Arriving to the area early?

First, please avoid the trap of thinking you will be early, planning an extra activity that takes too long, and then getting here late. Remember that it takes time to rent vehicles (if you are doing so), takes longer for stops with a large group, takes time to eat dinner before your arrival, and that the roads from the interstate to the Farm are slower than Google Maps thinks. It is difficult enough to host 30+ people for a week without starting the week with a late night, so please do all you can to arrive between 6:30 and 7pm. You also have a much better chance of getting your indoor tour during daylight when arriving on time.

 

That being said, groups who have arrived in the area early have found some of these options interesting:

• a visit to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine https://beckley.org/general-information-coal-mine/ ($12.50/student, but may be able to get a group rate, maybe 15 min off I-77 plus 2-hour visit, so this would be for a 3-hr-ish time period)
• a visit to Sandstone Visitor Center (https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/sandstone.htm, https://goo.gl/maps/d3N12vjsBNKHCh3a6) and/or Sandstone Falls (https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/the-sandstone-falls.htm, https://goo.gl/maps/RS2Wgh5gW2KgebBn7) in the New River Gorge National Park (free, Visitor Center is 1/4 mile north of your interstate exit, so a visit of 1/2-hour-90 min would make sense); falls are 20 min south of Hinton on opposite side of river, so 40 min drive out and back plus 45 min to 2 hours of enjoying the different views of the falls and educational displays along the way.)
• a tour of Kayford Mountain to view and learn about Mountaintop Removal coal mining (this involves some rough backroads, though. http://mountainkeeper.blogspot.com/p/about.html To Set Up a Tour: Fill Out THIS FORM or Simply Contact our Office at (304)205-0920 and / or Danny@MountainKeeper.org (paid tour ($50/group?), longer visit, allow an hour off I-77 each way and a 2-hour visit)
• visit the John Henry monument and Great Bend Tunnel in Talcott,WV http://www.johnhenryhistoricalpark.com/, https://goo.gl/maps/V7RTu68vpUVChoCX7 (free, this is a short visit, allow 30 min–not much here, but it is a cool part of our local history)
• have your last pre-trip meeting at one of these locations with our pre-trip materials