West Virginia

West Virginia is located in the southeastern part of the US sharing borders with Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Kentucky. The state is known as the Mountain State and is home in the Appalachian Mountain Range. The state does not have any flat lands and is completely mountainous providing a great place for outdoor enthusiasts that love a variety of activities. The state is home to protected areas including the Gauley River National Recreation Area, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, George Washington National Forest, Bluestone National Scenic River, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Temperatures range from 26 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and around 76 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months

There are many different things to do in the state that will certainly keep your family happy the entire vacation. Visitors enjoy such things as air adventures, boating, caving, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, camping, mountain climbing, go-kart racing, kayaking, canoeing, paintball, and more. For those that would rather stay indoors there are also all kinds of museums such as the Anna Jarvis Birthplace Museum in Webster, the Arts Centre in Martinsburg, and the Avampato Discovery Museum in Charleston.  

Government

http://www.wv.gov/ official website for the state of West Virginia
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/ Official website for the West Virginia Legislature  

Tourism & Travel

http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/west-virginia-outdoor-pp1-guide-cid1944.html Official website for the GORP: West Virginia Parks Guide -
http://www.wvparks.com/ online guide to the forests and parks in the state  

Business & Development

http://www.wvdo.org/ online guide for business assistance from the West Virginia Development Center
http://www.sbdcwv.org/ Official website for the West Virginia Small Business Development Center  

Arts & Culture

http://www.wvosea.org/ Official website for the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts
http://www.wvfolkfestival.org/ Official website for the West Virginia State Folk Festival  

Education & Training

http://www.wvsom.edu/ Online website for the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
http://www.wvctcs.org/ website for the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia  

Organizations & Associations

http://www.marshall.edu/wvas/ official website for the West Virginia Academy of Science
http://www.wvmba.com/ Official website for the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association  

Health & Family

http://www.charlestonrmhc.com/ website for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia that provides housing for families that have children in the hospital
http://healthcarebloglaw.blogspot.com/ online blog for legal issues involving health care  

Recreation & Sports

http://www.air-sports.com online guide for tandem skydiving in the state
http://www.msnsportsnet.com the official website for the sports at the West Virginia University