Crazy About West Virginia

DAY 1

Your day begins with meal and rest stops enroute to Elkins, West Virginia. Mid-afternoon, you arrive at your host hotel the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Elkins (304-630-2266) for a two-night stay. Hotel amenities include a fitness center, business center with complimentary high-speed internet access and guest coin-operated laundry. Guest rooms feature a mini-refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, hair dryer and iron/iron board. After a brief time to freshen up, you have dinner included on the Campus of Davis & Elkins College with entertainment to follow by the award-winning Bluegrass Band, Crandall Creek. Following the show, you return to the hotel for the night.

DAY 2

Breakfast is included at the hotel before you gather and depart for the town of Cass, WV for a 2-hour, roundtrip scenic train ride including a boxed lunch. Passing the water tower and machine shop, the railroad begins to climb lower slopes of Cheat Mountain along picturesque Leatherbark Creek. The train then zigzags through two switchbacks, the engines alternately pushing then pulling the passenger cars due to the steep grade. After passing the entrance to Cass Cave, the railroad levels off at Whittaker Station where you will have a layover to enjoy the scenery and your boxed lunch. Whittaker Station is the location of an authentic logging camp recreated by volunteers. You board the train and leisurely meander back to Cass. Afterwards, you board the motorcoach and take a short drive to visit Greenbank Radio Astronomy Observatory. The first trailblazers of American radio astronomy called Green Bank home for more than 60 years. Nestled in the mountain ranges and farmland of West Virginia, within the National Quiet Zone, the legacy lives on as radio astronomers are listening to the remote whispers of the universe in order to discover answers to our most astounding astronomical questions. It is the operator of the Robert C. Byrd Green Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope. During your visit, you will have time to interact with NRAO staff, shop and enjoy a driving tour of the facility and observe the telescopes up close. Tonight, dinner and a show are included at the Gandy Dancer Theatre. The Gandy offers a down-home meal paired with a Branson-style variety show featuring impersonators, good-time comedy interludes and talented musicianship. You then return to the hotel for the remainder of the night after a busy day of touring.

DAY 3

Begin your day with breakfast included at the hotel before you pack up and depart for a tour of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. This National Historic Landmark served as a sanctuary for the mentally-ill beginning in the mid-1800's. The asylum holds fascinating stories of Civil War raids, a gold robbery, the "curative" effects of architecture, and the efforts of determined individuals to help better the lives of the mentally ill. The building is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America, and the second largest in the world, next to the Kremlin. Your final stop before heading home includes lunch, a wine tasting and a tour at Lambert's Winery. Nestled in the heart of West Virginia, the winery is constructed from hand cut stones gathered from various parts of West Virginia, some weighing as much as 3,000 pounds. Lambert's has a palate-pleasing range of wines including red, white and blush varieties. Afterwards, you board the motorcoach and depart for home with a dinner stop at your expense along the way.

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ALL WOLF'S TOURS - TIMES AND ITINERARY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ***

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, BL=Boxed Lunch, D=Dinner