Local coffee shops are one of my favorite places to visit.

They really get at the heart of a community - all while serving up a delicious, tasty beverage.

Brittany and I stopped at Queen's Point Coffee in Keyser and were so pleased with what we found.

This coffee shop is warm and inviting with tons of different places to sit, little "conversation starters" and games to keep people entertained.

If this were near me, I would be here all the time.

And I ordered a "Butter Beer" coffee with caramel, cinnamon and toffee nut.

Plus, I got their quiche of the day with fruit.

And, I tried one of their pinwheel pastries with cherry and cream.

Have you been?

In my neverending quest to visit all the wineries in West Virginia, I finally made my way to the Rusty Nail.

The Rusty Nail Winery, which is named after the most opposite image you could think of from wine, is located in Martinsburg.

It's a small building adjacent to the owners' property.

And, when we were there, they had gone all out for Halloween.

They have only been open for two years but have made a wide assortment of wines.

We tried a pineapple one, one made with "diamond" grapes, and even rhubarb.



One of the most popular wines is their "Devil's Punchbowl," which uses frontenac and cahmbourcin grapes.



So I got one of those to go, as well as a branded glass!

The Creekside Creamery Market & Cafe in Berkeley Springs is a towering teal home that overlooks a small brook.

The business is home to sweets, light lunches and a great place for community.

Of course, I gravitated toward the ice cream.

Looking over the options, I went for the peanut butter ice cream and made it into a sundae.

One large scoop of peanut butter ice cream. Topped with hot fudge. Whipped cream. And a cherry.



What's your favorite combo?

If you love cheese like I do, you get very, very excited when you see a cheese shop. In Berkeley Springs, there is Fleur De Lis Cheese Shop. Artisan cheeses, fine wines, and other accoutrements are all available. We tried samples of bleu cheese and roquefort, and I was in cheese heaven!

The Naked Olive is a specialty oil shop, as well as a lounge.

Think of savory olive oils, vinegars and gourmet food.

It's a fun little shop for some fancy food items.


There are even hot sauces!

Then, next door, there's a lounge with drinks and food.

It's a fairly large space with a bar and a good bit of seating.

We looked over the menu to find some snacks.

And the first thing that caught my eye was "Locs with a Schmear" - which were mini bagel crisps with a schmear of dill olive oil cream cheese and topped with tomato and salmon.

Meanwhile, Brittany went for dessert.

Look how cute they both are!

And, tasty of course!

My friend Brittany and I traveled to the Davis/Thomas area in the fall to get some prime leaf peeping in.

And while there, we had a meal at Canaan Valley Resort State Park - the Hickory Dining Room.

The lunch menu featured salads and some entrees. On this day, I went for the chicken tenders and sides of ranch, bbq and honey mustard.

What can I say? I love variety.



And that wasn't all. To finish off lunch, I also dug into a bourbon pecan pie. Mmmm.

Have you been?

Any chance I can, I visit a state park. It's just something I really enjoy, and I have been wanting to try the restaurants in each one.

Recently, I went to Cacapon Resort State Park for lunch with my friend Brittany.

Their lunch menu features soups, salads, and sandwiches.

After a cup of coffee, I went with a crab cake sandwich and a cream of crab soup.

What can I say? Apparently I was feeling crabby?

Either way, the proximity to the ocean on this side of the state is not something I take for granted! And, I love me some crab!

Have you been?

Does anyone else love Willy Wonka as much as I do? There's something magical about a world full of chocolate and candy. In Charleston, the closest we can get is Candy Craze. They have two locations in West Virginia: Charleston and Barboursville. And what you do is pick up a bag and use the scoop at each container to get as much or as little of each confection as you'd like!


This is a blast because you can get any variety you want. I had a giant peanut butter cup, as well as gummy bears and everything in between. What do you like?

The small town of Lenox celebrates the New Year in a unique way: By having a community lunch of oyster stew.

No one really knows why or how it got started, but every New Year's day, the town gathers at the Lenox Community Center (10782 Brandonville Pike in Albright, WV) at noon and has a feast.

The tradition has been going on for 96 years with the same recipe:

One gallon of oysters in a pot are cooked for about 15 minutes until tender.
Add 8 teaspoons of salt, a stick of butter, 2 gallons of milk, celery salt, and pepper to taste.
Mix in a roaster and keep warm until lunch time.

I made the trip up today to check it out and mark off this unique experience on my list. About 100-120 people show up to devour about 20 gallons of soup.

Folks also brought covered dishes, desserts and more to make it a full meal. Others helped set up, cooked, and cleaned up.

Here's a bit from the tourism website:

We do know this curious feast dates back to 1924, Fresh oysters, Lenox, West Virginia when a group of locals gathered on New Year’s Day to eat oyster stew. The reason may have been lost with time, but that hasn’t kept volunteers in the unincorporated community from carrying on the public event.
Dinner-goers donate the cost of their bowl of oyster stew, which goes into a fund to cover the next year’s expenses. You can even buy leftovers if you want to savor the New Year’s feast later on.

It wasn’t always like that, though. Women in the community used to have to lug all the ingredients up a hill to an old building— one that had neither fresh running water nor a stove. Then, they had to once again lug the finished stew in kettles back to hungry folks at the bottom of the hill.

In the past, they brought in speakers, music and other entertainment. But now, the focus is mostly on those oysters— and the camaraderie of keeping a mysterious old tradition alive with your neighbors.