Ronceverte Main Street

A huge mural depicting a sunrise atop the words “Welcome to Ronceverte” that covers the side of a building on Frankford Road signals a new day dawning in this Greenbrier Valley town. French for “greenbrier,” Ronceverte was once a bustling hub on the C&O’s main line. Amtrak travelers and freight cars still pass through the heart of town, and the stately 1915 Craftsman-style Ronceverte Depot just around the corner from the welcoming mural is a testament to this once-vital form of transportation.

These days, new shops such as the Ronceverte Skate Shop and Primitive Goods WV are popping up left and right in the downtown shopping district. The town’s best-known watering hole, The Sportsman Tavern, has found new life under fresh ownership as a community gathering spot on Edgar Avenue, a street where food trucks regularly congregate for weekend festivals. Downtown restaurants include the Lionakis Diner, continuing the Rodoussakis family’s tradition of hearty homestyle food, and The Rncvrt, with a menu that runs the gamut from biscuits and gravy to sweet treats galore.

Ronceverte’s iconic Island Park is a family magnet with a dog park, river access, playground and the Ronceverte Island Splash Pad, offering a warm weather respite for the kiddos while parents relax around nearby picnic tables. The park is also known for the Ronceverte River Festival, an annual June event with a genuine small-town vibe that includes a fishing derby, a rubber ducky race and music performed at a cool riverside amphitheater. The amphitheater also hosts the two-day music extravaganza Skyline Bluegrass Festival in July.