CHARLESTON, W.Va – With the fall season in full swing, West Virginians continue to look for things to do around the state, and tourism secretary Chelsea Ruby has a few ideas, including one that some may find a little out of the ordinary.
“Folks who are looking for trip ideas, I would recommend looking for the West Virginia swings, the Waterfall Trail, or even our new spooky Paranormal Trail. It’s back for year two,” she said.
The West Virginia Paranormal Trail returns for its second year with different locations around the state for West Virginians and visitors to get some scares. Ruby says the project is a long time coming, and early numbers show it to be a smashing success.
“Our team kept coming to me each year saying, ‘We want to do a paranormal trail. We have so much going on in West Virginia,’ so I finally leaned into the research and said, ‘This is a thing that people want to do,’ so we’re in year two. We just started the second year. We have had people from 48 states and eight countries start on this trail,” she said.
Locations on the West Virginia Paranormal Trail include the West Virginia Penitentiary, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the Mothman Museum, and Seneca Caverns, among others. Explorers taking in the trail can redeem prizes for checking in at the different stops.
“If you go to a couple, you get a holograph sticker, a keychain, a lantern. You eventually can get a glow-in-the-dark hat so all kinds of fun prizes for exploring West Virginia,” Ruby said.
The trail is another addition to the fall activities that make West Virginia such a destination for people looking to spend some time outside during the season. Ruby encourages West Virginians to make the most of it.
“We’re just used to it all, so my challenge to all West Virginians is to be appreciative of your state this fall,” she said.
A full list of destinations on the West Virginia Paranormal Trail is available at wvtourism.com.