Your three threads have been merged

>> you aren't going to see stretches of land as it isn't flat. WV

No kidding.
It is called the Mountain State for good reason

Driving west on US 50 ti I79 was exhausting. There were so many unpredictable turns in the road getting through the hills and hollers.

Thread after thread, I often read posts asking an OP for their interests, but as soon as it conflicts with their own interests, they shoot the person down.

The OP is looking for the underbelly. Not for the same old recommendations of pretty travel.

For the OP, History is in so many places. Matewan, West Virginia was the site of a massacre surrounding the repression of coal mine workers. There is a museum there. I highly recommend the excellent movie, Matewan,and then travel there. Once you are there you will probably be surrounded by the kinds of places you are looking for. At the museum you could ask people there (even in advance) about which surrounding communities were most affected, or perhaps similar places in other parts of West Virginia.

The OP's interests might be sad to some of us, and even off-putting to others, but it is not so different from marveling at the excesses of Euopean castle or Southern plantations that were built from the suffering of others. Personally, I find Versailles repulsive.

See, it's not so hard. And it is not travel porn. It's about history, knowledge, enlightenment.

thank you !!

In general, walk into any big box store or fast food place and ask the people who are working there where they live. You will find what you are looking for, even in Vermont.

Hmmm, I sometimes go to those places and know a lot of people who do. Oh my God.... I'm poor!

If you read carefully, you'll see that oldemalloy referred to those who WORK at these places, not those who go to them.

Was oldemalloy's comment an overgeneralization? Undoubtedly.
Was it off the mark? Not IMO.
Does it apply to those to shop at these places: Not as I see it!

I don't think New Bern is decaying, but it does have beautiful architecture and many tourists.

If you want to see an interesting swath of rural American not far from there, drive to the area around Ayden and Windsor.
Would you be interested in barbecue shacks serving the eastern Caroline version of pork barbecue? Places like Bunns, located within an old gas station, with terrific food and very friendly folks (it closes off and on, so check to see if it's re-opened)

And the classic place for NC BBQ would be the SKYLIGHT INN in Ayden ("ee-den"). The building is their own version of the US capitol and your can have a great meal for a few dollars:


https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/skylight-inn-bbq

These places, and others like them, are a dying breed; many are open only on weekends, or keep odd hours because the owners are forced to take other jobs to keep afloat. The life of a Pit master is not an easy one.
There are still many of them, though, scattered throughout eastern NC and, to a lesser degree, eastern South Carolina. Look for places that still cook over wood. (You can see the smoke)

Photos taken December, 2013


The incomparable Skylight, where the sound of chopping greets you when you enter....

Skylight Inn, Ayden

Skylight classic--pork bbq sandwich with slaw and vinegar sauce...

in the Skylight parking lot, in season only

Classic in Goldsboro, now remodeled after a fire

You bet you are in eastern NC...


And if you are in eastern NC in spring herring season, there is nothing more local than the herring shacks, like this one:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-cypress-grill-34833994/

Try, also, to visit a southern lunch buffet restaurant--all you can eat and you might find some dishes from the Lumbee indigenous tribe, also in eastern NC; we loved our lunch here, and the people watching was off the charts:

https://fullersbbq.com

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/lumbee-tribe-i-96

Ugh, that's even WORSE.

Plus.... I worked at a McDonalds.

Excellent post! There's nothing better than combining traditional heritage and getting something good to eat. Now that's my kind of tourism. I'm keeping this in my back pocket.

Please see the definition of "overgeneralization."

In Pennsylvania, don't ignore historic Bethlehem, particularly around historic Main Street, which was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has strong German roots, but not in the traditional PA Dutch (Amish) way. More in the enlightened education for women, Bach choir, early industry leader, oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world, that kind of thing. https://www.visithistoricbethlehem.c...-dozen-firsts/

You never know what you might find out. Back in high school, a couple of us were doing a video project (VERY early days of video) around the historic Knechts Covered Bridge when a friendly collie came over to greet us, followed by his owner, a very nice lady. She turned out to Jere Knight, widow or Eric Knight, author of Lassie Come Home. The dog was one of the descendants of Toots, the collie who inspired the Lassie novel.