Explore wild, wonderful West Virginia with the state's most-read online publication.
West Virginia Explorer Magazine is the premier online source for exploring the beauty, culture, and heritage of the Mountain State. From travel tips and outdoor adventures to local news, history, and hidden gems, we connect readers with the real West Virginia. Follow us for in-depth articles, stunning photography, event updates, and insider stories that showcase the heart of Appalachia. The oldest online guide to West Virginia, we've been in publication online since 2000.
11/29/2025
Few West Virginia place names come with a tale as improbable or as theatrical as that of Clayton, a quiet Summers County community whose name traces back to the crash of a hot-air balloon nearly two centuries ago.
CLAYTON, W.Va. — Few West Virginia place names come with a tale as improbable or as theatrical as that of Clayton, a quiet Summers County community whose name traces back to the crash of a hot-air balloon nearly two centuries ago. The year was 1835, a time when flight of any kind carried an air of...
11/17/2025
A quintessential ghost town! Little remains of the lost village of Lilly, which is located in a remote, yet still accessible, corner of West Virginia.
HINTON, W.Va. — Deep in a forested gorge where the Bluestone River winds through steep hills, the lost village of Lilly was once among southern West Virginia’s earliest frontier communities. Today, the townsite lies within the Bluestone National Scenic River, where only the landscape hints at th...
11/16/2025
Before dawn on November 20, 1968, an explosion ripped through Consolidation Coal Company’s No. 9 mine, sending smoke, flames, and debris high into the cold West Virginia sky. Read the full story here: https://wvexplorer.com/2025/11/16/farmington-mine-disaster/
11/15/2025
Paranormal tourism is booming across West Virginia, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect a rise in belief in the paranormal.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Paranormal tourism is booming across West Virginia, but the increase in ghost tours, haunted history walks, and supernatural-themed events doesn’t necessarily reflect a rise in belief in the paranormal. According to David Sibray, publisher of West Virginia Explorer and a long...
11/13/2025
Relieve stress this Thanksgiving. There are effective ways to maintain calm, meaningful, and focused gatherings that prioritize connection.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With Thanksgiving approaching, a West Virginia family communications expert says the stress that builds long before the holiday can set the stage for arguments at the dinner table, but there are effective ways to keep gatherings calm, meaningful, and focused on connection. Jess...
Playgrounds need our help. The West Virginia State Parks Foundation has launched a statewide campaign to replace and modernize the aging playgrounds in state parks and forests.
HURRICANE, W.Va. — The West Virginia State Parks Foundation has launched a statewide campaign to replace and modernize aging West Virginia state park playgrounds, some of which date back decades and no longer meet current safety or accessibility standards. Aging West Virginia state park playground...
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The WVExplorer page is a companion to West Virginia Explorer Magazine at www.WVExplorer.com, an e-magazine and travel guide that’s been a leading provider of West Virginia information since 2000.
West Virginia Explorer was established in 1999 by historian and publisher David Sibray to provide a journalistic online venue for West Virginia information. Its first online version was unveiled in 2000. By 2006, the site had become one of the leading guides to West Virginia and the flagship guide for more than 30 sites that promoted travel in West Virginia and adjacent states.
By 2008, West Virginia Explorer had grown to become one of the leading venues for the promotion of outdoor recreation in West Virginia. Beth Gill, then marketing director for ACE Adventure Resort, a frequent development partner, quantified West Virginia Explorer in 2014 as one of the three top sources for audiences in which the resort invested.
Sibray in 2011 proposed a complete recast of the site that would promote social-media integration and embrace wholly mobile-ready architecture. “A large part of our audience were using mobile devices, so there was little question that we needed to invest in architecture that was mobile-ready from the outset.”
The recast, mobile-ready version of the explorer was unveiled in 2013. Unlike earlier versions, which included the work of a limited number of untitled authors, the 2013 version has began to rely of correspondent authorship and contributors for content. The work of more than 20 writers, editors, and photographers has been incorporated into the publication. Sibray then said he saw no reason the publication should not open its pages to unlimited contribution.
In 2017 West Virginia Explorer became a certified Google and Bing news source and has since continued to provide both guide content and bylined articles.
