New ‘Brews And Booze’ Trail Aims To Draw Visitors To Southern W.Va.

Residents and visitors seeking a unique, authentic experience in West Virginia might want to check out the lower half of the state.

Southern West Virginia – a not-for-profit organization that works to promote travel and tourism opportunities for the state’s nine southernmost counties – has just launched its new Brews and Booze Trail.   

The trail wanders through Raleigh, Mercer, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, McDowell, Nicholas, Wyoming, and Summers counties with stops at a variety of locally owned beverage facilities, including some steeped in West Virginia traditions and history. 

Southern West Virginia Director Lisa Strader says each stop offers tastes of unique, locally produced beverages, from ciders and beers to wines and hard liquors. 

“We do have a lot of the culture and history, a lot of Civil War history throughout our region. I know there’s several of our counties are on the National Civil War trail. “There’s beauty, there’s outdoor rec for those that want to be a little bit more in tune with nature versus just seeing the beautiful overlooks,” Strader said. “I always tell people when they start their journey, if you start at the coal mines, you’re going to understand everything else, because as you traverse your trails, you’re going to see the remnants of the coal and rail history.”

A series of “passes” with multiple stops close to each other allows visitors to travel past scenic sights to several stops in a single day, and pick up points – 25 for each stop – worth prizes along the way. 

Prizes include stickers, coasters, t-shirts and tumblers.