Where: Wardensville, West Virginia
When: year-round
If you like: arts and culture
Why you should go: The sculpture of a red cow wearing a cowboy hat at the Lost River Trading Post or the umbrella-topped picnic tables outside a local market might tempt you to slow your wheels in Wardensville, an inviting crossroads in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. But what makes the town truly special is its story of homegrown revitalization. Most community highlights fall under the canopy of Farms Work Wonders (FWW), a nonprofit that grows the local economy by training “junior crew members” aged sixteen to twenty-one in farming, culinary, and business skills. Inside the Wardensville Garden Market, for example, you can shop for produce grown within sight at Lewis Farm, where the crew learns sustainable techniques, and shop for FWW-made wares. The town’s showcase restaurant, Mack’s Bingo Kitchen, spins the farm’s harvest into sweets and savories, including an unforgettable chicken sandwich, while Mack’s Bingo Bakery serves up a gooey cinnamon bun; both employ local youth in the kitchen. “The number-one thing that highlights this place is that everyone around you really cares,” says junior crew alum Brenden Furlong.
G&G tip: On the second Saturday of each month from May through December, the Wardensville Garden Market kicks it up a notch with special programming like live music or crew-led farm tours.
