In most instances, we would advise you to floor it in the other direction if you saw a gorilla looming on the side of the road. But if the primate is hunched atop a wacky, whimsical shack in West Virginia, you’ve made it to the Mystery Hole. Put it in park and prepare to have your brain bent.
Each region has its own urban legends and tall tales that weave their way into the culture and history of the area... and for towns like West Virginia's Point Pleasant, those stories can be incredibly strange and interesting, and maybe even make them worth visiting. Since his first appearance in the mid-1960s, the strange tale of the Mothman has become an iconic piece of American folklore, and an even bigger part of the small West Virginia community that was at the center of the unsolved mystery. Fortunately, Point Pleasant has embraced their place in monster lore!
From the giant Mothman Statue that stands watch over the center of town to The Mothman Museum dedicated to the sightings and the ensuing movie adaptation of the strange events, there are plenty of places to gather clues, and tons of friendly locals who are willing to recount bone-chilling accounts of Mothman encounters and point you towards where his lair might be. The town even holds and annual festival dedicated to their most beloved resident, which attracts hordes of eager monster hunters and curious tourists!
It won’t take long to realize that something’s definitely up at this funky roadside attraction: here, gravity doesn’t quite operate in the way we’re used to. For $6.50 you can take a guided tour through a series of underground rooms where you and your fellow tourmates will seem to slant at impossible angles, a ball will roll uphill and your tour guide will perch on a chair with two unsupported legs in the air while the other two just barely rest on the wall. Sufferers of vertigo and heart conditions will have to sit this one out.
How can it be explained? Some will say the walls and floors are built to trick our eyes. Some will say it’s a mystical power unable to be explained by man. Others will be too mind-boggled by this natural-force-defying hut guarded by King Kong’s cousin to theorize.
No matter which school of thought you’re of, most agree on this: it’s fun to visit this ultra-kitschy attraction. The Mystery Hole is one of the last remaining relics of a bygone era: one where cheesy roadside spots across the country opened their doors to free-spirited wanderers who were willing to spend a few bucks to have their eyes tricked and minds deceived.
The Mystery Hole opened during the groovy 1970’s when original owner Donald Wilson claimed to find a spot that laughed in the face of Newton’s laws. After 23 years, he closed the doors and sadly died shortly thereafter. Left with nobody to care for it, the former wonder that once brought in a steady stream of tourists visiting the New River Gorge began to fall victim to vandals. Current owners Will and Sandra Morrison made the move from Michigan and bought the mystical destination to restore it to its former glory.
Now, the Mystery Hole boasts all the quirky fixings you’d expect. Its neon-hued exterior is decorated with question marks, hypnotic swirls and a star-spangled map of the USA. A sawed-off VW bug with a license plate that reads “Love” gives the impression of crashing through to the wall’s other side.
At the gift shop, you can commemorate your trip with a t-shirt or nab a postcard to brag to your friends back home who have yet to defy gravity. When the Morrisons bought Mystery Hole, they also inherited all of its souvenirs from before its closing in the 1990’s, so keep a lookout for vintage gems resting among the key chains and tchotchkes.
Ace Adventure Resort has, among tons of other fun activities, a zipline canopy tour that’ll have you start by racing your friends along a 490-foot line that offers views of historic ghost town of Thurmond before moving onto a solo zip overlooking the river and mountains. You’ll travel six more bridges, jumps and ziplines before taking a final leap-of-faith plunge to the forest floor.
Organ Cave* is another subterranean adventure. They feature walking tours and spelunking excursions where you'll learn all about how Robert E. Lee mined saltpetre from the cavern to use for his army's guns. Also, you might even meet a few of the cave's friendly bat residents! They also offer a really cool fossil-hunting tour-- even though you aren't able to take your finds home with you, you'll be given full credit for your discovery, and you can feel awesome knowing that Thomas Jefferson owned fossils from this cave. You can see a recreation of his three-toed sloth skeleton from Organ Cave in the gift shop (the actual sloth now resides in the Science Museum of Philadelphia). You have the chance to find bones from bison, sharks, bears, and even humans from ages ago. So crazy!
*Organ Cave’s tours are based on Creationist Christian theology.
