7 Cutest Small Towns In West Virginia For 2025
Skip the cities in 2025 and make your way to the Allegheny Highlands, the Potomac Highlands, and West Virginia’s river valleys, where the small towns do all the heavy lifting. They developed out of coal routes, logging camps, and railroad stops and have maintained their size, soul, and slower pace. West Virginia has preserved a neighbor-first type of living since it became a state in 1863, and it still shows up in its festivals, stores, and trail towns. It also has mountain diners, downtowns to stroll, and just enough weirdness to keep things fun. Pack a weekend bag, lose the GPS, and let the seven cutest small towns in West Virginia show you what the Mountain State is all about.
Berkeley Springs
Berkeley Springs has been attracting weary travelers for over two centuries, and it still knows how to treat them right. It landed on USA Today’s 2022 list of America’s Top 10 Historic Small Towns, and in 2025, it remains just as worthy. Soak in the warm mineral water at Berkeley Springs State Park, where year-round historic Roman baths and open-air pools still welcome visitors. Overlooking town is the Berkeley Springs Castle, built in the 1880s by Colonel Samuel Taylor Suit for his wife, and it still turns heads today.
Art thrives here too. At the Ice House, a former cold-storage building from 1910, rotating exhibits, workshops, and performances keep the creative energy alive. End the night at Berkeley Springs Brewing Company, where the beer is brewed using spring water and guests can stay in Bed N Brew rooms on site.
Shepherdstown
Small but packed with personality, Shepherdstown blends college-town energy with riverside calm. Start at the Historic Shepherdstown Museum, where exhibits in the Entler Hotel take you back to colonial times and Civil War chaos. Then, follow the whispers of history to the town’s Civil War ghost locations. During the 1862 Antietam Campaign, nearly the entire town became a hospital for Confederate soldiers, and many buildings still carry the weight of that past.
Explore sites like Old Town Hall, Moulder Hall, and the Chapline-Shenton House, all rumored to be haunted. If you’re feeling bold, walk through Elmwood Cemetery, where many fallen soldiers were buried. Ride the C&O Canal Towpath and return in June when ghosts give way to food trucks, live music, and artists on every corner.
Lewisburg
Forget the city noise; in 2025, Lewisburg’s mountain scenery, quiet streets, and festival energy are all the escape you need. Begin at the North House Museum, whose exhibits chronicle 200 years of life in the Greenbrier Valley, from frontier days to wartime. Walk the Lewisburg Historic District, where a Civil War played out in 1862, and stop to rest at The Livery Tavern, housed in a refurbished 1800s stone building that serves Appalachian favorites.
When you’re ready to venture out, follow the Greenbrier River Trail, a 78-mile path that winds past fields, riverbanks, and the 402-foot-long Droop Mountain Tunnel. In October, Taste of Our Towns (TOOT) brings restaurants and food stands into the streets, turning downtown into one giant block party of crafts, food, and music.
Fayetteville
Fayetteville is the kind of town where adrenaline and charm live side by side. Begin at the New River Gorge Bridge, one of the world’s longest single-span arch bridges and the star of Bridge Day in October, when daredevils leap from the steel arch as crowds cheer. Below it lies New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, full of rugged trails, Class V rapids, and photo-worthy views.
While in town, check out a show at the Historic Fayette Theatre, a 1930s building that still hosts live performances. Then stop at the Love Hope Center for the Arts, where local artists fill the space with color, whimsy, and imagination.
Thomas
There’s a reason people drive up into the mountains just to hang out on one street. Catch a set at The Purple Fiddle, where live indie and bluegrass bands play to packed crowds in a former general store. Stretch it out at Mountain Yoga, a welcoming space offering classes for travelers who prefer a stretch over a summit.
Just minutes away is Blackwater Falls State Park, home to a 57-foot amber-hued waterfall tucked into a rock gorge. Before leaving, stop into the Buxton and Landstreet Company Store, a coal-era landmark now used for rotating gallery exhibits and creative community events.
Harpers Ferry
It’s hard to beat a town where two rivers, three states, and centuries of American history all meet. At Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, cobblestone streets and 19th-century buildings guide you to landmarks like John Brown’s Fort, site of the abolitionist’s 1859 raid. Pop into The Bookshop in Lower Town, get your Appalachian Trail passport stamped, and hike up to Jefferson Rock for sweeping river views.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters, located at the trail’s symbolic midpoint, displays a collection of hiker stories and decades of trail photos. In December, don’t miss Olde Tyme Christmas, when lanterns light the town and carolers give it the feel of a storybook.
Davis
Davis doesn’t try to charm you with polish. It does it with personality, trails, and a little grit. Begin the day on the Allegheny Trail (Davis Trailhead), which traces the edge of town before twisting through forest ridges and rock outcrops. Just minutes away is Blackwater Falls State Park, where the 57-foot falls thunder into a dark canyon, bordered by trails and boardwalks.
Back in town, grab a bold pint at Stumptown Ales, a hop-heavy brewery with a casual taproom that hikers and locals love. Come in fall for the Leaf Peepers Festival, when mountain music, autumn color, and craft vendors fill the streets with neighborly buzz.
You don’t need scripted tours and glossy pamphlets to feel welcome in these towns. Each one runs on something you can’t fake: people who make eye contact, places that still work the way they always have, and streets where things happen without being staged. These aren’t backdrops for brochures. They’re real towns with oddball museums, old diners, porch concerts, and parades that start with tractors. If you’re tired of overdone attractions and tourist gloss, take a different road this year. Follow the two-lane highways, take your time, and let the charm of the seven cutest small towns in West Virginia show you how it’s done.
