The nearest restaurant to Nakiska is the Brazenhead. Enjoy folk music on Saturday night, a real Irish pub, gift shop of local artists, and good food.  Another good choice is the 50's Diner at the junction of 219 & Rt 66. At least stop in here for a look at the fun decoration - I call it Minnie Mouse's house. Great deserts and good food. For instance, they grill fresh tuna to make their tuna fish salad for sandwiches.  THE MARKET near the diner has pizza, deli items, and "vacation staples".

If you decide to enjoy a train ride on a holiday weekend, you should make a reservation. I suggest any of the mountainrail.com trips (but the Tygart Flyer is the farthest drive from here) and the two hour Cass ride. The four hour ride is great, but about 2 1/2 hours too long for me! Even in summer, it’s a good thing to have a sweatshirt and perhaps an afghan with you! In winter, the rides are magic!

We enjoy visiting the Greenbank National Radio Astronomy Observatory. There's a presentation and a bus tour around the facility and a neat interactive museum which attempts to explain radio waves from space. Our grandkids love it. They also have huge ice cream cones – which is why we REALLY go there.  http://www.gb.nrao.edu/GBT/GBT.shtml.   

Ask Joy or Doug about a hayride to a lovely high meadow - with dessert, coffee & cocoa, a sunset, and stars.  There are usually huge haybales that the kids (of any age) love to climb on. One of our guests had escaped from Austria much like the Von Trapp family and wept at how much this lovely spot was like home. One of our neighbors has dubbed it the "Sound of Music Meadow".

One of our best-kept secrets is Whittaker Falls. It’s a waterfall about 10 miles from us in a free-flowing trout stream. Below the falls is a fine pool perfect for swimming – and you can climb underneath the waterfall for a breathtaking "shower". Above the falls the river slows and widens and leaves safe shallow pools that small children can enjoy – as well as a channel cut in the river bottom from an old millrace that will carry you a short way over a little drop.

The area abounds with mountain bike trails. The Greenbrier River Trail is more my style. It’s a rail-trail with access every 6-10 miles or so and follows the Greenbrier River. You can stop for swimming if you like. You can also ride right here on Dry Branch Road. It goes clear to Burgoo, 26 miles from here following the Elk River and is generally downhill. I like to ride for10 miles or so and have someone pick me up in an hour or two. (I don’t do "up").