9 of the best places to stay in West Virginia

West Virginia is a beauty queen of a state, with ragged mountains to hike or ski and white-water rapids to paddle. It’s also stuffed with Civil War history and charming small towns. To explore it all, you’ll need a home base. Here are the boutique hotels, camping compounds, and storied resorts we suggest.

Hotel Morgan, Morgantown

Best for: College town vibes and culture

In the historic downtown of this college city—home to West Virginia University—this recently renovated 1925 hotel features industrial-cool guest rooms and the Anvil & Ax lounge, with throwback drinks served at a long dark wood bar. The Morgan is within walking distance of performing arts venues (the Metropolitan Theatre, 123 Pleasant Street), small museums, and coffee shops. Plus the rehabbed Wharf District on the Monongahela River has restaurants, bars, and an entrance to the paved Caperton Rail Trail, popular with bikers and joggers.

Good to know: A 13-mile drive from Morgantown, Coopers Rock State Forest offers eye-popping views (and great photo ops) amid thick forests and dramatic sandstone cliffs.

(How to ride on West Virginia’s latest, greatest mountain bike paths.)

The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs

Best for: Interior design fans

Guest rooms decked in yellow rose wallpaper. An outsized lobby outfitted with black and white checkerboard floors, turquoise walls, and chintz chairs. The flamboyant public and private spaces at this grand dame resort in southeastern West Virginia came from early 20th-century interior designer Dorothy Draper. Guests check in for the technicolor, old-fashioned charm plus diversions like golf, horse-drawn carriage rides, afternoon tea, and a spa. Historians lead daily interior tours, pointing out details of Draper’s designs (stripes galore, rhododendron flower prints festooning carpets and curtains) and detailing the Greenbrier’s stint as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp.

Good to know: Beneath the Greenbrier’s bright rooms lies a Cold War-era secret: a 1962 underground bunker built as an emergency fallout shelter for the U.S. government. Declassified in 1995, it’s now viewable via 90-minute guided tours that reveal a clunky nuclear blast monitor, a government briefing room, and a bathroom shower-like decontamination site.

(What it takes to preserve a historic hotel—and why you should stay in one.)

Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown

Best for: European atmosphere 

Half-timbered building facades, a restaurant serving sauerbraten and spaetzle, and an on-site brewery pouring European-style beers make this Shepherdstown boutique hotel feel like the Alps in Appalachia. On the property, guests find pickleball, tennis, and bocce courts; cozy outdoor fire pits, and an infinity pool with river and mountain vistas.

A short walk from the Bavarian, Shepherdstown’s compact, collegiate downtown holds shops and restaurants. Each July, the prestigious Contemporary American Theater Festival brings new plays and musicals to Shepherd University.

What’s nearby: It’s a quick drive to Civil War sites (Harpers Ferry, Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland) as well as outdoor attractions like the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal towpath.

ACE Adventure Resort, Oak Hill

Best for: Exploring New River Gorge National Park

Want to stay amid the towering cliffs and rushing rapids of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve? You’ll need to reserve a campsite and pitch a tent. Or, you can overnight at this 1,500-acre resort and adventure outfitter adjacent to the park. Lodgings include tent cabins, budget-friendly bunkhouses, and well-outfitted log homes—some with hot tubs under the trees. ACE also offers guided activities, including white-water rafting, hiking, and climbs of the dramatic New River Gorge Bridge.

Good to know: The resort’s waterpark appeals to families with slides, zip lines, and giant inflatables.

Billy Motel, Davis

Best for: Vintage style

Near Blackwater Falls State Park and the downhill and cross-country skiing of Canaan Valley, this renovated mid-century motel offers 10 rooms with mod touches like molded Eames-style chairs and patterned headboards. Guests receive a free welcome cocktail or mocktail at the throwback lounge, with its tomato red metal fireplace and patio equipped with pink picnic tables. The Billy is a short walk from downtown Davis, a small town where you can sip brews at Stumptown Ales or explore a handful of indie shops.

Good to know: The hotel restaurant, Ish Kitchen, serves dinner and snacks Wednesday-Sunday nights, with worldly dishes such as Japanese tofu noodle bowls and spicy, Spanish-style papas bravas.

Hillbrook Inn, Charles Town

Best for: Romance and pampering 

A short drive from both Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown, this plush bed and breakfast spreads 19 guest suites over five historic structures, from the timbered main house to a bungalow surrounded by trees. Many rooms come with fireplaces or hot tubs, and the onsite restaurant serves decadent breakfasts (chocolate mousse waffles, anyone?) and a European-style dinner menu.

Another historic building holds the Gatehouse Spa, where guests can get aromatherapy massages, brightening facials, and other treatments.

Good to know: The inn offers four pet-friendly rooms.

Lafayette Flats, Fayetteville

Best for: Art fans and outdoor adventurers

Historic mountain town Fayetteville serves as a gateway to the New River Gorge region, with its national park and 3,030-foot-long arched steel bridge, one of the world’s longest. In a circa-1906 stone building that once held a downtown bank, this boutique hotel has four brightly decorated suites with kitchens, ample living space, and works by local artists on the walls. Each January, Lafayette hosts month-long residencies for writers, painters, and other creatives.

Good to know: On weekends, a free shuttle zips visitors around downtown, where top spots include the Cathedral Café, a converted church known for panini and pancakes, and Love Hope Arts, a nonprofit gallery and performance space.

The Tygart Hotel, Elkins

Best for: History buffs

Opening in March, this renovation of a six-story, 1907 building brings boutique lodgings to this small mountain city near the hiking, skiing, and rock climbing of the Monongahela National Forest. Industrial decor (leather headboards, wood accents) in the guest rooms nods to Elkins’ past as a lumber and railroad stronghold. In the hotel’s public spaces, artwork by local creatives like landscape painter Kylie Proudfoot-Payne and fiber artist Nevada Tribble pays tribute to regional history.

Good to know: The hotel is a short stroll from Elkins’ circa-1908 train depot, where travelers board the vintage New Tygart Flyer for a four-hour rail trip through the Monongahela National Forest, including a stop at the 150-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped High Falls of Cheat. 

Firefly Ridge Luxury Retreat, Great Cacapon

Best for: Camping with creature comforts

On 17 forested acres adjacent to Cacapon Resort State Park, this Eastern Panhandle glamping resort offers canvas tents with full-size beds, armchairs, and supplies to cook over grills or fire pits set up around the property. Guests share a central, spa-like bathhouse with fluffy towels, personal care products, and hair dryers. 

Nearby, you’ll find fishing, kayaking, tubing, hiking, and horseback riding in Cacapon. For a post-hike therapeutic soak, historic Berkeley Springs—popular for its natural warm springs and spas—is less than 10 miles away.

Good to know: Firefly Ridge is open April through October, depending on weather.

For more tips on what to do in West Virginia, see our Explorer’s Guide.