WILD & WOOLLY WEST VIRGINIA

Last weekend my husband, two boys, and I, loaded up our car and headed to Fayetteville, West Virginia. This is an area we’ve visited many times, in many seasons. During this very busy winter the appeal of a cabin in the woods with an outdoor hot tub, the prospect of snow (we hadn’t gotten any in Charlottesville yet), and nothing much to do, was the draw. We chose a rustic one bedroom cabin furnished by Adventures on the Gorge.

Before leaving Charlottesville, we swung by Ace Biscuit & Barbecue to grab our first night’s dinner. I had homemade Bolognese sauce prepared for the second night since delicious, but easy, food is a priority for us on any getaway. If you haven’t tried Ace’s, go soon and get there early. The line was out the door when we arrived at around 1230pm on Saturday but it was totally worth the wait. Later that evening, bundled up in our cabin with a bottle of red and our pork sandwiches, we were very content.

Fayettteville and the New River Gorge area is a great spot for anyone who loves the outdoors. You can camp, rock climb, hike, swim in Summersville Lake and even bridge dive (if you dare!). The New River Gorge Bridge used to be world’s longest steel single-span arch bridge. Now it ranks 4^th but it’s still an impressive structure that can be seen from various over (and under)looks.

We ended up with one gorgeous Sunday to enjoy the area. The sun shone brightly and we visited our favorite spots- Cathedral Café for brunch, a drive all the way to the bottom of the gorge where the icy river flows under the bridge, and for a mellow hike around the property where our cabin was located.

Lounging in the hot tub as the snowflakes fell was exactly the break we needed. It reminded me that you don’t always have to go far ‘to get away from it all’. -Julie, February 2015