bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

One night in Lewisburg, WV

We visited Lewisburg in April 2023, as part of our Spring in the mountains quickie.

We left Seneca Rocks a day earlier than expected to cut a chunk from the longish drive to Asheville, the final stop on our spring Airstream trip. While hiking up to Chimney Top (where we had some cell service to do research), we discussed the options we’d considered when trip planning, and it came down to two finalists: Lewisburg or Fayetteville. The places we were most interested in visiting in Fayetteville (The Handle Bar and The Burrito Bar at Breeze Hill) weren’t open the evening we’d be there (we were too early in the season), so Lewisburg was the winner!

Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs are neighbors across the Greenbrier River: Lewisburg to the west, and WSS to the east. Lewisburg, the larger of the two and the county seat, is a cool little city with a picturesque downtown, plenty of eating and drinking options, numerous historic buildings (including a Carnegie Hall!), an osteopathic medical school, and easy access to the super awesome Greenbrier River Trail. More on that below!

Campground

Bugsy sprinting past the Airstream

The State Fair of West Virginia happens every August in Lewisburg, and RV camping is available the rest of the year at the fairgrounds. We’d stayed at fairgrounds before, in Nashville, Indianapolis, and Chippewa Falls–all positive experiences, so we were happy to camp at the fairgrounds in Lewisburg, just a quick drive from downtown.

walking the dog around the west virginia fairgrounds

We had a super evening at the fairgrounds. The non-state fair time camping area is small with full hookups and no other amenities other than peace and a good location. The rest of the camping area for use during the state fair is a huge, rolling green space, and Lewisburg citizens (Lewisburgians? Lewisburgers?) were out in the evening and the next morning running, playing with dogs, and power walking with friends. We thought it was really cool to see people using the massive campground as a city park.

The website is confusing; it’s not clear that camping is available outside the State Fair dates (it is, in a small area), and it’s not easy to find where to reserve a campsite. Use this link to reserve a campsite online.

Eating and drinking

We only had time for a beer, a bit of food for dinner, and a morning coffee. In addition to the places below, Thunderbird Tacos and Del Sol Cantina also appealed to us. Lewisburg has so much more going on than when we last visited about 20 years ago!

Briergarten

a drink and a dog at Briergarten

Briergarten is a beer garden with a clever name, beers from near and far, non-beer drink options, and sausage/pretzel-type foods. We took Bugsy to the patio for a beverage; it’s a cool spot and many people seemed to be enjoying after-work drinks.

Stardust Cafe

eating salad by the Airstream
this salad from Stardust Cafe was stellar

After walking around town, we picked up really delicious salads to take home from Stardust Cafe. It’s a small eco-friendly and locally-focused cafe, with a nice-looking dining room (although we preferred our dining room sitting outside at the fairgrounds).

Wild Bean Coffee

Wild Bean coffee in Lewisburg

We were up early for our last hurrah on the Greenbrier River Trail before leaving Lewisburg and grabbed caffeine at Wild Bean. They sell matcha, which can be hard to find, and all the usual espresso drinks, baked goods, and some good-looking breakfast options.

Bugsy begging for Bella and Beau's Biscuits
Bugsy begging for Bella & Beau’s biscuits

The humans didn’t get any food there, but Bugsy got some local biscuits from Bella and Beau’s, which she heartily recommends.

Walking

Downtown Lewisburg

walking the dog in downtown Lewisburg

Lewisburg has a quaint downtown with shops and cafes and pretty green spaces, but a surprising amount of traffic zooming very close to the sidewalks, which was a little disconcerting. Downtown hosts a First Fridays series with music and art, a concert series on the lawn of Carnegie Hall, and various other festivals throughout the year. The dog-friendly businesses we popped into that we especially appreciated were Robert’s Antiques (also a wine/beer/gourmet food shop) and Bella The Corner Gourmet (full of gifts and kitchen gadgets) (can you tell we love a good gourmet food store).

The expansive lawn in front of Carnegie Hall and the Greenbrier Historical Society’s North House Museum was Bugsy’s favorite part of downtown Lewisburg, and a quiet place to relax and admire the architecture.

Greenbrier River Trail

Greenbrier River Trail entrance

The Greenbrier River Trail is a 78-mile former railroad that’s now a multi-use trail running along the scenic river and passing through tiny towns. The southern terminus is in Lewisburg and we were thrilled to take our dog and our coffees for a walk on the trail.

Bugsy on the Greenbrier River

We have such fond memories of biking the GRT in the early Aughts, staying at a sweet B&B at about the halfway point. It’s a wonderful asset to the communities along the Greenbrier River.

White Duck Tacos and brown dog in Johnson City

From Lewisburg, it’s a 4.5-hour drive to our next and final stop on this trip, Asheville… but the route passes through Johnson City, so we took some of the sting out of the long drive with White Duck Tacos! We were able to park our 28′ Airstream across the street from White Duck at the visitor’s center, but be careful taking any really long trailers into that lot!

Comments

2 responses to “One night in Lewisburg, WV”

  1. Richard D. Stahl MD Avatar
    Richard D. Stahl MD

    A couple of years ago I commented on a post you had about Grand Teton, where we were visiting at the time, have been many times, and will go again this summer. It’s a special place for us and our family. I’ve been following Airstream Dog ever since. As my wife and I contemplate retirement and, perhaps, an Airstream in the next couple of years, and we mourn the passing of our 13 year old miniature dachshund, Izzie, a couple of weeks ago, I have found comfort reading your posts. Your writing style and photos are wonderful. We have been to many of the places you have visited, and thoroughly enjoy “revisiting” them through your words and images. And we look forward to visiting many of the places you visited that we have not yet been to. Thanks for sharing.

    1. bugsy Avatar

      Hi Richard, Thank you for your kind comment, and I’m so sorry for your loss of Izzie. I hope thinking of travel plans can be a happy distraction for you! Grand Teton is a magical place and we can’t wait to return; we hope you have a wonderful trip this summer!

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