Street Corporatism - when leaving the highway, the opening visual for both these towns are the standard run of Big Box department stores - the Walmarts, the Home Depots, the McDonalds. It takes some patience but after cutting through the traffic I reached the old town commercial center.
As a county seat, Buckhannon has a beautiful courthouse and township center. The rest of the commercial area provides a glimpse of the former glory before the Big Box store arrival. Buckhannon has a coffee shop, called the Daily Grind, that I was looking forward to checking out but alas they were closed for Memorial Day weekend.
Unlike the coal towns in the south of Wes Virginia, Buckhannon and Elkins have fallen victim to Wall Street Corporatism - when leaving the highway, the opening visual for both these towns are the standard run of Big Box department stores - the Walmarts, the Home Depots, the McDonalds. It takes some patience but after cutting through the traffic I reached the old town commercial center.
As a county seat, Buckhannon has a beautiful courthouse and township center. The rest of the commercial area provides a glimpse of the former glory before the Big Box store arrival. Buckhannon has a coffee shop, called the Daily Grind, that I was looking forward to checking out but alas they were closed for Memorial Day weekend.
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ELKINS
Thirty minutes farther up Route 48 is Elkins. Similar to Buckhannon I need to pass through a series of Big Box strip malls that sit between the expressway and the old town center. There's a 1950s style diner called The Custard Stand on the way. The Custard Stand has decent chili dogs and is a mini West Virginia chain. Elkins city center has a little more heft than Buckhannon's but just like Buckhannon it's quiet compared to the commercial strip I just drove through.
Thirty minutes farther up Route 48 is Elkins. Similar to Buckhannon I need to pass through a series of Big Box strip malls that sit between the expressway and the old town center. There's a 1950s style diner called The Custard Stand on the way. The Custard Stand has decent chili dogs and is a mini West Virginia chain. Elkins city center has a little more heft than Buckhannon's but just like Buckhannon it's quiet compared to the commercial strip I just drove through.
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DAVIS
After Elkins I left the expressway and followed local routes to Davis. On the approach to Davis I began to feel the town would be a different experience. I began to pass fancier cabins that only made sense as a vacation home. I passed resort communities. I started to see signs for ski resorts. Davis may be the Aspen of West Virginia. There's multiple microbreweries, I grabbed a beer at Stumptown Ales, and a more casual vibe than any place I'd been to in West Virginia. Davis's downtown has a rustic charm but the shops are geared towards the weekend crowd. The place to eat, granted there's not many choices is Hellbender Burritos.
After Elkins I left the expressway and followed local routes to Davis. On the approach to Davis I began to feel the town would be a different experience. I began to pass fancier cabins that only made sense as a vacation home. I passed resort communities. I started to see signs for ski resorts. Davis may be the Aspen of West Virginia. There's multiple microbreweries, I grabbed a beer at Stumptown Ales, and a more casual vibe than any place I'd been to in West Virginia. Davis's downtown has a rustic charm but the shops are geared towards the weekend crowd. The place to eat, granted there's not many choices is Hellbender Burritos.
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THOMAS
It's a short windy drive to Thomas. Thomas is built on a slope so the town's main drive is a one way road with shops to the left. What Thomas lacked in beers and burritos it made up for with Tip Top coffee and antiques stores. If it weren't for a long drive to Morgantown I would have grabbed a beer at The Purple Fiddle.
It's a short windy drive to Thomas. Thomas is built on a slope so the town's main drive is a one way road with shops to the left. What Thomas lacked in beers and burritos it made up for with Tip Top coffee and antiques stores. If it weren't for a long drive to Morgantown I would have grabbed a beer at The Purple Fiddle.
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