Published: July 02, 2008 10:38 pm         

Southern West Virginia attractions are honored

Every five years, Blue Ridge Country magazine readers vote on their favorite places to eat, overnight, hike, bike, camp, wildlife watch and more. This year Babcock State Park, Pipestem Resort State Park and the Gauley River received awards.

Babcock received Gold in the West Virginia State Park category, while Pipestem brought home the Platinum.

The Gauley River received Silver in the Whitewater River category.

The award winners are featured in the July/August issue of Blue Ridge Country, which celebrates the magazine’s 20th anniversary. Reader votes were submitted through mailed paper ballots and the magazine’s Web site.

The Southern West Virginia Convention & Visitors Bureau markets a nine-county region in West Virginia that encompasses all three of these deserving attractions.

“We are so pleased to hear that the readers of Blue Ridge Country recognize the beauty of Babcock and Pipestem state parks and appreciate the adventure of the world-class Gauley River,” said Doug Maddy, president and CEO of the CVB.

Established in 1988, Blue Ridge Country, produced by Leisure Publishing Co. in Roanoke, Va., is a bimonthly magazine with a readership of 425,000. It covers mountains of nine states from Maryland to Alabama.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com