What do you think of when you think of West Virginia? Maybe it’s country roads. Maybe it’s deep gorges, wild rivers, and rugged mountain slopes. Maybe it’s your childhood. Maybe it’s pepperoni rolls. Maybe it’s coal.
Coal mining has played an integral part in West Virginia’s history as a state, and the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, West Virginia, aims to allow you to experience some of that coal mining history for yourself.
The City of Beckley, West Virginia / Facebook
How does the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine aim to accomplish this? Well, they offer a stellar museum and historic village with a variety of artifacts from the era when coal was king here in West Virginia… and they’ll also invite you to climb aboard an old coal train which will transport you deep underground through a narrow shaft into a mountain.
Bill K / TripAdvisor
There, you’ll see old mining equipment…
Bill K / TripAdvisor
… and hear from veteran coal miners eager to share both their deep knowledge and extensive experience of and in West Virginia’s coal mines.
The City of Beckley, West Virginia / Facebook
Tours are available to the general public from April 1 through November 2. Tours for groups of 15 or more can be arranged during the winter months but are weather dependent.
HeatherE77 / TripAdvisor Tickets for the tour are $22 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $12.50 for children. Tickets include access to the reconstructed coal camp located adjacent to the mine, including a company store, a school, a church, a miner’s shanty, and more.
Have you ever climbed aboard the coal train and ventured deep into the bowels of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine? What did you think of your experience?
Bill K / TripAdvisor
With thousands of visitors each year, this coal mine merits a spot on the bucket list! But bring a light jacket – the mine stays a cool 58 degrees year-round. For more information, visit the City of Beckley’s website. If you love the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, you’ll also love West Virginia’s Boone County Coal Heritage Museum.
The City of Beckley, West Virginia / Facebook
Bill K / TripAdvisor
HeatherE77 / TripAdvisor
Tickets for the tour are $22 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $12.50 for children. Tickets include access to the reconstructed coal camp located adjacent to the mine, including a company store, a school, a church, a miner’s shanty, and more.
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Address: Exhibition Mine, Beckley, WV 25801, USA
