HUNTINGTON, WV SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA
NEW RIVER TRAIN & THE HATFIELDS Built by the Eisenhower Administration, it was a fallout shelter for Congress in the event of a nuclear attack. This secret facility existed for 30 years, in plain sight, yet hidden from both hotel employees and guests. It’s a fascinating story and you will learn how the pantries were stocked and replenished with enough fresh supplies to support the entire House & Senate for 60 days. Then stop at Tamarack “The Craft Center of West Virginia.” Here we have time for shopping and a nice dinner before returning to Huntington.
HIGHLIGHTS ■ Narrated Train Ride in the New River Gorge ■ Full Day of Hatfield & McCoys Feud Sites
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■ Lunch at The Greenbrier Resort & Bunker Tour
Then we travel south into the coalfields. Learn about the Matewan Massacre which occurred during a labor dispute in 1920. Miners here, who had joined the newly formed UMW, were being fired and evicted from their company-owned homes. It was a hostile atmosphere with mine owners hiring mercenary guards which led to shootings. Coal miners from across West Virginia tied red bandanas around their necks and marched to Matewan in support.
■ Blenko Glass Factory & Tamarack Craft Center of WV ■ Three Dinners including a Stolen Pig Dinner (McCoy’s Pig) ■ Three Nights Lodging at the Pullman Plaza ■ One Free with Every 16 Paid
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY Arrive in Huntington, WV where we check into the Pullman Plaza for a three-night stay. Next is a sightseeing tour focused on the ‘We are Marshall’ Movie Sites. DVD can be provided prior to arrival. Day
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Then this evening is a historical treat as we tour the Heritage Farm Museum & Village. Learn of a frontier life based on agriculture and barter. Tour from building to building and witness 50 years of rapid change in American life as we moved from an agrarian to an industrialized society. Dinner is included this evening. Today begins on a train traveling from Huntington to White Sulphur Springs. With a narrator we wind through the scenic New River Gorge, the evergreen “Grand Canyon of the East.” We will pass waterfalls and whitewater, see Hawks Nest and the New River Bridge towering above, and we will see remote river & rail towns whose histories were tied to coal. Day
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At the end of the train ride, our bus is waiting to take us to The Greenbrier Resort for a marvelous lunch. We will visit The Greenbrier’s Famous Cold War Bunker. 32 June 2012
This morning, tour the Blenko Glass Factory, one of the last producers of hand blown glass in America.
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Did you know that it was from this march, and those bandanas, that the term “redneck” was first coined. It may surprise you to know that the Matewan Chief of Police was one Sid Hatfield, a descendant of the Hatfields involved in the bitter feudal rivalry that occurred between 1878 and 1891, they were in the very middle of this shooting too. The afternoon features narrated sightseeing to some of the actual Hatfield & McCoy feud sites and a history of the events that occurred here in the back country of West Virginia. This evening, we will enjoy a Stolen Pig Dinner, with all the trimmings followed by a story teller or musical entertainment. Day
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This morning depart for home.
CONTACT: US Tours ➤ Bob Cline www.ustours.biz 2819 Murdoch Avenue, Parkersburg, WV 26101 Phone: 304-485-8687 Email: bob@ustours.biz LeisureGroupTravel.com