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Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park. Held during three days in late September. The largest river festival in the world, with food, a whitewater marketplace, live entertainment, a silent auction, and activities for whitewater paddlesports enthusiasts as well as the general public.
The site of a Civil War battle between Union Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans and Confederate Brigadier General John B. Floyd on September 10, 1861. The Union troops forced the Confederates to withdraw, which kept them from gaining a foothold in the area and helped to secure West Virginia statehood. The park features three overlooks of the Gauley River, hiking trails, softball and volleyball areas, horseshoe pits and picnic facilities. There's also the Patterson House Museum, which displays relics of the battle.
West Virginia's largest lake, sometimes called "The Little Bahamas of the East Coast", with over 2,800 acres of water, 60 miles of shoreline and 100-foot cliffs. Visitors can go swimming, bass fishing, hunting, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, knee boarding, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rappelling, bouldering and cliff jumping. Boat rentals available. 117 camp sites, with a pier and A-frame chalets.