FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. – A veteran travel writer describes the New River Gorge National Park as “Important Current Travel Information”.
Richard Grant, a member of the Freelance Council for the Society of American Travel Writers, said his visit to Fayette and the surrounding counties this week had opened his eyes.
“The people are just so friendly, the food is great and the scenery is a big surprise. Nobody had a clue that West Virginia was so pretty, “Grant said during an appearance on MetroNews” Talkline “on Wednesday. “The name national park will attract you so much around the world.”
Grant and 42 other travel writers are meeting in the area this week. They wanted to visit the nation’s newest national park. The New River Gorge received the redesign late last year.
Grant said the area has a nice mix of everything it takes to become a major attraction.
He said the area doesn’t have the infrastructure of the Great Smoky Mountains or Branson, Missouri, but it has things that those areas don’t.
“You can’t beat what you have for natural resources in sheer beauty, the hikes, the waterfalls, all the adventure activities, they’re all here,” Grant said.
He said the New River Gorge was a “very exclusive club” called a “National Park”. He said there will be many visitors who will include a visit to West Virginia in their efforts to see all of the parks.
Grant said the time to change the name from a national river to a national park comes at a time when people want to travel again after a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All studies say that people will travel. You could travel longer this year, but shorter distances, ”Grant said. “They want to leave, but it’s not the year to go to Europe.”
Grant said he was impressed this week with Fayetteville, Adventures on the Gorge, Greenbrier County, and Greenbrier Resort, among others.
Grant said it was very optimistic to move forward.
“Outdoor activities are safe and people can come to a new place that is exciting and different and is close by,” he said.
Grant writes for gonomad.com.
