Wild and Wonderful West Virginia

      On Monday, we took one final jaunt around downtown Charleston, checking out all of the areas that are under construction, or will be soon, and vowing to come back five years from now (October 2026, so we can revisit the state during the fall), have Ellen's ice cream (which Maddie has declared the best thus far in West Virginia) and check out the city's progress for ourselves.

    After saying goodbye to the capital city that had grown on us quite a bit in the previous 48 hours, we headed to Bramwell, a fascinating little town I had learned about while researching West Virginia that once (at the turn of the last century) had more millionaires per capita than any place in America.  Coal barons and the bankers who financed them were the owners of these fine estates, the majority of which have been preserved.  We ate a late lunch at The Corner Shop, home of the "best milkshake in West Virginia," and Maddie got the rare treat of experiencing two ice creams stops in a single day!  We also finally ate a "pepperoni roll,"  West Virginia's state food, created by an Italian immigrant in the 1920's as a perfect food to take into the coal mines.  It was actually delicious!   Local families stop here after taking muddy ATV adventure rides on the nearby trails, so we enjoyed getting a bit of the local color, as well as the local ice cream flavors.

     We took the self-guided walking tour of the city (much needed on a day with much driving and ice cream consumption), and then stopped by the Coal Heritage Center, where we learned about the process of mining coal, turning it to steel and the danger of the abandoned mines throughout the state and country.  The gentleman also talked movies with me, as we both bemoaned the fact that Matewan is nowhere to be found, while he encouraged us to watch October Sky again, as Homer Hickam grew up not far from Bramwell.  Fascinating stuff to be sure.

    The drive from Bramwell to the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs was gorgeous, as has every drive we have thus far taken.  Here is a photograph of West Virginia's turnpike, which is the ugliest (and costliest) road we have driven.  

    When we arrived to our home for these two days, we immediately felt a need to rush to our room and spruce up before being seen in the flowery and ostentatious halls.  However, after a day and a half roaming around, getting our bearings, enjoying the famed "Greenbrier peach" (which is grown in California?! ;) in its many incarnations, gambling at the only private casino in the country and enjoying some first-class sulphur soaks and massages, we now feel quite comfortable calling Greenbrier our home away from home.  Much like you do on a cruise ship, we have found our favorite spots to hang out, have "tea," wander the shops and relax.  The boys even took a dip in the infinity pool.

    When we watched the latest episode of White Lotus last night, we couldn't help but be amused by how much the Dorothy Draper interior design echoes the aesthetic of the show (or at least of the show's credits).  While there are far too many flowers and chandeliers for my taste, you have to just go with the flow and take it all in when you're at the Greenbrier.   It appears many families return year after year, and it's easy to see the appeal.  There are even two employees who have worked here for 50 years!  

White Lotus on the television, Dorothy Draper on the Greenbrier walls

    Tomorrow, we will head to Charlottesville, Virginia, via a long route through Pembroke, Virginia, where Dirty Dancing was filmed.  A stay at The Greenbrier, self-proclaimed "America's Resort," seems like a perfect launch to our exploration of the fictional Kellerman's, where families vacation together summer after summer.  As we get ready to spend our last evening in West Virginia, I have no doubt we will be back to this wild and wonderful state.