Overview
A trip to the Indy 500 was a bucket list item for us and one of our sons (who has gone every year for over 15 years) finally got us to plan a trip out to this enormous event. We put in our request for tickets in June of 2023 through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website. In September we were notified we’d been granted 2 tickets and so we began laying out a trip just to head out to Indiana and back over a few days, including reservations at the same hotel our son stays at. In February of 2024, our youngest son (whose wife is from Florida) told us they were expecting a child and a baby shower was going to take place in Tampa the weekend before the race. This road trip encompasses going to both, still enjoying the travel pace we normally like to travel at and exploring areas and towns we had not been to before. On this amazing road trip, we picked up the following amazing areas:
- Alpine, Georgia
- Dunedin, Florida
- Columbus, Georgia
- Franklin, Tennessee
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Elkins, West Virginia
Marion, Virginia
If you’ve ever followed our posts, you know we like to keep any day’s drive between 5 and 6 hours. This pace lets us walk the town in the morning (exercise), enjoy a “late” hearty breakfast, driving that gets us to our destination just in time for check-in (either 3pm or 4pm), with time for a late afternoon meal during happy hour restaurant options. We carry snacks in our vehicle to get us from breakfast to dinner. We also like to stay 2-3 nights at any given location – which allows us time to explore opportunities in that area. Sometimes, when we’ve been to a place before, our stay is just one night.
We stayed in Marion at the General Francis Marion Hotel on a prior trip and found several nice places to eat. While we love historic hotels, Nancy wanted try out the Collins House Bed & Breakfast – just up the street and slightly less expensive. Since we often venture south at different times of the year, Marion is a great one night stop from our home as we begin the journey to Florida.
Collins House Bed and Breakfast
We arrive in the late afternoon, check in and head downtown to get in some walking and to find food.
Marion Virginia Downtown
Marion has a nice downtown area with a number of restaurants and shops. The main street is anchored by the Lincoln Theater where various artist in the region perform. We haven’t been there but have heard its a pretty nice place. Memorial day is approaching soon and the courthouse on main street is decorated to honor the fallen veterans of the county.
Macado’s
Macado’s is a small regional chain that buys old historic buildings for their restaurants. We believe this one is an old post office. There’s one we regularly go to up in Winchester, Virginia that is in the Old Union Hotel and dates back before the American Civil war. The food is is great because they have a large selection, and if you don’t like one of the 100+ sandwich combinations on the menu, you can basically make any deli sandwich you can dream up (build-your-own). We have a great meal, meet and chat with some locals and watch baseball before retiring back to our room for the evening. FYI – their Happy Hour beer prices are THE lowest we’ve seen.
Marion Neighborhood
I love exploring the old neighborhoods of southern towns and in the morning before breakfast, I head out for a long walk.
Marion to Helen, Georgia
We are headed south today to Helen Georgia and as is our typical travel style, we stay off the interstates and head into the less traveled path passing lots of scenic beauty, roadside stands and country stores.
Helen, Georgia
Helen, Georgia, is a charming town with a unique history. Originally inhabited by the Cherokee, the area surrounding the town was part of the Georgia Gold rush of the 1820’s and 1830’s. In the early 20th century, Helen relied heavily on the logging industry. Vast forests of oak, pine, and poplar covered the mountains surrounding Helen, making it a prime location for lumber companies. Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, Helen was a boomtown for the timber trade but by the late 1920s, most of the mature forests had been cleared. The companies had harvested the trees faster than the forests could replenish them. With the mountains stripped bare, Helen’s logging heyday came to an end.
In the 1960s, facing decline, Helen transformed into a Bavarian-style village to attract tourists, which revitalized the town’s economy. Today, Helen is a picturesque destination that celebrates its complex past and Alpine-inspired present.
A German Alpine-Themed Town
It’s late afternoon when we arrive in Helen and find our hotel – our home for 2 nights. We check in and decide to walk around a bit and explore this town before finding a place for dinner. It turns out to be just as charming as our research said it was!
Our Hotel along the Chattahoochee River
We are staying at the Hampton Inn located right along the Chattahoochee River. We have a balcony the overlooks the river in the rear of the hotel. It’s early season and the pool isn’t open but it won’t be long as its warming up. This hotel is just one block off the main strip which means it is a little quieter.
A Wedding Destination
We have travelled to places like Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Branson Missouri which cater to people getting married or honeymooning. In the middle of town off of the main drag we find a couple wedding chapels and reception areas.
A Large Outdoor Water Sports Area
Helen has a HUGE tubing and watersports area. We counted at least 5 major river tubing places and at the far end of town is a large water park with its own long lazy river and all kinds of water slides. We can only imagine how packed and crowed this little mountain town becomes in the heat of the summer.
Hiking Along the River
On the eastside of town near the Waterpark area is the “Helen to Hardman Trail” which runs along the Chattahoochee River for about a mile before ending at the Hardman Farm State Park. When the park is open you can tour the large manor house, the farm managers house, and the Nacoochee Indian Mound.
What’s Up With All the Porsche’s and Volkswagens?
As we walk around the town, we notice an unusually high number of Porsches, Volkswagens and Audis. It doesn’t take much time for us to realize these are all cars from Germany. There’s one parking lot filled with cars, hoods propped open with people proudly sitting in camping chairs, adult beverages in hand. We stop and ask someone and learn there is an unofficial meeting of German car enthusiasts that gather here the weekend before Memorial Weekend. Some vehicles are super well maintained and others, well – it’s a wonder they even made the drive without breaking down. Thankfully, they are a respectful, quiet bunch who are just here to appreciate German ingenuity.
Richard B Russell & Brasstown Bald Scenic Byways
Nancy had researched and found the Richard B Russel Scenic Drive which starts just outside of Helen that connects with the Brasstown Bald area. While the Richard B. Russell Highway itself is only 23 miles long, we took recommended side roads that let us make a full loop. The entire drive took us through the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest and covers some pretty good scenic vistas and waterfalls. This was a very nice relaxing few hours drive with several stops, the highlight being Brasstown Bald at the north.
Hiking to the top of Bald Knob
Brasstown Knob, also known as Brasstown Bald, is the highest point in Georgia and offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains. . The park offers a shuttle bus to the top for a fee but we took the 1/2-mile steep trail up to the summit. It was a clear day and the views at the top seemed to stretch forever. There’s a Visitor Information Center at the summit that provides educational exhibits and an observation deck to walk around and enjoy the views.
Brasstown Knob Observation Tower Views
Brasstown Bald Observation Tower Visitor Center
Inside the Visitors Center are various exhibits related to the settlement and natural history of the area.
Exploring and looking for food
It’s late afternoon when we get back to Helen from our scenic drive and hike to Brasstown Knob. We head downtown looking for dinner, stopping for a snack along the river at The Troll Tavern. Then we head over to Bigg Daddy’s Restaurant & Tavern which has a reputation for great pizza and it does not disappoint. There is no shortage of “food and beverage establishments”, many with “alpine inspired” foods like Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes), Karautkrapfren (Bavarian sauerkraut and bacon rolled in a homemade dough), Gulasch (a spicy Hungarian stew), several varieties of schnitzel and about every variation of sausages, bratwurst and knockwurst.
Tifton, Georgia
The next day its time for us to continue our journey south and we head towards our next stop off in Tifton Georgia for one night. The weather has turned to rain off and on during day – so there isn’t an opportunity to walk around and explore the area. Tifton is home to the Georgia Museum of Agriculture that includes a Historic Outdoor Village, but with the rain we decide to skip it this time and potentially save it for a future road trip. We just grab an early dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and head back to the Hampton Inn to relax.
Transition to Florida
The next morning after breakfast, we head south on R19 (The Georgia-Florida Parkway). We discovered this way south into Florida a few years ago and it has quickly become a favorite of ours as it’s a four lane 65mph road with typically very light traffic. This is in contrast the often very heavy traffic on I-95 or I-75. As a bonus you get to travel through a number of scenic little towns such as Thomasville and Monticello (where the speed limit temporarily slows down). The sun is out and it’s a really pleasant drive.
Dunedin, Florida
As stated in the beginning of the post, we are here in the Tampa Area for a baby shower for our youngest son and his wife. As we often do when we are in areas where old friends and acquittances live now, we reach out for travel advice and more importantly, to try meet up. Our friend Karen lives in the nearby town of Palm Harbor and she directed us to the charming little town of Dunedin, just north of Tampa as a place she knew would love. We have to agree this town is really nice. We got a room that was near the water at the nearby Best Western and as an added bonus, it was also within easy walking distance to the main downtown area that is filled with shops and restaurants. FYI – it is pronounced “dun-EE-din”.
Staying on the Water
Karen’s recommendation for where we should stay was spot on.
Meeting up with Karen
After getting settled into our room, we head out to meet Karen and her friend Ed at the Bon Appetit Tiki Bar at the hotel. We then head to the Lucky Lobster for dinner. As the sun is starting to set over the Gulf, we head over to the old school hotel “Fenway” to their Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar and watch the sunset.
Pinellas Trail
The Pinellas Trail stretches from St Petersburg to Tarpon Springs rolling right through the heart of Dunedin. The northern section, particularly between Dunedin and Tarpon Springs, is noted for its picturesque views and access to local parks, historic buildings, and charming downtowns. Dunedin itself, with its array of ice cream shops, coffee houses, and restaurants, has grown around the trail, embracing it as a main thoroughfare and reaping the benefits of the steady stream of visitors it brings.
I head out in the morning to explore this trail for a few miles around Dunedin, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Home of Toronto Blue Jays Spring Training
One of the things I discover is that the spring training facility for the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball team is really close by. The next time we are here in Florida during spring training we may need to pop over here to catch a game.
A Baby Shower in Tampa
After a morning walk, we head over to Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club for Stephen and Casey’s baby shower. Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club is Tampa’s oldest private golf club, founded in 1916. Inside of the club house are a number of old photos when this golf course was in the middle of absolutely nowhere. It was fascinating to see the original course and surroundings in 1916 and compare it to the urban area that surrounds this today.
A Walk to Clearwater
The next morning I take the Pinellas Trail along the water and head south. It turns out I can stroll all the way down for a few miles to Clearwater Beach and all long the water admiring the scenery.
Tarpon Springs
When I return from my morning walk, Nancy wants to go explore Tarpon Springs which is a short drive to the north of us. As a child, Nancy’s parents took the family on a trip that stopped here, and she wants to relive a trip out on the water where you can watch sponge divers work. In the early 900’s Greek divers and crew members were recruited and the sponge industry soon became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida and the most important business in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year.
Today, the town cultivates and has a strong sense of Greek culture with many of its local residents being decedents of the folks who migrated here from Greece. Having spent time last fall in Greece, we have to say it reminded us a lot of what we had seen in our travels. We tried to get a sponge boat tour but they canceled the trip at the last minute because they didn’t have enough people (the down side to off-season travel). We did end up however having a wonderful Greek meal at the famous Hellas Restaurant and Bakery including Saganaki (flamed cheese) and superb dish with Greek feta cheese, olives and marinated peppers.
An Afternoon in the Pool
We walk around Tarpon Springs for a bit and then head back to the Hotel to swim. It’s in the mid 90’s and very humid and we find the water really delightful.
Hog Island Fish Camp
As evening approaches, it’s time to find a place to get something to eat. We change and head out towards the Hog Island Fish Camp which we spotted on our way into Dunedint. One of the things Nancy and I love to do when we are in a new area is to try out as many places as possible. We order a really good appetizer of fish salad to split and it was delicious. We are tempted to order dinner here but decide to move on and try out another place.
Eddie’s Bar and Grill
Not far from the Fish Camp is Eddie’s Bar & Grill which we had been told is a true local’s place. In our travels we often find you can save money and get a richer experience by heading out of the typical tourist places and we found Eddie’s to be such as place. Not only was the food above average, but we ended up meeting some great people (and participating in a little trivia)!
Columbus Georgia
After 3 nights in Dunedin, it’s time for us to start our way to the Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The next stop on this adventure is for 2 nights Columbus Georgia on the Alabama/Georgia border. Nestled on the banks of the Chattahoochee River (that you remember passed through Helen, GA too), it’s a place where the past and present merge beautifully and we were really impressed with this town. We found there was more that enough here to keep us busy for a couple days.
Columbus Downtown
Downtown Columbus is vibrant, clean and safe area with an absolutely beautiful riverwalk area. All of the old cotton mill factory buildings have been rejuvenated into condos, businesses and a huge chuck of campus for Columbus State University. We were really impressed and have added this to our list of places we can stop off at in the future as we crisscross the country.
Scruffy Murphy’s Irish Pub
After Exploring the town for a bit, we are hungry and decide to check out Scruffy Murphy’s Irish Pub. The menu was a little limited but the burgers where top notch! It’s now getting a little late in the evening and we head back to the room to rest up for a day of exploring tomorrow.
Columbus River Walk
The next day, I got up earlier to explore a portion of the 22-mile Chattahoochee RiverWalk that began part of a urban renewal project back in 1987. I took the north route from downtown and ended up walking the trail to the end pass where they hold competitive kayaking events downstream from a dam. This is truly a wonderful, peaceful and scenic walk along the Chattahoochee River. Later in the day we walk part of the other end of the trail, walking to the Navel Museum of the Civil War located right off the trail.
Civil War Naval Museum
We I returned from walking to the north end of the trail, Nancy joined me, and we headed down the trail to the Civil War Naval Museum. We had seen a sign for this on our way into town and thought it might make for an interesting diversion. You typically find “naval” museums along the coast, so we were intrigued as to why this museum was inland on the border of Georgia and Alabama. Turns out that in its heyday, Columbus had a lot of Riverboat traffic on the Chattahoochee and during the Civil War, the boat yard here worked to constructed the CSS Jackson, a large Iron Clad. When Union troops approached Columbus at the end of the war, it was set fire and it sunk into the mud downstream from Columbus. In 1962, salvage operations started on the 223-foot-long boat which is now housed in one of the wings of the museum. It’s fascinating to see the actual size of this ships up close and personal.
The museums other sections focus on the navies of both the Union and Confederate Navies during this conflict. We found this museum to be well worth a stop over.
Columbus State University
Columbus State University is embedded into the landscape of downtown Columbus with many of the University’s buildings being renovation factories and new structures built to blend into this overall look and feel. School was out while we were here so we didn’t really get a feel for how much the campus affects the town, but we can imagine when school in session there is a lot more activity on the streets than what we saw.
Walking the Columbus Historic District
On our walk back from the Museum, we veer off back into a residential section and stroll through the historic district on the south side of town on our way back. This is a beautiful area to wander around and has a nice collection of old homes and monuments.
A Few Area Restaurants.
After leaving the historic district we are looking for food and we started by choosing The Loft. After sharing an appetizer and a beverage or two, we transition to the Mix Market. This turned out to be a great choice! This is one of those places where you get a wristband that allows you to self-pour your beer, wine or hard cider/seltzers. We split a unique, awesome pizza and enjoyed a great deal of interesting conversation about the area with our bartender. Looking for something a little different, we opt for dinner at a local Thai restaurant, Chili Thai, that was also really great.
Transition to Franklin, TN via Alabama
The weather is nice and as is our usual practice, we try to avoid the interstate as much as possible as we head north. We cross the border into Alabama and map out a path into the interior of Alabama. Along this path we pass through the shores of Lake Guntersville, the state’s largest lake and the town of Guntersville. We make a note of the area as it looks like an interesting place to visit someday, but we press forward and push on to Franklin.
Tennessee
We cross the border into Tennessee passing through a number of small towns and countless farms before pulling into Franklin in the late afternoon.
Franklin, Tennessee
We had considered going to Nashville but were really turned off buy the high cost and since we really aren’t true city people, we opt for the historic town of Franklin, just 17 miles to the south. It has a nice downtown historic district and the Civil War Battlefield of Franklin is nearby. As a bonus, Nancy found the Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast which priced well and even gave us a cash discount! This beautiful home was just the thing for us especially with the large second story sunroom that we got to enjoy. As luck would have it, we had the place to ourselves (the owners had turned away recent inquiries due to health issues).
We will be here for 2 nights.
Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast
Franklin Downtown
After getting settled in our room we head down to the historic old town section of Franklin, about a 15-minute walk from our lodging (.7 miles). We found a nice collection of eateries to choose from.
Dinner at Puckett’s Restaurant
Nancy had done some preliminary research on places to eat and Puckett’s Restaurant was on the top of her list. This turned out to be a great choice as they had wonderful southern comfort food and live music. This was a really great place! With Nashville just up the road, Franklin gets a lot of top musical talent who perform here either before or after their gig in the bigger city.
Franklin Battlefield & The Carter House
Late in the Civil War on November 30,1864, Union and Confederate Armies totally around 60,000 collided in Franklin, Tennessee. This battle resulted in over 9,000 casualties between the two armies. Near the historic district of Franklin and right down the street from where we are staying is a section of the preserved battlefield centered on the Carter Farm.
On our Carter House tour, our guide tells us about one of the Carter boys who was fighting for the Confederacy and who had not been home for several years. As his family was sheltering in the basement of the home he would be killed within sight of his home at the height of the battle and he would never see his family alive again.
The walls of one of the outbuildings to this day are still riddled with bullet holes and the sunlight poured through the holes as we looked into this building.
Carnton Plantation
About a mile from the eastern flank of the battle of Franklin is the majestic antebellum Carnton Plantation. During the battle this home was turned into a hospital where on the back porch, four deceased Confederate generals’ bodies were laid out for a few hours after the battle. Today when you tour the house you can still see the blood stains on the wood floors in the rooms where amputations took place. At least 150 solders died within the walls of this house on the first night after the battle. On the tour you not only learn what the experience was like during the Battle of Franklin, but also for the years that followed.
The owners of the plantation John and Carrie McGavock eventually donated 2 acres of land on the estate for a cemetery that now contains the graves of 1,481 solders.
The Bunganut Pig Pub & Eatery
After a day of touring is was time to head out for dinner and rain threatening, we opt for a place within a few blocks of our B&B. We ended up at The Bunganut Pig Pub & Eatery where we shared another great southern comfort food meal of steak biscuits and chatted with several local residents. The basement has pool tables and dart boards. The main floor also has a connecting outdoor patio area where the live music is trying to get in some songs between a rain shower here and there.
Franklin Historic Homes
The next day, as usual, I get up early and head out to explore the historic homes area of Franklin. Breakfast won’t be served 8:30am which is a bit later than we are used to. As with many towns of the south, Franklins neighborhoods are peppered with beautiful historic houses and the walk doesn’t disappoint.
The Push North to Indianapolis
In the morning after a great breakfast at the Magnolia House Bed & Breakfast, we push north into Kentucky and finally cross the Indiana border. It’s a beautiful clear late-May day and the scenery is great.
Indianapolis, Indiana
We pull into the Home2Suites Hotel in the late afternoon. It will be our home from the next 3 days. We get settled and then head to Subway to get a couple sandwiches for the big race tomorrow. One of the things our son Carl had taught us is that you can bring your own food and drinks into the race as long as it’s not in a glass container and the cooler meets size restrictions. Before long we are all set for the big day tomorrow. We end up at an Applebee’s for dinner that is just 3 miles from our hotel.
Home2Suites Hotel
Indy 500
The next morning, we eat breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road to the racetrack by 7:00 AM. With over 350,000 people at this event, it takes awhile for all of the people to arrive. Luckily for us, our son Carl and his Uncle have been going to the race together for more than 15 years and know the secret in and out routes. We have only a fairly short delay in traffic until we are parked in the driveway in a nearby neighborhood (they’ve been parking there all these years). We have about a 1/2 mile walk to the entrance gate where we do walk through a metal detector, but they don’t bother to inspect our cooler.
The race-track in a 2.5 mile oval – which means it is 1 mile from end to end. We spend the next couple hours walking around this enormous faculty taking in all the sites and sounds. The infield is filled with people partying and having a blast. There is a huge stage and a Jumbo-Tron on the backside of the infield were bands are playing (the area around the stage is known as the Snake Pit). There are also several large TV screens in the infield sitting across from the stands so spectators can view other areas of the track during the race. Our seats aren’t with our son’s seats, but amazingly, they are just 2 rows lower and 1 section over – so we can actually see each other from our seats (and go back and forth to visit).
We’ve been watching the weather forecast for weeks – and rain is inevitable – just a matter of when and for how long. About an hour before the published race start time, an announcement is made to clear the stands because of an expected powerful thunderstorm heading our way. We move down under the stands to wait it out (meeting up with Carl and his group). About 20 minutes later, the heavens open up and it rains with a force wind blowing for the better part of 90 minutes before letting up. The rain finally stops around 3:00pm and the go ahead is given for us to return back to our seats. It will take an hour to dry the track with industrial heaters/blowers and they are going to try and start the race at 4:30pm. They have to get the race underway before 4:45pm or the race will be postponed because there are no lights at this track. They can call it an official race after 101 laps, but they prefer to let it run in its entirety. Historically, the race has only been postponed to another day on a handful of occasions – and this will be THE latest start of the race ever.
Normally each of the 33 drivers are introduced while taking one lap around the track – but with time NOT on their side, driver’s are brought up on a stage and introduced from there while the heaters & blowers are doing their job on the track. Finally, the 33 cars line up and begin their warm-up laps. The green flag drops after about 5 laps and the race is on – BUT – they don’t even get out of the first turn before there is a crash and 3 cars are out of the race. As the race progress, there are more crashes and caution flags but we had an incredible finish with the defending champion coming from behind to win at the very last second after 4 hours.
It takes us awhile to get away from all the race traffic and back to our hotel. We decide to just pick up some Taco Bell for dinner and crash (ha, ha) as it has been a really long, tiring, fun day.
A Day of Adventure and Scenic Driving
Carl and his uncle are leaving the day after the race, but we are sticking around because as our first time at the hotel, we were required to make a 3 night reservation. Nancy laid out an adventure morning and afternoon with scenic drives hitting a couple roadside American sites and a couple of distilleries, breweries and wineries.
Avenue of the Signs
We start off but going to the Avenue of the Signs not too far from where we are staying. This is basically where a serious collector of gas station signs has an impressive display that is just off on a side street in a small town. We pull of for a few minutes to get a few photos and then press on.
Bean Blossom Bridge
One of Indiana’s best-known covered bridges isn’t actually in Indiana’s famous covered-bridge region (Parke and Putnam Counties). Instead, it’s in scenic Brown County, where we are adventuring today. near the tiny town of Bean Blossom. We find the sign for the bridge, travel about 1/4 mile down a dirt road to get to it. We get out of the 4-Runner, snaps some pictures and then drive across the bridge before heading to our next destination.
Hard Truth Distilling, Co.
It’s after lunch and we are hungry as we pull into Hard Truth Distilling, Co. It turns out this is a huge venue with a full-fledge restaurant. It is also a brewery and a winery! We find the food and beer are exceptional and as we finish lunch, there is a late Monday holiday crowd starting to arrive. Like many breweries/wineries back where we live, this one too has a outdoor sound stage for music and the facility can accommodate a very large crowd.
Cedar Creek Winery, Brewery & Distillery
We continue on our little road trip and after about 30 minutes to Martinsville where we locate Cedar Creek Winery, Brewing & Distillery that Nancy researched. This was the first combination winery, brewery and distillery in Indiana, opening in 2010 first as a winery. Nancy has a glass of wine and I get a beer. We are too full from lunch to enjoy their food, but the menu looks incredibly promising and if we go back to the Indy 500 again, we would likely try this place. The grounds are beautiful so we decide to site outside for a while, absorbing in the moment, Clouds roll in and there’s a growing breeze – it is getting a little chilly, so we decide to head back towards our hotel and find a place to get a little dinner. We opt for a regional chain called Wing’s Etc. located a few miles from the hotel.
The Push Home from Indianapolis
Nancy has researched and found a historic hotel she wants to try out on the Gauley River in southern West Virginia, so after breakfast we head out in that direction. Around noon, the phone rings and its the hotel telling us they are sorry, but the power has been out for two days, and we are going to have to find another place to stay.
We pull off at the next exit where there happens to be a Walmart. We decide to take a walk inside Walmart and talk about what we want to do next. We talk about some options and then go back to the 4-Runner, pull out our West Virginia map and it quickly becomes clear where we should target.
We have passed through Elkins, West Virginia a few years ago on another trip and remembered that we thought it was worth a stayover. Before you know it, we call the historic Tygart Hotel on Main Street, make a reservation and are on our way again.
South Through Ohio to West Virginia
We cross the border into West Virginia and for a little bit roll past some of the farmland in this corner of the state.
West Virginia – Charleston to Elkins
It’s not long before we are through Charleston and veer north towards Elkins.
The Tygart Hotel
A few years ago, the Tygart hotel received a 23-million-dollar grant for renovations that were completed in 2018 and we find that it’s a really nice place to stay! As we are checking in, the clerk asks us if we are here for the scenic railroad. We had forgotten that this part of West Virginia has a number of scenic trains and had not even considered this as a option. We quickly pull up the web site on our phone and see without too much trouble that there are several running. We decide to see if our room is available for another night (it is) and then defer picking a trip until dinner.
Elkins West Virginia
As we explore Elkins, we find there are a variety of restaurants and we confirm this will be a town to use when we passing though on a future trip. Davis and Elkins College is located not far from the Hotel and we find the campus is nice to walk around.
Elkins to Cass West Virginia
We first stop at the local American Legion, always a great place to get advice from locals on what’s going on in the town. We discover that the scenic train that leaves one block from the hotel (The 4 hour New Tygart Flyer) isn’t running until 2 days from now. However, the 5.5 hour Greenbrier Express is running tomorrow. although its departure point is an hour away in Cass, West Virginia. This really doesn’t bother us and we decide this is the trip we are going to take. We can tell from the website that it isn’t even close to being sold out, so we decide to just purchase tickets when we get there. The drive is beautiful and just outside of Cass, we pass the Green Bank Radio Telescope which is the world’s largest single-dish (100-meter diameter), fully steerable radio telescope. This is a no cell phone tower zone for quite a wide radius. Someday we need to visit the Telescope & Observatory.
Greenbrier Express Railroad
In the 1980’s there was huge flood in this part of West Virginia and the bridge the Greenbrier Express uses was washed out. It has taken private donations to fund the rebuild and this railroad route was finally reopened a few months ago in February of 2024. This is a 5.5 hour steam engine ride that takes you along the Greenbrier River through the Monongahela National Forest until reaching the small mountain town of Durbin (before returning back along the same tracks). The train is maybe 1/3 full so we get to pick whatever seats we like. Lunch is included with your ticket and we’re all sent to the Simply Sweet Cafe where they feed us a deli buffet lunch. Its a pleasant little journey and the weather turned out to be pretty good even though rain had been forecasted. We were both glad we had taken this little unexpected diversion.
Big Timber Brewery
When I was out walking in the morning before our train adventure, I discovered Big Timber Brewery a few blocks from our hotel. I mentioned it to Nancy after we returned from the railroad and we decided to go check it out. Turned out to be a popular place but after a couple of good beers we decided to head out for dinner (they do not serve food).
Dinner at Beander’s Restaurant & Tavern
Beander’s had been recommended by our friends at the Elkins American Legion, so we head up the street to check it out. Before going in, we pop into Jimbo’s Place next door to grab another beverage. Next, it’s Beander’s Restaurant & Tavern, which is hopping busy and we manage to snag two bar stools just as some folks are leaving. Their tag line is “where good food, good friends and good times come together” – and that sums up this place very well. A very active team trivia game runs in the background while we watch some baseball and enjoy a delightful meal.
The Final Leg Home
The final few hours of the return trip home took us into some of the most scenic parts of West Virginia. We have traveled in the area before and it new gets old.
Summary
This was an amazingly fun trip. We got to explore a number of new small towns that we truly enjoyed and a number of them been added to our inventory of potential return locations someday.
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