West Virginia, 7-Day Off The Beaten Track Tour
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Tour Dates7-Days/6-Nights
Sep 10-16, 2023 Only $199 deposit to reserve your seat. Deposit fully refundable if you cancel for any reason by July 7, 2023.
PricesAll prices are per person, in Canadian dollars. All taxes and tips are included!
For explanation of the words Double, Triple, Quad & Single click here
Pickup Locations7:30 AM Vaughan Carpool
8:00 AM York Mills Station 8:30 AM Mississauga Carpool 8:45 AM Mississauga McDonalds 9:25 AM Appleby Line Carpool 9:55 AM Grimsby Carpool To book over the phone
please call (866) 208-2950 |
Inclusions
- Round trip transportation on deluxe bus with washroom and WiFi.
- Six nights hotel accommodations including 2 nights at the boutique Corduroy Inn & Lodge in the Snowshoe mountains.
- 6 breakfasts, 2 train luncheons and 2 dinners included.
- Two sightseeing train journeys included -- Cass Scenic Railroad and the Greenbrier Wilderness Train.
- Tour of the underground atomic shelter bunker at the Greenbrier Resort included.
- Beckley Historic Coal Mine & Mountain Homestead tours included.
- Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory tour included.
- Almost Heaven Sunset Dinner with live music to serenade the sunset included.
- Industrial tour of the famous Carrie Steel Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Complimentary WiFi at hotel included.
- Complimentary bottled water and snacks during bus journey included.
- Fully escorted trip with ShortTrips.ca tour director available during trip.
- All tips & taxes included.
Deposits, Payments, Cancellations & Refunds
- $199 deposit required to reserve your seat. Deposit is fully refundable if cancelled by July 7, 2023. Remaining balance in full is due on July 7, 2023 and will be charged automatically if booking is not cancelled.
- If the tour has to be cancelled due to travel restrictions or government shutdowns, a full & prompt refund will be done regardless of how many days are left before departure.
- You can transfer your seat to anyone else you know up to the time of departure without penalty.
Travelling With Children
- Children 10+ are welcome on this tour. Price is the same as adults.
Travel Documents
- US Immigration requires that all travellers MUST have a passport (or Nexus or EDL cards). If you do not have a Canadian or USA passport, please make sure that you have the appropriate permissions or documentation to travel to the USA.
- If you are denied entry to the US, sadly we will have to leave you at the border.
- Sorry but no refunds if you are denied entry.
Emergency Medical/Travel Insurance
- Emergency medical and trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. Getting ill in the USA can be very expensive.
- If you are not covered by a workplace or other policy, we recommend that you purchase insurance for this trip.
- Both CAA and RBC Insurance sell such insurance online or you can also call Marville Travel at (905) 891-0111 and one of the agents will be pleased to assist you.
Tour Highlights
Cass Scenic Railroad
The Cass Scenic Railroad is the same line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the mill in Cass. From the open observation coaches, passengers drink in the unfolding panorama of remote and beautiful West Virginia scenery.
The engines easily push the cars up grades averaging four to five per cent, and at times an astonishing 10%. Two of the few remaining switchbacks anywhere in the US afford added excitement on the road, one of the highest non-cog railroads east of the Rocky Mountains. |
Beckley Underground Coal Mine
Take a trip through what once was an operating coal mine. Veteran miners will guide you through the past and into the future of mining in West Virginia. You get to ride through the mine in a ‘man car’ that holds 35 people.
In addition to the Coal Mine Tour, enjoy the Coal Camp, which includes a restored coal camp house, miner’s shanty, church, school and more. |
Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory
This observatory is located in an area in West Virginia known for being “the quietest town in America.”
The observatory boasts the largest steerable radio telescopes in the world, used to measure invisible energy waves raining down on Earth, but in order to do its job, it requires complete electromagnetic silence. When it first was built, the federal government established the surrounding county as a National Radio Quiet Zone — where cellphone signals, Wi-Fi, and other electronic noise are tightly monitored and restricted. Do not be turning on your cellphones during the tour of the fascinating facility! |
Greenbrier Resort Bunker Tour
The declassified Bunker at The Greenbrier is a must-see experience that takes you behind the scenes and walks you through a fascinating period in the resort's history.
Carved deep into the mountainside is an emergency Cold War fallout shelter. Once a top-secret U.S. government relocation facility for Congress, it is now open for tours. The bunker tours provides a unique and in-depth at the contingencies made by the US Government during the height of the cold war. |
Carrie Steel Blast Furnaces Industrial Tour
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Carrie, as it’s affectionately known, entices visitors to marvel at the scale and legacy of its industrial might. A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry.
During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology (including why it is nationally significant) as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology (including why it is nationally significant) as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
New River Gorge Bridge
When it comes to road construction, mountains do pose a challenge. In the case of the New River Gorge Bridge, challenge was transformed into a work of structural art - the longest steel span in the western hemisphere and the third highest in the United States.
The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia. It was chosen to represent the state on the commemorative quarter released by the U.S. Mint in 2006. |