After nearly two years of repairs, upgrades and renovations, the former U.S. government relocation facility will reopen for tours July 1 at the five-diamond Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The “bunker” as it is commonly called was a top-secret facility designed to house the U.S. Congress in the event of a nuclear emergency.

Changes to the bunker include new meeting rooms and an exhibition gallery featuring Cold War artifacts. The 112,544 sq. ft. bunker was built 720 feet into the hillside under The Greenbrier's West Virginia Wing from 1958-1961. Once completed, the facility was maintained in a constant state of readiness by a small group of government employees working as Forsythe Associates, a company hired by the resort for audio/visual support services. The bunker included 18 dormitories to hold over 1,100 people in bunk beds. The facility also contained a power plant with water purification equipment and diesel fuel storage tanks. In addition to the communications area, which included a television production area and audio recording booths, the bunker also had a clinic area with 12 hospital beds, medical and dental operating rooms, laboratory, pharmacy and intensive care unit.

West Virginia's natural beauty lures countless visitors wanting to get away from large urban areas to enjoy the outdoors. West Virginia is the third-most-forested state in the U.S. and the most mountainous and highest-elevated state East of the Mississippi River. Nestled in all this is more than 1,000 miles of hiking trails on public lands in West Virginia set among lush green forests.

West Virginia trails are easy to locate and vary from easy walks great for families to rugged and long for hikers who want to spend a few days backpacking in the woods. The Mountain State also is home to the East’s most expansive wilderness areas replete with wildlife ranging from carnivorous plants to black bears and elusive songbirds. It truly is a naturalist’s oasis amid a crowded East Coast.

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Whitewater rafting in West Virginia has something fun for everyone whether it's an easy float trip or one loaded with a roller coaster ride of rapids. West Virginia's rivers have lots of variety that lures outdoor enthusiasts from across the United States and the globe to the Mountain State. It is without argument that West Virginia is the East Coast’s whitewater rafting capital -- no state in the eastern half of the country has as many whitewater rafting options.

Visitors can enjoy many other outdoor recreation pursuits with a rafting trip. West Virginia's licensed companies offer second, third and fourth trip options that include mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and horseback riding. Raft companies make such ventures easy and enjoyable by customizing options to the visitor’s request to ensure a weekend full of activities. Outfitters also offer a range of accommodation from primitive campsites to luxury cabins that appeal to families, friends and businesses.

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No other war defines the culture of United States as much as the Civil War and no other state was actually defined by the Civil War like West Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed West Virginia a state in 1863, in the midst of the U.S. Civil War – the only state to become one by such proclamation. West Virginia is a unique state, stuck in the middle of north and south, it was not the site of a major Civil War battle, but of countless skirmishes that resulted in its ownership changing hands almost daily.

The tiny town of Philippi was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War but most famous of all West Virginia history is what happened before the Civil War in the picturesque town of Harpers Ferry. It was there in 1859 that militant abolitionist John Brown seized the federal armory. His ill-fated raid is considered by many scholars to be the spark that ignited the Civil War.

West Virginia has produced two tourist brochures that outline the state’s most important Civil War sites and help to tell the story of this unique and rugged territory that became a state when Virginia seceded from the Union during the Civil War. It is a fascinating, yet often untold story well worth exploring

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Harpers Ferry today is a National Park and the starting point for countless great historical stories. One of great interest this year is the August 2006 celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the gathering of the Niagara Movement, the first major civil rights organization of the 20th century. Founded in 1905 by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, this group was the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Determined to take their rightful place in society, members demanded equal enforcement of the law for all races and active political involvement at all levels of society. The group’s 1906 meeting, the first on American soil, was on the campus of Storer College, now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. This three day gathering was later described by W.E.B. DuBois as “one of the greatest meetings that American Negroes ever held.”

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Glade Springs just this year opened its new hotel, which adds to the luxury of this southern West Virginia resort that features a fantastic spa, tennis, pool, two golf courses, fly fishing, horseback riding and tennis. When it's hot outside, it's refreshing in the southern West Virginia mountains. Folks here don’t need air conditioning and it’s just minutes from whitewater rafting country.

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7. West Virginia is a glass act.

Some of the finest and most collectable glass in the world comes from the banks of the Ohio and Mud rivers in West Virginia. One of our most famous examples is 101-year-old Fenton Art Glass in Williamstown. Fenton’s signature pieces continue to be handblown at this family-owned and operated facility. You’ll regularly find special pieces from Fenton and Blenko Glass in Milton on QVC and other television shopping networks and web sites. West Virginia also is home to the country’s largest marble maker (they use broken Fenton pieces) and world-famous Homer Laughlin China, Fiestaware manufacturer.

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The Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area is more than 500 miles of wide-open all-terrain vehicle (quad bike) trails on former coal-mining and “fuedin’” land in southern West Virginia. The system of marked and police-patrolled trails is unlike any in the country and has drawn visitors from 48 states and numerous countries since it opened five years ago. Visitors can rent ATVs near the trailheads or join in guided rides through the woods. It is one of the state’s most rapidly growing tourism attractions.

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Travelers from across the globe who visit West Virginia just to see the “country roads” they’ve envisioned through the famous John Denver tune are never disappointed. West Virginia is quite rural and the 35th state truly lives up to its “Mountain State” nickname, as it’s surrounded by the Appalachians.

West Virginia’s rural beauty and its innumerable roadside vistas make for fantastic driving tours. Well-maintained state roads connect tiny towns where locals still wave at passing strangers from their front porches and local diners outnumber franchise fast food.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank is home to the world’s largest moving structure on land, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. This massive radio telescope listens for signals from deep outer space – maybe even aliens! It’s a dream destination for radio astronomers and scientists from across the globe but kids and families will enjoy learning about it at the new multimillion-dollar science center. Tours of the facility are free and it’s open daily during the summer.

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