"The Other Charleston" Top 5 Page for this destination Charleston by mikelisaanna

When most people think of Charleston, they think of Charleston, South Carolina - a frequently visited city full of interesting old architecture and charm. However, there is another Charleston, the capital city of the state of West Virginia, which has its own interesting sights to see and is far less frequently visited. It is also surrounded by some of the best scenery in the Eastern United States.

Charleston is located in the Kanawha River valley in the southwestern portion of West Virginia. It has only about 50,000 residents, but is nonthelesss an interesting little city. Because it is the state capital, it has many amenities usually only found in larger cities, such as museums and a symphony. We found the people in Charleston to be very friendly and helpful, and not the rednecks that some people stereotypically expect to see in West Virginia.

The highlight of a visit to Charleston is the state capitol building, which is open to the public every day and features a beautiful and large gold and black dome. The capitol lies within a complex of government buildings about 1 mile east of downtown Charleston The grounds of the Capitol complex are also interesting, with a number of monuments and memorials.

The best time to visit Charleston is over the Memorial Day weekend in late May, when the city holds the annual Vandalia Gathering, a three day festival featuring bluegrass music and crafts.

• Pros:Beautiful capital building, friendly people
• Cons:Hard to get to from much of the US
• In a nutshell:An interesting small city worth visiting