Elkins, WV

A dinner-only restaurant perched above the Tygart Valley River, ranked #1 in Elkins, with a menu of steaks, fresh salads, and carefully sourced local ingredients in a setting that genuinely earns its countryside-drive reputation. The Inn rooms upstairs make it a convenient base if you're spending several days exploring the forest. Thursday through Sunday only — plan ahead.

A Venezuelan-Latin kitchen on Kerens Avenue that doubles as a live music venue on weekends, with generous plates of arepas, empanadas, and grilled meats at prices that make the quality feel almost implausible for a city this size. The bar in the back gets lively on weekend nights with local bands, while the front dining room stays relaxed enough for a proper sit-down meal. Open Wednesday through Saturday only.

An eastern-route BBQ joint on Allegheny Highway with a patio setting along a creek and a straightforward smoked meats menu — pulled pork, ribs, brisket — done with real wood smoke. Ranked second in Elkins on TripAdvisor, it's the go-to for locals who want BBQ without driving to Charleston. Wednesday through Sunday service only, which means weekend arrivals should go early.

A small-batch donut shop on Davis Avenue with a cult following among Elkins locals for made-fresh-daily yeasted donuts, cream-filled pastries, and seasonal pie slices. The case sells out most days before noon — this is not a place to visit at 11 AM and expect a full selection. Rated 4.8 on TripAdvisor, which for a small-town donut shop indicates a genuinely special operation.

A longtime Davis Avenue bar and grill with a broad comfort-food menu, a pool table, and a local crowd that keeps it humming on weeknight evenings. Rated 4.4 on Google with over 1,200 reviews across platforms — unusually well-reviewed for a pub this size — the food runs to wings, burgers, and sandwiches done with more care than the casual setting would suggest. A reliable evening option when The Forks is booked.

Elkins's downtown craft brewery, housed in a renovated space on Davis Avenue with a stone fireplace and a patio overlooking the Tygart Valley River. The taproom specializes in rotating small-batch beers and has an attached food menu of flatbreads and pub snacks sized for sharing over pints. Their porter won a world-level competition, and the patio is one of the better outdoor spots in the city for an afternoon drink.

West Virginia's only Branson-style dinner theatre, on Beverly Pike outside downtown Elkins, combining a full buffet dinner with a live country and gospel variety show performed by a rotating cast of multi-instrumentalists. It seats several hundred and runs a family-friendly two-hour production that pulls in both tourists and locals who keep coming back seasonally. Ranked #1 of things to do in Elkins on TripAdvisor.

A 3.6-mile out-and-back hike to the observation platform atop the most dramatic rock formation in the eastern United States — a 900-foot quartzite fin rising vertically from the valley floor of the Monongahela National Forest, about 55 miles from Elkins. Rated 4.8 on AllTrails with nearly 4,000 reviews, this is the Mon Forest's marquee day hike and a worthy drive from Elkins. The summit platform delivers views that feel genuinely out of scale for West Virginia.

The shortest worthwhile hike near Elkins: a 10-minute walk to a historic 1933 CCC fire tower in the Monongahela National Forest with panoramic ridgeline views of Randolph County. At 0.2 miles from the trailhead, it's the definition of a high-reward low-effort outing — and has a 4.9-star rating on AllTrails from 80+ reviews to prove it. A perfect first stop if you're orienting to the area before committing to a longer hike.

A 7.3-mile out-and-back through Otter Creek Wilderness, one of the oldest designated wilderness areas in the eastern US, following the creek through rhododendron tunnels and past small waterfalls to a mountain gap. The trail has 90+ AllTrails reviews averaging 4.4 stars, and the wilderness designation means no motorized vehicles, minimal signage, and a genuine backcountry feel within 20 miles of Elkins. Moderate difficulty; the creek crossings can be wet.

The summit of Spruce Knob — the highest point in West Virginia at 4,863 feet — reached via the 10.9-mile Huckleberry Trail loop through subalpine spruce forest and flagged trees shaped by prevailing westerly winds. Rated 4.6 on AllTrails with 545 reviews, this is the region's most rewarding longer hike and a genuine high-country experience not easily replicated elsewhere on the East Coast. About 65 miles from Elkins.

A 1.6-mile easy trail within Stuart Recreation Area near Elkins that follows the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River through rhododendron thickets and past a swimming hole in the river. The trail has known maintenance gaps — fallen trees and limited signage — but for a short, accessible forest walk close to town, it's the easiest option in the Mon Forest near Elkins. Good for kids or a quick after-dinner legs stretch.

The only Branson-style dinner theatre in West Virginia, hosting a full live country, gospel, and variety show every weekend alongside a buffet dinner in a converted barn venue on Beverly Pike. The performers are genuinely multi-talented and the two-hour show is designed to be accessible for all ages. It draws both tourists and loyal local regulars who make it a seasonal ritual. Book in advance — it sells out regularly.

A summer series of public concerts, dances, and craft markets on the Davis & Elkins College campus, running during the Augusta Heritage Center's intensive folk arts weeks. Evening contradances and old-time music jams are open to anyone — no experience required for the dances, and callers walk beginners through the steps. This is the most authentic mountain music event in West Virginia, and being in Elkins during a festival week is the best possible timing.

The railroad's Elkins departure offers a four-hour round trip through the Monongahela Forest on vintage train equipment, with a scenic stop at High Falls on the Cheat River. Beyond the Elkins run, the railroad also operates from Cass and Durbin for steam-powered excursions — making this an attraction with multiple day-trip variations. The combination of real wilderness access and genuine working locomotive makes it unlike any other entertainment option in the region.

The taproom's stone-fireplace interior and Tygart Valley River patio make it Elkins's best spot for a lazy afternoon of local craft beer. The brewery rotates its taps frequently and hosts live acoustic music on weekend evenings, making it both a destination in its own right and a useful gathering point for evening plans. Their world-competition-winning porter is a consistent anchor on the menu.

An annual week-long festival that draws more than 75,000 people to Elkins each fall, featuring logging and craft competitions, live music, carnival rides, and a traditional Queen's coronation ceremony that's been running since the 1930s. The festival is Elkins at full volume — locals come back from across the country for it, and the craft and food vendor areas cover most of downtown. Worth timing a visit around if you can.

A historic railroad running scenic excursions through the Monongahela National Forest on vintage diesel and steam locomotives, departing from the 1908 Elkins depot into wilderness that has no road access. The Greenbrier Express run makes a four-hour round trip to High Falls on the Cheat River, with lunch included and an observation car for watching the ridgelines slide past. One of the most distinctive train experiences on the East Coast.

A 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps fire tower atop Bickle Knob in the Monongahela National Forest, offering 360-degree views of Randolph County's ridgelines with a walk of less than five minutes from the parking area. One of the few remaining original CCC towers in the Mon Forest — the structure itself is as interesting as the view. An easy morning side trip from Elkins that most visitors skip in favor of longer hikes.

A nationally recognized folk arts program housed on the Davis & Elkins College campus, anchoring Elkins's identity as a center of Appalachian music and craft traditions. The summer weeks-long intensives draw students from across the country to study old-time, bluegrass, blues, and swing with master players, and the evening concerts and dances during those weeks are open to the public. Even outside festival weeks, the campus setting and craft market are worth a wander.

The beautifully preserved 1908 Western Maryland Railroad depot in downtown Elkins, serving as the departure hub for the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad and a visitor center for the region. The building itself is one of the finest surviving railroad depots in West Virginia, and the attached exhibits cover the area's logging and railroad history with more specificity than most small-town museums manage. A logical first stop before heading into the forest.

The administrative hub for the 919,000-acre Monongahela National Forest sits in Elkins and doubles as an information center with detailed maps, permit information, and staff who know which trails are currently passable. Picking up the official forest map here before any backcountry trip is worth the detour — it shows gated roads, dispersed camping zones, and Forest Service road conditions that apps and GPS don't reliably track.