Make a weekend of it
Stay & explore.
Princeton sits at the heart of southern West Virginia's rail and coal country. Base yourself by the museum, then branch out — historic coal mines you can walk into, a railroad town on the Amtrak line, and some of the best outdoor country in the East, all an easy drive away.
Photo: Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau · official media gallery
Base here, adventure everywhere.
Stay in Princeton or Bluefield and these are your drive times. Nothing here is more than about an hour and a quarter away.
See destinations near Princeton.
Browse railroad heritage, lodging, dining, festivals, scenery, and day-trip stops before building your itinerary.
Select a numbered pin or numbered stop to zoom in and start the route there.
Pins and route order are approximate planning aids. Confirm hours, fees, seasons, accessibility, and conditions before visiting. Map data OpenStreetMap contributors.
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Four local experiences to add to your stay.
These close-to-Princeton highlights come from Visit Mercer County's official media kit. Use the official links to confirm hours, permits, access, and current conditions.
Walk Bramwell's historic district
Explore Millionaire's Row and the Victorian streetscape shaped by the coal-boom era, then stop in the compact downtown for food and local history.
Photo: Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Official walking-tour informationSee Brush Creek Falls
A broad 25-foot waterfall in Brush Creek Preserve makes an easy scenic addition to a Mercer County trip. Check trail, parking, weather, and water conditions before setting out.
Photo: Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Official falls informationExplore the Grassroots District
Stay close to the museum for Princeton's creative district: public art, galleries, locally owned businesses, performances, and hands-on community arts.
Photo: Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Official district guideRide the Hatfield–McCoy trails
Mercer County is the southern gateway to the Hatfield–McCoy Trail System. The Pocahontas Trail connects into the wider network, with routes for different experience levels.
Photo: Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Official trailhead informationBuild your itinerary.
Choose what fits your visit, then review and adjust the route.
My trip itinerary
Stops are ordered by an approximate nearest-stop route from your selected starting point (straight-line distance, not live traffic). Saved on this device/browser only — share the trip to continue on another device or send it to family.
Accessible pace plan: This route reduces stops and prioritizes lower-walking choices; it does not guarantee accessibility. Confirm entrances, restrooms, seating, terrain, mobility-device access, and accommodations directly before traveling. For museum assistance, call (304) 487-5060.
Rail & coal heritage nearby.
The Virginian Railway was built to haul West Virginia coal — so the region around us is full of places that carry that same story. Start with these.
Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine
One of the nation's first exhibition mines (opened 1938). Walk right into the coal seam that started it all, alongside a museum and the historic Pocahontas Opera House. This is the seam that helped make the railroads run.
Photo: Brian M. Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsBeckley Exhibition Coal Mine
Ride a "man car" deep into a restored mine led by veteran miners, then explore a re-created coal camp with a church, schoolhouse and museum. Seasonal (roughly April–November) — bring a jacket, it stays cool underground. Pairs perfectly with a New River Gorge day.
Photo: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsHistoric Hinton
A C&O Railway town frozen in time, with one of the best-preserved railroad-era downtowns in the state — and a stop on Amtrak's Cardinal, so you can still arrive by train. Home to the Hinton Railroad Museum and the gateway to the New River Gorge's southern end.
Photo: Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsBucket-list day trips.
When you're ready to roam a little farther, these are the big ones — a world-famous gorge, a resort state park with an aerial tram, a mountaintop lookout across the Virginia line, and a few right here in Mercer County worth the detour.
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
America's newest national park, about 63 miles north via I-77 and US-19. Whitewater rafting, hiking, climbing and the Canyon Rim overlook boardwalks below the iconic New River Gorge Bridge — which the Virginian's rival, the C&O, once ran right through.
Going in fall? Color peaks early-to-mid October. Gauley Season whitewater releases start the Friday after Labor Day for about six weekends. Bridge Day (the one day cars stop and BASE jumpers leap) is the third Saturday in October.
Bring the dog: New River Gorge is a B.A.R.K. Ranger park — leashed pups can take the pledge and earn an official badge at the Canyon Rim or Sandstone visitor centers.
Photo: JaGa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsPipestem Resort State Park
West Virginia's flagship resort state park, just up the road. Its aerial tram descends roughly 3,600 feet into the Bluestone River Gorge to Mountain Creek Lodge, plus an 18-hole championship golf course, a zipline canopy tour, horseback riding and an indoor pool.
3405 Pipestem Drive, Pipestem, WV 25979 · (304) 466-1800. The tram and some activities are seasonal — check hours before you go.
Photo: Brian M. Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsLake Shawnee Amusement Park
Right here in Mercer County: an abandoned 1920s-era amusement park, rusting ferris wheel and all, built on a site with a dark history that's made it a magnet for ghost-hunting shows and roadside-oddity fans nationwide. Grounds tours are offered seasonally — check ahead, as access is by appointment/tour only.
Photo: Forsaken Fotos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsBig Walker Lookout
Head south through the East River Mountain Tunnel into Virginia to Walker Mountain and its 100-foot observation tower — views of up to five states on a clear day — plus the historic Big Walker Country Store. About an hour from Bluefield via I-77 south. Seasonal (spring–fall).
Photo: Virginia State Parks staff, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsWinterplace Ski Resort
When the snow flies, southern West Virginia's largest ski resort is a short hop north in Ghent — downhill skiing, snowboarding and one of the state's biggest snow-tubing parks. 100 Old Flat Top Mountain Road, Ghent, WV. Seasonal (typically Dec–Mar, weather permitting).
Photo: HalfGig, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsTwin Falls Resort State Park
A quieter mountain retreat near Mullens, WV — waterfall hikes (including Marsh Fork Falls, pictured), a golf course, cabins and lodge rooms, plus the park's Pioneer Farm, a reconstructed 1830s Appalachian homestead, for a change of pace from the coal and rail story.
Photo: ForestWander.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
DirectionsColleges & universities nearby.
Touring schools, cheering a team, or just love a pretty campus? Mercer County has three of its own, and two major Virginia universities are a short drive away.
Concord University
The "Campus Beautiful," perched on a mountain plateau in Athens — one of the prettiest campuses in the state.
Photo: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
concord.eduBluefield State University
A historic public university in the heart of Bluefield — one of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), founded in 1895 and a cornerstone of the community ever since.
Logo: HamiltonHatter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
bluefieldstate.edu
Bluefield, VA · just over the line
Bluefield University
A private Christian university about a mile across the state line in Bluefield, Virginia.
Photo: Dizzy Girl via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Displayed in full without alteration.
bluefield.eduVirginia Tech
The Hokies' sprawling flagship campus is about 45 minutes away via US-460 — a great half-day trip for prospective students and football fans.
Photo: Eric T Gunther, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
vt.eduRadford University
A scenic public university on the New River, about an hour east toward Blacksburg.
Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
radford.eduExplore all of Mercer County.
Full itineraries, events, dining and a countywide Heritage Trail live on the official visitor site — the perfect companion for a longer stay.