David Sibray
@davidsibray.bsky.social
Economic development consultant, real estate agent, magazine publisher, West Virginian!
Beautiful year-round, Sandstone Falls is particularly elegant in the summer and is growing increasingly popular as a tourist attraction. #westvirginia #appalachia #sandstonefalls #newrivergorge
Sandstone Falls emerges as a must-see destination in the New River Gorge
SANDSTONE, W.Va. — Sandstone Falls, one of the most spectacular features of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, is rapidly gaining popularity among visitors venturing into West Virginia, o...
wvexplorer.com
July 16, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Beautiful year-round, Sandstone Falls is particularly elegant in the summer and is growing increasingly popular as a tourist attraction. #westvirginia #appalachia #sandstonefalls #newrivergorge
Construction is nearing completion on top of Snowshoe Mountain, where a new ski lodge is replacing its long-standing and familiar Shavers Center. wvexplorer.com/2025/06/18/s...
Snowshoe Mountain replacing iconic Shavers Center with modern lodge
SLATYFORK, W.Va. — Construction is nearing completion on top of Snowshoe Mountain in eastern West Virginia, where a new ski lodge is replacing its long-standing and familiar Shavers Center, which serv...
wvexplorer.com
June 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Construction is nearing completion on top of Snowshoe Mountain, where a new ski lodge is replacing its long-standing and familiar Shavers Center. wvexplorer.com/2025/06/18/s...
Old-timers still tell of the ghosts that are said to haunt Sliding Hill in West Virginia, though only the very oldest now recall it. #ghosts #westvirginia wvexplorer.com/2025/06/16/s...
Tales of the Sliding Hill Ghosts are not forgotten by an older generation
HARTFORD CITY, W.Va. — Old-timers still tell of the ghosts that are said to haunt Sliding Hill in Mason County, though only the very oldest now recall it. But a historian who hopes to memorialize the ...
wvexplorer.com
June 16, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Old-timers still tell of the ghosts that are said to haunt Sliding Hill in West Virginia, though only the very oldest now recall it. #ghosts #westvirginia wvexplorer.com/2025/06/16/s...
Most railroads in West Virginia handled coal and timber, but at least one was built for fruit.
Tiny 'Two Mules and a Pony' rail line ran in eastern panhandle of W.Va.
BURLINGTON, W.Va. — Railroads in West Virginia are most often associated with the export of coal and timber, but at least one small railway in the state's eastern panhandle was built for fruit. The Tw...
wvexplorer.com
June 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Most railroads in West Virginia handled coal and timber, but at least one was built for fruit.
Tales of a "monster" said to haunt the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia have surfaced in recent years. wvexplorer.com/2025/06/04/m... #westvirginia #wv #monster #cryptids #appalachia
Does a monster lurk in the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia?
CUNARD, W.Va. — Tales of a 'monster' said to haunt the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia have surfaced in recent years, and a lodging entrepreneur who's developed a cryptid-t...
wvexplorer.com
June 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Tales of a "monster" said to haunt the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia have surfaced in recent years. wvexplorer.com/2025/06/04/m... #westvirginia #wv #monster #cryptids #appalachia
The newspaper editor who coined the term "The Free State of McDowell" lived in Keystone, one of the few municipalities in West Virginia with an African American majority. wvexplorer.com/communities/... #westvirginia #appalachia #Blacklivesmatter #africanamerican
Keystone, West Virginia
Keystone, WV (West Virginia), a community in McDowell County, was incorporated in 1909 and named for its association with the Keystone Coal & Coke Co., based in Pennsylvania, also known as the 'Keysto...
wvexplorer.com
May 30, 2025 at 2:24 AM
The newspaper editor who coined the term "The Free State of McDowell" lived in Keystone, one of the few municipalities in West Virginia with an African American majority. wvexplorer.com/communities/... #westvirginia #appalachia #Blacklivesmatter #africanamerican
Record-breaking fish seem to have become the new normal in West Virginia, and state officials say there are several reasons for the uptick, which is not likely to end soon. #westvirginia #wv #fishing
W.Va. officials expect more record-breaking fish amid growing trend
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Record-breaking fish seem to have become the new normal in West Virginia, and state officials say there are several reasons for the uptick, which is not likely to end soon. David I...
wvexplorer.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Record-breaking fish seem to have become the new normal in West Virginia, and state officials say there are several reasons for the uptick, which is not likely to end soon. #westvirginia #wv #fishing
Lone graves aren't terribly rare in West Virginia, but one burial site stands out as a remarkable and mysterious example. wvexplorer.com/2025/05/20/m... #westvirginia #pope #appalachia
Mysterious grave of 'unknown priest' speaks to history of religion in W.Va.
GLEN DALE, W.Va. — Lone graves aren't terribly rare in West Virginia, where many pioneers and settlers perished in the mountains far from family. However, one burial site stands out as a remarkable an...
wvexplorer.com
May 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Lone graves aren't terribly rare in West Virginia, but one burial site stands out as a remarkable and mysterious example. wvexplorer.com/2025/05/20/m... #westvirginia #pope #appalachia
Once rare in many parts of West Virginia, black bears are now found in all counties. wvexplorer.com/2025/05/15/w...
Even in West Virginia suburbs, unprotected food sources attract bears
WHEELING, W.Va. — Once rare in many parts of West Virginia, black bears are now found in all counties, and officials are reminding residents that interactions increase in spring, when care should be t...
wvexplorer.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Once rare in many parts of West Virginia, black bears are now found in all counties. wvexplorer.com/2025/05/15/w...
Those who have heard the haunting "Peters Mountain Roar" say it will forever stay with them. "The roar of a thousand lions," some have called it. wvexplorer.com/2025/04/29/p... #westvirginia #appalachia
Peters Mountain Roar continues to mystify West Virginia residents
ZENITH, W.Va. — Those who have heard the haunting 'Peters Mountain Roar' say it will forever stay with them. 'The roar of a thousand lions,' some have called it. A meteorological phenomenon, the sound...
wvexplorer.com
April 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Those who have heard the haunting "Peters Mountain Roar" say it will forever stay with them. "The roar of a thousand lions," some have called it. wvexplorer.com/2025/04/29/p... #westvirginia #appalachia
Something about the prehistoric burial mound at South Charleston is remarkably different than others in the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia.
Prehistoric burial mound in West Virginia contains remarkable secret
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rising above the end of this city’s central avenue, the prehistoric Criel Mound—one of the largest burial mounds in West Virginia—has long captivated both onlookers and archa...
wvexplorer.com
April 11, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Something about the prehistoric burial mound at South Charleston is remarkably different than others in the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia.
Here are five woodland wildflowers you'll likely encounter in West Virginia this spring. #westvirginia #wildflowers #spring #appalachia #appalachianmountains
Five spring wildflowers you'll likely encounter in West Virginia
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia woodlands burst into color in spring. During that brief period, wildflowers put on a colorful show, attracting bees and butterflies before the trees leaf out and t...
wvexplorer.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Here are five woodland wildflowers you'll likely encounter in West Virginia this spring. #westvirginia #wildflowers #spring #appalachia #appalachianmountains
In a quiet corner of the W.Va. Capitol, my uncle labored ceaselessly to work with legislators. He was known to pace the statehouse halls late into the night, and some say his ghost still does. (Photographer: Steve Brightwell) #westvirginia
March 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
In a quiet corner of the W.Va. Capitol, my uncle labored ceaselessly to work with legislators. He was known to pace the statehouse halls late into the night, and some say his ghost still does. (Photographer: Steve Brightwell) #westvirginia
We're gearing up for a summer packed with adventures at West Virginia Explorer Magazine, starting with a series of visits to weekend ramp festivals. Man, am I stoked to travel around the state this year! Join me at WVExplorer.com. #westvirginia #appalachia #travel
March 17, 2025 at 1:31 AM
We're gearing up for a summer packed with adventures at West Virginia Explorer Magazine, starting with a series of visits to weekend ramp festivals. Man, am I stoked to travel around the state this year! Join me at WVExplorer.com. #westvirginia #appalachia #travel
If you've examined a road map of West Virginia, you may have noticed a vast and remarkable expanse of emptiness just east of the state’s capital. #westvirginia #charlestonwv #appalachia
Tale of wolves, panthers speaks of wilderness east of W.Va. capital
SANDERSON, W.Va. — If you've examined a road map of West Virginia, you may have noticed a vast and remarkable expanse of emptiness just east of the state’s capital. While the valley surrounding the ca...
wvexplorer.com
March 9, 2025 at 5:01 AM
If you've examined a road map of West Virginia, you may have noticed a vast and remarkable expanse of emptiness just east of the state’s capital. #westvirginia #charlestonwv #appalachia
While Pocahontas County in West Virginia may best be known for its ski areas, observatory, and scenic railroads, one roadside curiosity often steals the spotlight. #westvirginia #appalachia
W.Va. roadside curiosity captures imaginations in Pocahontas County - West Virginia Explorer
A curious landmark in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, seems to inspire as much interest as many others attractions in this scenic landscape of ski slopes and windswept mountains.
wvexplorer.com
March 4, 2025 at 4:48 AM
While Pocahontas County in West Virginia may best be known for its ski areas, observatory, and scenic railroads, one roadside curiosity often steals the spotlight. #westvirginia #appalachia
Spring ramp festivals are drawing more attention than ever, thanks to a renewed interest in West Virginia and Appalachia.
Sibray says spring ramp festivals in W.Va. are expected to enjoy boom - West Virginia Explorer
BEAVER, W.Va. — Spring ramp festivals are drawing more attention than ever, thanks to a renewed interest in West Virginia and Appalachia, says the publisher
wvexplorer.com
March 1, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Spring ramp festivals are drawing more attention than ever, thanks to a renewed interest in West Virginia and Appalachia.
According to a prominent West Virginia historian, this mass grave at Lewisburg may be among the most remarkable burial grounds in the nation.
Mass grave at Lewisburg unique in U.S. among Confederate monuments - West Virginia Explorer
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Of the many historic landmarks in charming Lewisburg, West Virginia, perhaps none is more remarkable than a cross-shaped Confederate grave
wvexplorer.com
February 23, 2025 at 4:29 AM
According to a prominent West Virginia historian, this mass grave at Lewisburg may be among the most remarkable burial grounds in the nation.
From high among the peaks of Great Flat Top Mountain, there descends a stream that bears a unique name—Gooney Otter Creek. But what is a "gooney otter?"
Biologist suggests origin for strange name of this West Virginia stream - West Virginia Explorer
COVEL, W.Va. — From high among the peaks of Great Flat Top Mountain in southern West Virginia, there descends a stream that bears a unique name—Gooney Otter
wvexplorer.com
February 18, 2025 at 4:13 AM
From high among the peaks of Great Flat Top Mountain, there descends a stream that bears a unique name—Gooney Otter Creek. But what is a "gooney otter?"
Four theaters in West Virginia have been added to the state’s historic theater trail.
Expanding W.Va. theater trail continues boosting economic growth - West Virginia Explorer
ELKINS, W.Va. — Four theaters in West Virginia have been added to the state’s historic theater trail, established in 2010 to boost cultural and economic
wvexplorer.com
January 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Four theaters in West Virginia have been added to the state’s historic theater trail.
The opportunity to live far from city lights but within a few hours' drive of large metro areas is also attracting new residents to West Virginia. #westvirginia #appalachia #ascendwv #darkskies
West Virginia becoming a premier East Coast sky-watching destination - West Virginia Explorer
Longing for a life far from city lights? Move to W.Va.— a region of very low light pollution, ironically not far from the metro eastern U.S.
wvexplorer.com
November 29, 2024 at 4:27 PM
The opportunity to live far from city lights but within a few hours' drive of large metro areas is also attracting new residents to West Virginia. #westvirginia #appalachia #ascendwv #darkskies
It's become our custom at West Virginia Explorer to share this story every Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving to all! #westvirginia #appalachia #Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day anniversary was first celebrated in West Virginia - West Virginia Explorer
Thanksgiving was being celebrated in war-torn West Virginia two years before Abraham Lincoln declared it a national day or thanksgiving and praise.
wvexplorer.com
November 28, 2024 at 5:40 PM
It's become our custom at West Virginia Explorer to share this story every Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving to all! #westvirginia #appalachia #Thanksgiving
I just received the news: "Ambrosia!" has won Best Feature Comedy at the Western Canada International Film Festival. Who says a West Virginia-made film can't take the world by storm? #westvirginia #film #movies #davidsibray
November 22, 2024 at 12:11 AM
I just received the news: "Ambrosia!" has won Best Feature Comedy at the Western Canada International Film Festival. Who says a West Virginia-made film can't take the world by storm? #westvirginia #film #movies #davidsibray