Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Charleston (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: West Virginia State Capitol, West Virginia Governor's Mansion, and Craik-Patton House. Also, be sure to include Clay Center in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Charleston (West Virginia).
Table of Contents
West Virginia State Capitol
Building in Charleston, West Virginia. The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was dedicated in 1932. Along with the West Virginia Executive Mansion it is part of the West Virginia Capitol Complex, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
Address: 1900 Kanawha Blvd E, 25305-0009 Charleston
West Virginia Governor's Mansion
Building in Charleston, West Virginia. The West Virginia Governor's Mansion is a historic residence located next to the Kanawha River in Charleston, West Virginia and is the official residence of the governor of West Virginia.
The Colonial Revival (Georgian Revival) building was completed in 1925 by Charleston architect Walter F. Martens and is part of the West Virginia Capitol Complex, which also includes the West Virginia State Capitol. The building itself has a red brick exterior, with a columned portico at the entrance. The foyer was inspired by the White House, with checkered black-and-white marble flooring and dual staircases. The first floor of the mansion includes the drawing room, ballroom, state dining room, library, and a sitting room. The second floor houses the governor's own rooms, as well as those of his family, while additional bedrooms are on the third floor. In all, the structure has 30 rooms. The mansion also features walled gardens, a separate garage, and servant quarters.
The total cost of the mansion, including land, construction, and furnishings, was approximately $203,000 at the time of its construction.[2]
Address: 1716 Kanawha Blvd E, 25305-0008 Charleston
Craik-Patton House
Museum in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Craik-Patton House is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was built by James Craik and his wife, Juliet Shrewsbury, in 1834 in the Greek Revival style. It was originally located on Virginia Street in Charleston, but moved to its present site in 1973 to save it from the threat of demolition. It features four massive columns that support the extended center roof with pilasters placed above the front facade. It was faithfully restored and preserved for the public by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the state of West Virginia and open for tours year round.
Though originally named "Elm Grove" the house is now called the Craik-Patton House in honor of Rev. James Craik who built the house, who was the grandson and namesake of George Washington's physician, Dr. James Craik. The Patton aspect of the name comes from Col. George S. Patton, grandfather of WWII hero George Patton, who lived in the house with his family from 1858 until his passing.
The Craik Patton House also features attractions of interest relating to several other prominent families of the Charleston region. Most notably among these are the Ruffner Log House which is located on the museum property. Within the house itself can be found artifacts not only of the two families it takes its name from, however also objects relating to the Kanwha Valley's role in local history.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[3]
Address: 2809 Kanawha Blvd E, 25311-1727 Charleston
Clay Center
Museum in Charleston, West Virginia. The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia in Charleston, West Virginia, US is a 240,000-square-foot facility dedicated to promoting performing arts, visual arts, and the sciences. All three being housed under one roof makes the Clay Center one of the few of its kind in the United States.[4]
Address: 300 Leon Sullivan Way, 25301-2426 Charleston
Charleston Municipal Auditorium
Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston Municipal Auditorium is a public auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia.
It was constructed in 1939 and is a large monolithic concrete and steel structure, situated in the southwestern section of Charleston's central business district.
It is an example of the Art Deco architectural style in a public building and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
With a capacity of 3,483 (2,377 on the orchestra level and 1,106 on the balcony), the Municipal Auditorium is the largest theater in West Virginia. Concerts, graduations, Broadway stage shows and other special events, including the annual presentation of The Nutcracker, are held on the auditorium's 65-by-85.5-foot stage.
Country music singer Hank Williams (1923-1953) was scheduled to perform a New Year's Eve show at the auditorium on December 31, 1952. Due to bad weather in Nashville, he was not able to fly to the venue. While en route to the New Years Day show in Canton, Ohio, Williams died of heart failure in the back seat of his Cadillac near Oak Hill, West Virginia.[5]
Address: 224 Virginia St E, Charleston
Charleston City Hall
City hall in Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston City Hall is a historic city hall located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was constructed in 1921 in the Neoclassical style. It is located opposite the Kanawha County Courthouse, at the center of downtown Charleston. The major, or entrance, elevation faces Virginia Street with monumental design features and walls clad in smooth gray limestone. The equally impressive limestone-faced Court Street facade presents a grand prospect which runs southward for nearly a block between Virginia Street and Kanawha Boulevard. These two elevations are entirely formal in design because they were intended to face the courthouse and principal city thoroughfare. The four-story building is centered with a colossal engaged colonnade of six fluted Doric columns, which rises three-stories in support of a massive cornice. The interior features a grand entrance lobby, and classically designed stairhall and council chambers.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[6]
Address: 501 Virginia St E, 25301-2137 Charleston
Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Cathedral in Charleston, West Virginia. The Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is a cathedral church and a Minor Basilica located in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Along with the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling it is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The parish complex is a contributing property in the Downtown Charleston Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
Address: 1114 Virginia St E, 25301 Charleston
Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church
Methodist church in Charleston, West Virginia. Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church, historically known as the Simpson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic Methodist Episcopal Church, now United Methodist, located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was constructed in 1914 and is a nearly square building on a high foundation. It features a high pitched hipped roof with platform and four story square bell tower. It is of late Gothic Revival styling with features common to many American Protestant churches of the early 20th century.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[8]
Address: 607 Shrewsbury Street, Charleston
St. John's Episcopal Church
Church in Charleston, West Virginia. St. John's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 1105 Quarrier Street in Charleston, West Virginia, in the United States. On November 2, 1989, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was also listed as a contributing property in the Downtown Charleston Historic District in 2006.[9]
Address: 1105 Quarrier St, 25301-2493 Charleston
Charleston Baptist Temple
Church in Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston Baptist Temple is a historic Baptist church located at Charleston, West Virginia. It is a two-story, brick church with Georgian and Federal style details. It was designed by architect Ernest Flagg and constructed in 1924. It is composed of a central sanctuary block with matching wings and a rear addition constructed in 1955. The facade features a central tower, which contains the steeple. The spire is copper-clad and flares out to cover an open belfry with decorated engaged Corinthian columns and arched openings. Directly below the belfry is a baluster area above the clock portion of the tower.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[10]
Address: 209 Morris St, 25301-1820 Charleston
Kanawha County Courthouse
Courthouse in Charleston, West Virginia. Kanawha County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Charleston, West Virginia. It is located across from the Charleston City Hall, and is a block-long structure constructed in 1892 of rock-face masonry.
It is noteworthy for its picturesque massing and precise Richardsonian Romanesque design.
Additions were made to the original building in 1917 and 1924. The twin-towered Virginia Street elevation is the glory of the Kanawha County Courthouse. Roofs of each tower are pyramidal with chamfered corners. The belfry openings are arched and flanked with smooth grey limestone masonry colonnettes.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[11]
Sunrise
Sunrise, also known as MacCorkle Mansion, is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was built in 1905 by West Virginia's ninth governor, William A. MacCorkle. It is a long, three-story stone mansion. Its gabled roof is dotted with dormers and chimneys and surmounts an intricate, but wide, cornice which gives the illusion that the house is smaller than it actually is. The Georgian structure rests on a bluff overlooking the Kanawha River, and from the northern portico one can see nearly the entire city of Charleston. The north side features four magnificent Doric, or neo-classic, columns which support the cornice and ashlar-finished pediment. In 1961 Sunrise Foundation, Inc. was formed for the purpose of purchasing the mansion and grounds.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The mansion was the former home of the Sunrise Museum, a science and art museum that became the Avampato Discovery Museum when it moved into the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences - West Virginia when it opened in 2003. Currently the house is privately owned and is not open to the public.[12]
Magic Island
Island in Charleston, West Virginia. Magic Island is an island in the Kanawha River near its confluence with the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia. Kanawha Boulevard separates Magic Island from Charleston's West Side neighborhood. It serves as a public park for the city. The island gained its name due to the rise and fall of the river level in the Kanawha, which caused the island to slip underwater, as if by "magic".
The sandy area towards the easternmost tip of the park is known unofficially as Rockaway Beach to many of the local park revelers.[13]
Address: Kanawha Blvd W, 25302 Charleston
Fort Scammon
Fort Scammon, also known as Camp White or Fort Hill, is an archaeological site in Charleston in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The site preserves earthenwork battlements that were set up in 1863 in an elliptical pattern. The period of significance during the American Civil War coincides with the period of late summer in 1862 when Confederate artillery fired from the area and the year or so after March 1863 when Union troops fortified the heights.
Located atop a prominence known today as "Fort Hill", it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[14]
Kanawha State Forest
State park in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Kanawha State Forest is a 9,300-acre recreation area located near the community of Loudendale, West Virginia, which is about 7 miles from downtown Charleston, West Virginia, United States. It is managed by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
While still classified as a "state forest", the West Virginia Legislature has directed that the facility be managed as a state park.
The Davis Creek Road entrance to Kanawha State Forest is located at 38°16′53″N 81°38′30″W (38.28133, -81.64169).
Recreational facilities include overnight camping, picnicking, hiking, a public shooting-range, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and a swimming pool and playground. Several geocaches are located in the forest.[15]
MacFarland House
Historical landmark in Charleston, West Virginia. MacFarland House, also known as MacFarland-Ruby-Crowley-Hubbard House, is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was built in 1836 and is one of only six pre-American Civil War houses still standing in the city. The house features a full two-story modified Roman Doric portico.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[16]
William S. Gilliland Log Cabin and Cemetery
Cemetery. William S. Gilliland Log Cabin and Cemetery is a historic home and family cemetery located in Charleston, West Virginia. It was the home and graveyard of one of Charleston's oldest families, the Gillilands. They built the log cabins and lived there until selling it to the Neale family in 1868.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as part of the South Hills Multiple Resource Area.[17]
Spring Hill Cemetery Historic District
Cemetery. Spring Hill Cemetery Historic District is a national historic district located at Charleston, West Virginia. The district is a 172-acre site located on a series of tree shaded and landscaped hills overlooking central Charleston and includes the following cemeteries: Spring Hill Cemetery, Mountain View Cemetery, B'nai Israel Cemetery, Lowenstein Cemetery, and Mount Olivet Cemetery. It is West Virginia's largest cemetery complex. The district features Spring Hill Mausoleum, a stone faced reinforced concrete structure constructed in 1910. It includes the graves of West Virginia Governors William A. MacCorkle and George W. Atkinson.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[18]
Holly Grove Mansion
Holly Grove Mansion, also known as Holly Grove Inn or Ruffner Mansion, is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia on the grounds of the West Virginia State Capitol. It is a large brick house with a front section made to accommodate three floors and rear section housing two. It features a massive two story, semi-circular portico at the front entrance. It was constructed originally in 1815 as the home of Daniel Ruffner, one of a family which helped develop the early salt industry in the Kanawha Valley. It gained its present-day appearance in about 1902 when new owner, John Nash, undertook substantial remodeling. In 1979, the mansion underwent an extensive rehabilitation when it became headquarters for the West Virginia Commission on Aging.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[19]
Plaza Theatre
Theatre in Charleston, West Virginia. Plaza Theatre, also known as the Capitol Theater or West Virginia State University Capitol Center, is a historic theatre building located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was constructed about 1912 and is a turn-of-the-century theater/commercial/office building located in a transitional business district of downtown Charleston. The three-story brick structure is characterized by eclectic Classical Revival style architecture incorporating a number of elements from classical Greek forms. The theater's streetfront entrance is flanked by two commercial storefronts. The dimensions of the Capitol Theater building are 53 feet wide by 163 feet deep.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[20]