Family Fun
Fun in Fairmont
From paint-your-own pottery to pick-your-own blueberries, Fairmont has fun for all seasons.
Mountain Creative
1200 Speedway Ave, Fairmont, WV 26554
Enjoy paint-your-own pottery at Mountain Creative. The studio offers a selection of more than 100 pieces to paint and more than 50 paint/glaze colors. You can pick a piece for 50 cents to $80, depending on what you want to paint. Mountain Creative sends your masterpieces through the firing process, and the little artist can pick up their work in 7 days.
Blueberry Ridge Farm
Thomas Moran Lane, Bunner Ridge, WV 26554
Visit this family-owned, chemical-free, pick-your-own blueberry farm plopped atop a beautiful ridge.The farm operates until August, when pickers will find reduced prices for the end of the season!
Wave Pool
35 City View Terrace, Fairmont, WV 26554
Spend the day at a Fairmont favorite, the Wave Pool! Enjoy cool concessions on a hot day by the pool. The pool also features a new slide, and a brand new playground that includes a unique rock and ropes set up.
You can also stop by the Splash Park at Palatine Park.
Skate-A-Way
718 Carlone St, Fairmont, WV 26554
Enjoy a staple of the past at Skate-A-Way. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or haven’t slipped on a pair of skates since you were 12, a cruise around their classic wooden floor is sure to be a great time.
Pricketts Fort State Park
88 State Park Rd, Fairmont, WV 26554
Visit this living history site, where kids can watch interpreters recreate late 18th-century lifestyle through period attire and demonstrations of a variety of colonial crafts. Throughout the season, you may find blacksmiths, spinners, weavers and other traditional artisans at work, and a gun shop which features public demonstrations of 18th-century firearm manufacturing.
The original Pricketts Fort served as a refuge area from Native American war parties on the western frontier of Colonial Virginia. The Prickett’s Fort Memorial Foundation recreated the fort in 1976. The rustic log fort is perched on a scenic ridge overlooking the confluence of Prickett’s Creek and the Monongahela River.
ALSO SEE:
Coal Country Miniature Golf
22 Coal Country Lane Fairmont, WV 26554
Take a break at this quirky, coal mining-themed mini golf course, featuring 18 holes and a giant coal miner. Golf not your thing? Try your luck at the batting cages instead!
The Poky Dot
1111 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV
This whimsical 50s style diner will not disappoint. The Poky Dot has food for all ages and tastes, from classic hot dogs and hamburgers, to salads. Finish it off with a nine-pound banana split!
- TIP: Try the state’s best breakfast — according to the Food Network — the “He Man Breakfast.” The dish, which is served on a garbage can lid (Don’t worry, it’s not used!), includes 4 eggs, 4 pancakes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, ham, fried potatoes and toast. If you can eat it all in less than 60 minutes, you get a free shirt.
Pufferbelly’s Ice Cream Station
1024 Fairmont Ave, Fairmont, WV 26554
Stop in for a scoop or 2 of good old-fashioned ice cream. If you’re feeling hungry, Pufferbelly’s is more than just an ice cream station. They’ve also got a full menu of delicious soups, salads and sandwiches.
Many thrills in Morgantown
Exercise the mind and body in Morgantown. Start with the Children’s Discovery Museum of West Virginia and then burn some calories at WVU’s Zip Canopy Tour.
Spark! Imagination and Science Center
5000 Greenbag Road, Morgantown , WV 26501
The Mission of the Spark! Imagination and Science Center is “to inspire people of all ages to explore science and the arts through hands-on exhibits and programs that spark a lifelong love of learning.
Morgantown Ice Arena - BOPARC
1001 Mississippi St, Morgantown, WV 26501
Slip your feet into a pair of skates and hit the ice! Each Sunday, the Morgantown Ice Arena hosts Family Day. A family of up to 4 can skate from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for only $10 (without skate rentals) or $20 (with skate rentals).
WVU Zip-Line Canopy Tour
1397 Chestnut Ridge Road, Bruceton Mills WV, 26525
Get a unique perspective of the forest. The WVU’s canopy tour is comprised of 3 ziplines, an aerial bridge and a 45-foot tandem rappel station to top it all off. The longest zip is more than 750 feet long. Throughout the canopy tour experience, participants will learn about the University Research Forest.
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Tug Boat Depot
Caperton Trl, Morgantown, WV 26505
Let out some energy at this tug boat-themed playground off a rail trail, featuring a tire swing, tree house, slides, a bridge and a sandbox.
The Wow! Factory
3453 University Ave, Star City, WV 26505
Get crafty at the Wow! Factory, where kids and adults alike can pick and paint their own piece of pottery. The factory also offers classes in glass fusing, mosaics, clay handbuilding and canvas painting.
WVU Core Arboretum
Take a walk through the WVU Biology Department’s Core Arboretum, and explore West Virginia flora and fauna.
- TIP:The WVU Core Arboretum is most noted for its spring blooms, some of which only open for a short time each year.
Play in Preston
See species from all across the globe in Kingwood.
Hovatter’s Zoo
291 Wagner Lane, Kingwood, WV 26537
Hovatter’s Wildlife Zoo is home to more than 30 different species of native and exotic animals, including a lemur, a leopard, a baboon, a kangaroo and even an African lion. They often offer photo opportunities with adorable baby animals, and you might even get a chance to feed some new furry friends!
ALSO SEE:
Crimson Shamrock Ranch
Eglon, WV 26716
Check out adorable alpaca and sheep at the Crimson Shamrock Farm, a working fiber farm where the animals are grown for fleece and wool.