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The gnomes are taking over Fayetteville this Gnomevember! Embark on a scavenger hunt to track down Fayetteville’s gnomes from Nov. 1-30. These magical beings will be hiding throughout town. Stop by the visitor center for your gnome tracking sheet and start your adventure to see how many you can find. Turn in your tracking sheet at the visitor center for a small prize. Look at the gnomes closely. Throughout the month we will be hiding special gnomes with bonus prizes. Gnomes will sporadically have special instructions to award you with extra treats. We will hide a special gnome November 30th. This gnome will come with instructions to claim the grand prize of Gnomevember sponsored by Wild Art & Wonderful Things. Wild Art & Wonderful Things is also home to Fayetteville’s resident gnome, Walter of Wild & Woolly. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and grab a selfie with Walter, the giant gnome.

Share your Fayetteville gnome adventures with us by tagging us at #visittheville. If you have a beloved gnome at home feel free to bring them with you on your adventures around town. Grab a photo of your gnome in your favorite shop or enjoying the sites around town. Join in the fun by sharing your pictures on our Facebook page for a chance to win a prize.

Get ready for Gnomevember!!!!!
Calling all gnome owners! Do you have a gnome you could donate or lend to Visit Fayetteville for the month of November? If so, please drop your gnome off at the Fayetteville Visitor Center now through November 1st. We’re looking for weather proof garden gnomes. We’ll have a sign-in sheet and labeling available to help ensure safe gnome return after the event. Gnomes can return to their homes starting December 2nd.

Stay tuned to stay in the gnome for more Gnomevember fun!

We are here to help you get the most out of your Bridge Day experience with a weekend of fun lined up. Stay in the heart of all the action in Fayetteville!

Lodging

The first step to a successful Bridge Day is finding somewhere to stay and Fayetteville is the center of the fun. As Bridge Day nears lodging books up fast so now is the time to secure your lodging. If you are staying in town there is a Bridge Day shuttle stop right in front of the Fayette County Court House in the center of town and at the Fayetteville High School.

Lodging

What to Wear

We encourage visitors to dress in layers. Fall can be cool and damp, but the fun continues no matter the weather. Warm layers and comfy shoes make for an enjoyable experience. Backpacks are not permitted.

Schedule

Friday

Taste of Bridge Day at Adventures on the Gorge

For 17 years the Canyon Rim Rotary Club, has organized the annual Taste Of Bridge Day festival. This is a family-friendly event that showcases the area’s finest restaurants and caterers, who offer samples of their menu specialties. The event allows thousands of visitors to enjoy wonderful food, local artwork, and live music.

5:00 TO 9:00 PM

Adventures on the Gorge, 219 Chestnutburg RD, Lansing WV 25862

The Hustle Souls at The Grove

8pm-11pm

Saturday

Active Southern WV Bridge Day 5K Run

The only running race across West Virginia’s New River Gorge Bridge with a limit of 400 racers. Sponsored by West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Unicare, and Raleigh General Hospital.

This is a running only event, point to point, and requires security procedures. In it’s 4th year, the Active SWV Bridge Day 5K RUN is a spectacular race 1,000 above the New River spanning a 3,033 foot bridge.

Full racer details here: https://activeswv.org/racerinfo/

The race finishes in downtown Historic Fayetteville and allows for time to visit the hundreds of vendors and base jumpers parachuting from the bridge span.

40th Bridge Day Ruby Anniversary

9am-3pm on the New River Gorge Bridge

WHAT IS BRIDGE DAY?

Bridge Day is West Virginia’s largest single-day festival and one of the largest extreme sports events in the world. Held annually every third Saturday in October on the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County, West Virginia, this is the only day each year thousands of spectators can walk across the bridge and watch as serious BASE jumpers get their chance to fly 876 feet into the Gorge below and rappellers ascend and descend from the catwalk. Come and enjoy the view from the bridge, one of the best overlooks in the New River Gorge!

https://officialbridgeday.com

Fayette County Farmers Market

312 N Court Street in the Fayetteville Visitor Center & Station Parking Lot

8am-2pm

Come Stop by the Fayette County Farmers Market to stock up on delicious fresh goodies. The market will be hosting additional vendors for more shopping fun.

Bridge Day Chili Cook-off & Craft Beer Festival

3pm-5:30pm

Downtown in front of Fayette County Court House

Things are heating up in Fayetteville with the 11th Annual Bridge Day Chili Cook-off! Have fun at Bridge Day, then come to Historic Downtown Fayetteville, stop by to taste and to help judge some of the best chili samples from around the region from mild to wild! Admission and parking are FREE, but there is a charge for chili tasting tickets and beer tickets.

Enjoy incredible live music with Black Garlic, delicious chili, activities for the kids and more! Help us Crown this year’s Chili King or Queen with the Peoples choice vote, bead your favorite chef!

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers w/ Fabulous Brothers Steele at The Grove

8pm-11pm

Stay tuned as we update more events!

Stay in the heart of all the Bridge Day action.

Lodging

Did you know the New River Gorge National Park Service hosts a Hidden History Weekend every year? This year marks the 11th Annual Hidden History Weekend running September 27-29. Fayetteville will make the perfect home base for a weekend full of fun exploring nearby attractions.

Come celebrate the wonders of Appalachian heritage, sites and stories of southern West Virginia’s history! The best part, it’s all FREE!
All programs are FREE unless otherwise noted. An adult must accompany children to programs. Bring water and wear sturdy walking shoes for guided walks.

Friday:

Active SWV: Edmond Hike on Endless Wall Trail

10:00 am to 12:00 pm. 3 miles.
Meet at the Fern Creek Parking Area of the Endless Wall Trail on Lansing-Edmond Road, Lansing.
Hike one of the most scenic trails in the New River Gorge to see the stunning views at Diamond Point, which includes an overview of historic Kaymoor and Nuttallburg.

Step Back to the Civil War: Carnifex Ferry Battlefield and Patterson House

11:00 am to 12:00 pm. 1 mile.
Meet at the Patterson House in Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, Summersville. S
ee the site where history happened, the Battle of Carnifex Ferry of the Civil War. Get an inside look at the historic Patterson house on this easy walk.

Haunted History Hike

7:00 to 9:00 pm. 2 miles.
Meet at the Rend Trail parking area on Route 25 near Thurmond.
Hear legends and stories from Appalachia into the dark of night. Program not recommended for children under nine years old. Bring a flashlight. 

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Active SWV: Cunard Bike Ride on Southside Trail

9:00 to 11:00 am. 4 miles.
New River Gorge National River’s Southside Trailhead one mile upstream from the Cunard River Access near Cunard.
Bike along New River through remains of the historic communities of Brooklyn and Red Ash. Bring your mountain bike or one can be provided by making a bike reservation at getactiveinthepark@gmail.com.

Red Ash – Rush Run Coal Town Hike

10:00 am to 2:30 pm. 6 miles.
New River Gorge National River’s Southside Trailhead one mile upstream from the Cunard River Access near Cunard.
An old cemetery, building foundations, and coke ovens are all that remains of Red Ash and Rush Run. See these sites and discover more stories from this area’s early industrial times. Most of this hike will be on level terrain, be prepared for some moderate off-trail explorations. Bring water and lunch.

Walking Tour of Historic Hinton

10:00 am to 12:00 pm. 1 mile.
Meet at Summers County Visitor Center on the corner of Temple St. and 2nd Ave. in Hinton. Explore Summers County on this stroll through the Hinton Historic District. Tour stops will include the Railroad Museum, Veteran’s Museum, Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum, and other notable structures. Tour participants will receive a complimentary bag lunch following this program.

Sandstone Falls: the Story Behind the Scenery

3:30 to 5:00 pm. ½ mile.
Meet at the boardwalk at Sandstone Falls on River Road near Hinton.
Explore the beauty of Sandstone Falls and its rich human history, stories of the native people, early settlers, the railroad, and even George Washington. Be prepared for uneven footing on the Island Loop Trail. 

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Active SWV: Cunard Hike on Brooklyn Mine Trail

9:00 to11:00 am. 5.4 miles.
New River Gorge National River’s Brooklyn Mine Trailhead near the top of the Cunard River Access Road, near Cunard.
Hike to the site of the historic Brooklyn mine.

Nuttallburg Headhouse Hike

9:30 am to 12:00 pm. 2 miles.
Meet at the new Short Creek parking area on Beauty Mountain Road, Lansing.
See one of the most intact 1920s-era headhouse and coal conveyor structures in the New River Gorge on this hike to the historic Nuttallburg mine.

Active SWV: Prince Hike on Glade Creek Trail

10:00 am to 12:00 pm. 3 miles.
Meet at the Glade Creek Trail parking area at the end of Glade Creek Road, 6.2 miles from Route 41 near Prince.
Join in on a fun hike along the banks of beautiful Glade Creek, the site of a historic railroad line once used for moving timber in the early 1900s.

Old Growth Pioneer Times Hike

1:30 to 5:30 pm. 7 miles.
Meet at Stone Cliff Trail parking area near Thurmond.
Join guide Mitchell Dech to see oldgrowth trees near New River. Get a better idea of what it was like for people to live and travel this area in the mid-1700s, from the Native American people to the region’s early pioneers like Mary Draper Ingles.

Hands-on History: Tools of the Coal Miner

3:00 to 4:00 pm.
Meet at New River Gorge National River’s Canyon Rim Visitor Center, Lansing.
Come and go as you please for this informal talk highlighting the history of coal mining in the New River Gorge. See tools used underground by these workers in the early 1900s.

Focus Photo Walk – Thurmond

4:00 to 5:30 pm.
Meet at the deck next to the Thurmond Depot Visitor Center, Thurmond.
Grab your favorite camera and explore this historic railroad town through a different lens. All ages, skill levels, and cameras are welcome. Ranger Leah Perkowski-Sisk will share tips and tricks on this no-pressure photo stroll (not a technical photography program). 

For more info:

https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/hidden-history-weekend.htm

Attention all artists and creatives!

Our friends Amy McLaughlin and Shawn Means at Lafayette Flats are offering an artist-in- residency opportunity. Amy and Shawn strive to support the development of creative people by providing a unique opportunity each year for one artist to reside at the Flats for up to two months during the winter. They have been hosting creatives for five years, and in turn, creating fresh narratives for our beloved town.

Fayetteville has a way of nurturing the creative spirit in a beautiful, secluded, and supportive environment. It transforms from a bustling, tourist-attracting town in the summer and fall to a sleepy town in the winter making it the perfect place to recharge. The relaxed pace of life, the opportunities for interaction with the diverse and eclectic people of our community, and the breathtaking scenery makes Fayetteville a mecca for creative inspiration.  Our town borders the New River Gorge. The landscapes, mountain views overlooking the gorge, winding rivers, rock outcroppings, and waterfalls inspire artists at a visceral level.

The selected artist will have the Corten Flat (or equivalent) as their cozy and private working space. This luxurious flat is fully furnished, beautifully decorated and will provide the artist with a place to relax, muse and create. The adjacent New River Gorge National River provides room to roam and a chance to commune with nature in one of the most beautiful areas of the United States.

APPLICATION

Now is the time to apply. Applications for the residency will be accepted each year until November 1. Interviews will be conducted with finalists. The chosen artist will be notified by November 1 and the residency will begin as early as the first week of December.

For more information:

https://lafayetteflats.com/new-river-gorge-creative-residency