Spending Time in Marlinton, WV

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My husband Bruce and I recently spent  time in Marlinton, a Pocahontas County, West Virginia small town that features an abundance of charms.

Our first stop was for dinner at Locust Hill Inn, Cabin and Pub, a place we have stayed previously. This being Thursday we fortuitously arrived in time for Trivia Night. We sat on the outdoor covered patio cooled by the mountain breeze and chatted with co-owner Paula Zorn.

“As my husband Dave and I renovated the house, we discovered a wood sign where the words January 1922 had been inscribed,” Paula said. “The place was originally known as the Locust Hill Dairy Farm, so we decided to go with Locust Hill as part of the name.”   

The couple added a restaurant in 2014. We watched Dave, whose background is in food service, through the back windows as he prepared dinner.

Bruce opted for a large salad with grilled salmon and a veggie quesadilla filled with mushrooms, cheese, and spinach. I chose a crab cake sandwich with coleslaw remoulade and a side of homemade mac and cheese featuring Parmesan, cheddar, and blue cheese. Both were superb. As good an attraction as the food was, it became clear that many patrons were regulars who came because of quizmaster’s Chuck Cornell’s testing style.

Trivia is just people, places, and things,” Chuck said. “I like to offer weird, off-the-wall questions with lots of side hints,” Chuck said. “I run from the alpha to the omega, but go light on sports trivia so I won’t get booed.”

Teams such as Lazy Assets and Girls Night Out made strong showings.  Chuck even paused to chat with one regular contestant who attended on this particular evening via Zoom.

With our evening of food and entertainment behind us we headed to our lodging – Jerico Pre-Civil War Cabins Bed & Breakfast. The eight cabins, within a mile of the Greenbrier River Trail, are owned by Tom and Lindie Moore.

Each of the cabins was built before the Civil War,” Tom said. “We took them down piece by piece, moved them to sites here and reassembled them. “

Each cabin has necessary modern amenities: full kitchen, electric heat, gas fireplace, and outdoor grill, and hot tub. Some also feature both washer and dryer. Nevertheless, Tom believes that every cabin has its own personality which he learned reconstructing and renovating them.

“I don’t know if staying here is as much about the cabins as it is about being in Pocahontas County,” Tom said as he and I watched cardinals flitting in the morning light.

After a wildflower walk on the Greenbrier River Trail, which winds through downtown Marlinton, Bruce and I headed to Dirtbean for lunch. Kristy Lanier runs the combination coffee shop/bike shop. Her menu ranges from specialty coffees and teas to wraps, salads, and sandwiches.

Bruce chose a chicken avocado wrap with feta, greens, craisins, and balsamic dressing, along with a side salad. I chose The Works Quesadilla: chicken, spinach, tomato, Portobello mushrooms, red onions, and cheddar - all delicious.

“We do boxed lunches too, with cold sandwiches, helpful for people going on the trail or other outdoor adventures,” Lanier said.

After lunch, Bruce experienced one of those outdoor adventures (trout fishing in the Monongahela National Forest) while I toured downtown. I spent some time visiting the 4th Avenue Gallery at the Marlinton Depot. The depot is one of two sites for members of the Pocahontas County Artisans Co-Op to exhibit and sell. Another favorite destination is the Pocahontas County Opera House which hosts a variety of international performers as well as regional and local ones.

As we drove out of town, I thought back to my earlier conversation with Tom Moore.

“Places like this are getting fewer and farther between,” he said. Indeed, Pocahontas County is a real jewel.

For more information visit PocahontasCountyWV.com

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