Downtown Hinton, WV

Hinton is a city in Summers County, West Virginia, population 2,266 (2020). It borders the southern edge of New River Gorge National Park, and acts as an anchor to its southern end, being the closest town to Sandstone Falls and the park's Sandstone Visitors Center, located near exit 139 off I-64.

Understand

Hinton

Hinton occupies a striking location at the bottom of the New River Gorge, where the Greenbrier River empties into the New River. The historic, well-kept downtown sits on a bluff overlooking the river. Directly south of the town sits Bluestone Dam, creating Bluestone Lake.

Bluestone Lake on the New River

Hinton

Sandstone Falls on the New River

Portions of the National Park accessed through Hinton include: Sandstone Falls, Big Branch Trail, Fall Branch Trail. Meadow Creek Falls is on the other side of I-64, past the Sandstone Visitors Center.

Get in

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Hinton station, 100 Second Avenue. (updated Nov 2023)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Route stopping in Hinton:
    • Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.

Get around

While the historic center of Hinton is compact and walkable, an automobile is necessary to explore the surrounding areas.

See

Hinton's downtown is a National Historic District and has several restaurants, shops, historical points of interest and B&B/hotels.

The Hinton Bridge crossing the New River in downtown Hinton provides striking views of the surrounding gorge landscape.

There are several museums in Hinton, including the Veterans Memorial Museum, the Hinton Railroad Museum, The Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum and King's Civil War Museum. The City of Hinton is restoring the CSX passenger depot and the Freight Depot to be used as possible tourist draws in the future.

Do

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is directly adjacent to the north of Hinton. The Sandstone Visitors center is adjacent to exit 139 on I-64; access to Sandstone Falls, Big Branch Trail and Fall Branch Trail are only accessible by passing through Hinton.

Bluestone State Park borders Hinton directly to the south, and Bluestone National Scenic River, and Pipestem Falls Park and Pipestem Resort State Park are all nearby to the south.

City of Hinton Parks and recreation department operates Wild Water Express, a water park complete with a water slide and swimming pool. They also have a 10,000 sq ft public fitness center.

Bellepoint Park is a small riverside neighborhood park directly beneath the Bluestone Dam with a small playground and a baseball field.

The Ritz Theater 211 Ballengee St.

The Meadow Bridge Drive-In Theater is located in the tiny town of Meadow Bridge, half an hour north of Hinton.

Buy

• Otter & Oak, 302 2nd Av. Downtown boutique with clothing, local products and art. (updated Sep 2023)
• Hinton Outfitters, 221 Temple St #1. (updated Sep 2023)
• Botany Tropicals, 321 3rd Av. Tropical plants, etc. (updated Sep 2023)

Groceries

• Kroger
• Save-a-Lot

Eat

The Dairy Queen in Hinton is considered by some to be the "best Dairy Queen ever." It is well-known, in addition to its chili dogs, for having a far more extensive menu than most Dairy Queens, including steak hoagies and country-fried chicken dinners.

• River City Grill & Pub, 422 Hinton Bypass. (updated Aug 2023)
• Market on Courthouse Square, 200 Ballengee St. (updated Aug 2023)
• Lucky Rivers Cafe and Catering, 213 2nd Av. (updated Aug 2023)

Sleep

There are several campgrounds as well as small B&B's in the vicinity of Hinton

• Guest House Inn on Courthouse Square, 421 2nd Av. (updated Sep 2023)
• Rivers Edge Inn, 3427 Greenbrier Dr. (updated Sep 2023)

Connect

The Hinton News has been published in Hinton since 1902. https://hintonnews.com

The Summers County Public Library is at 201 Temple St.

Go next

• Beckley: 40 minutes west, big box shopping and chain restaurants; more access to New River Gorge National Park
• Fayetteville: 1 hour north at the northern end of New River Gorge National Park
• Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs: Less than 1 hour east.
• Summersville : less than 1.5 hours north, the largest lake in West Virginia.
• Princeton: 40 minutes south.
• Bluefield: about 1 hour south.
• Richwood: about 1.5 hours north, a historic former lumber town adjoining the Cranberry Wilderness of Monongahela National Forest
• Charleston, West Virginia's capital and largest city is 1 hr 40 minutes west on I-64.
• Huntington, the second largest city in West Virginia is 2.5 hours west on I-64.