ELKINS, W.Va. — Railroad excursions are becoming so popular in Randolph County that spaces are already filling up for the fall season.
The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers scenic train rides through the Monongahela National Forest.
Samantha Peet, director of marketing with the Elkins-Randoph County Tourism, Convention and Visitors Bureau, told MetroNews last week more people are interested in riding the trains as the leaves change colors.
“You’ll see for fall foliage, we are very booked. I think it’s just something different that they haven’t done before,” Peet said. “You get this vintage diesel engine train and we have our steam engines. Kids love it.”
Peet was one of the many tourism leaders across West Virginia to attend the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Huntington last week.
Peet said they want to capitalize on their “niches” that make visiting their region so special. She said Randolph County is a lot less crowded compared to places like Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown.
“We don’t have a resort, but we do have a lot of places to stay,” Peet said. “It’s a bit quieter and its out in the woods. We do have some great town centers that are great to visit.”
In addition to railroad excursions, the Randolph CVB also offers civil war trails at the Beverly Heritage Center in Beverly, a small village in Helvetia with authentic Swiss food and more.
While Fayette County draws many visitors in to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve for hiking, Logan County gets its visitors on the ATV trails. Tucker and Pocahontas counties rely heavily on mountain bikers and skiers in the winter. In the Kanawha County town of Nitro, visitors come to view antiques, learn about war history and frequent Mardi Gras Casino and Resort.
A statewide economic impact study on tourism released by Gov. Jim Justice’s office last week showed traveler spending in West Virginia exceeded $4.9 billion in 2021, putting tourism up 3.8 percent over pre-pandemic levels.