Pipestem Resort State Park, WV - 2018

West Virginia is Almost Heaven, and some of the most beautiful sights are located within our State Parks! We’ll be exploring Pipestem Resort State Park, as well as Bluestone Lake State Park, and some other special locations along the way! Pipestem will be our base for the weekend, with discounted rooms at the Lodge, which also has a fine restaurant and meeting space for us. The Lodge overlooks the Bluestone Gorge, and the Bolar Lookout Tower at 3,000 feet provides an inspiring view, as well. It’s not uncommon to see eagles at Pipestem, and we’ll also trek to Bluestone State Park, where Park Naturalist, Julie McQuade, has recently spotted eagles! The town of Bramwell once had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in America, during the coal boom. They built lavish mansions with ballrooms and full-size homes as playhouses for their kids. The pharmacy, now a cafe with its original soda fountain, was one of the first stores to carry the upscale Chanel No. 5. You can still explore Millionaire Row, and the Bramwell Depot is your gateway to this mining and millionaire town’s tales.

We have confirmed access to a special attraction…The abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement Park! The skeletal remains of this small park create an eerie atmosphere, given the parks mysterious history. We’ll also take some time to visit some additional attractions, time permitting. Amanda Haddox and Ron Gaskins, our Instructors, will provide techniques and share their experience throughout our weekend! It will be an exciting and full one, with many locations to see and opportunities to learn.

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