For many years, this town existed nowhere but on paper until the discovery of coal. Today, the Exhibition Coal Mine, with an ore car ride underground and through a period coal camp, is one of West Virginia’s signature attractions. In the fall the mine hosts the October Sky Rocket Boys Festival celebrating the aspiring rocket scientists whose story was chronicled in October Sky, a major motion picture starring Laura Dern and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Planning a visit? Stay at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Campground.
For the rest of the year, the town boasts quintessentially West Virginian scenery, with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and lovely parks and lakes that beckon recreation seekers. The nearby New River Gorge National River claims some of America’s most exciting whitewater.
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Alfred Beckley founded this town in the wilderness in 1838 and named it after his father, John James Beckley, who had been the country’s first Librarian of Congress. He also was what today would be known as a political operative, running the first known political campaign in America for the Republican party which included, among other things, calling for the impeachment of George Washington.
Also in New River Park is the Youth Museum with exhibits displayed in four railroad boxcars and an original narrow gauge Dinky Train locomotive that hauled coal for the Crab Orchard Coal Company. Out on the West Virginia Turnpike the Tamarack service area is a ground-breaking showcase for mountain crafts, cuisines and arts.