HIDDEN Spring Hill Cemetery Park & Arboretum ... Start your visit to Charleston at Spring Hill Cemetery Park & Arboretum. Soak up the best views of the city at this 150-acre park that boasts extraor-dinary monuments and statuaries, a Moorish-type mausoleum and a large arboretum, which is also a popular site for bird watching. You can also take one of several self-guided tours that interpret the history of the Kanawha Valley. On the National Register of Historic Places, the park has Jewish, Confederate and African-American sec-tions, and many of the owners of what was the largest salt industry in the U.S. are interred here. With a gorgeous setting and small roads throughout, this is a popular place to walk your dog or simply hike. friendsofspringhillcemetery.org Wine Cellar Park by Congress as a “Living Memorial to WWI.” Take in the doughboy statue and WWI museum or browse through numerous antique shops. Nitro is “booming” for other reasons, too. It’s home to Mardi Gras Casino and Resort , a New Orleans-inspired casino featuring slots, poker, sports betting, greyhound racing, restau-rants and live music. The center of South Charleston ’s downtown area is a 33-foot-tall burial mound constructed more than 2,000 years ago by Native Amer-icans known as the Adena. In the shadow of the mound is a bustling downtown filled with antique shops and ethnic restaurants – Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Medi-terranean intermingle with traditional American fare. Perched on a lush hillside is South Charleston’s oasis, Little Creek Country Club , open to the public and featuring a resort atmosphere with a championship golf course, Olympic-size pool and ele-gant dining at Eagles Nest Restaurant. Charleston and South Charleston meet at what locals call “Corridor G” or “Southridge,” a huge area featur-ing Cabela’s and other big-box stores, a wide variety of restaurants, a movie complex, indoor trampoline park and an ice arena. Dunbar also boasts a burial mound. This historically significant structure is now part of the Shawnee Sports Com-plex , a new $18 million outdoor venue that is quickly becoming a destination for large sporting events like soccer, lacrosse, football and baseball tourna-ments. At nearby Wine Cellar Park , home to the remains of an 1800s-era wine cellar, visitors can hike, picnic, play disc golf or fish at Anderson Lake. Savvy shoppers like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet , and arts-and-crafts lovers flock to Jo Ann Fabrics , one of the last fabric stores in the region. Olde Main Plaza in St. Albans is the city’s center for art, shopping and dining. The Alban Arts Center features local theater productions of classic shows like “Annie,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Lil’ Bit of Heaven Cupcakes , an award-winning bakery, has been featured on the Food Network. Din-ing options range from hot wings and cold brews to a seafood-Italian joint, with fine dining at historic Angela’s on the River . Just steps away from Olde Main Plaza is the Coal River, offering the best flatwater kayaking in the region. ● Spring Hill Cemetery EXPLORE OUR TOWNS! CHARLESTONWV.COM #CWV 11
Charleston Area Inspiration Guide Charleston Area Inspiration Guide 2019: Page 11
