West Virginia 2008 Official State Travel Guide - (Page 19) Wonderful West Virginia REPORTS WINTER Cabin at Watoga State Park, Marlinton . g by Melissa Butheau Holiday LIGHTS The season isn’t complete without at least one holiday lights festival, and Oglebay Resort in Wheeling puts on one of the nation’s biggest and best, with 60 displays and 1 million lights on a six-mile drive through the park. Other can’tmiss festivals are the Winter Festival of the Waters in Berkeley Springs and the Winter Wonder Weekend at North Bend State Park. Cozy WONDERLAND Four major resorts (Timberline, Snowshoe, Canaan Valley and Winterplace) offer the longest ski season of the region, plus plenty of activities, such as cross-country skiing, snowboarding, tubing and snowshoeing. The kids (or young at heart) will enjoy trying out snow bodyboarding, the newest sport to hit West Virginia’s mountains. For a lesson and gear rental, head to Canaan Valley Resort State Park in Davis. Colder temperatures provide a great opportunity to snuggle with your significant other, perhaps during a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Extend your romantic weekend in a cozy mountain cabin at Blackwater Falls State Park, making sure to visit the park’s oft-photographed falls that plunge five stories. Winter is also a great time to see a wide variety of migratory and wintering birds. Keep your eyes open for the cormorant, evening grosbeak and white-throated sparrow. You may just spot some during Kanawha State Forest’s Winter Walk, which provides participants an opportunity to learn about and view seasonal forest activity. A s the state with the highest total altitude east of the Mississippi River, West Virginia is a haven for winter sports enthusiasts. Winter festivals, stunning views and more leisurely cold-weather prospects make the state appealing for everyone else. Oglebay Resort Winter Festival of Lights . d W W W . C A L L W VA . C O M 19 http://www.callwva.com
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