Charleston Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(Charleston, West Virginia - WV, USA)

There are plenty of distractions and tourist attractions to be found within Charleston, including a number of historical buildings and quality museums.

Sports fans may like to check out a baseball game at the Appalachian Power Park. This stadium is to be found within the East End neighborhood and is particularly modern and impressive, being opened in 2005 and boasting a seating capacity of approximately 4,500 spectators.

For an injection of extreme culture, you may well be lucky enough to enjoy some classical music, performed by the acclaimed West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The Capitol Market is another notable attraction for tourists to consider, and boasts a fascinating history and quite a pedigree when it comes to shopping and dining.

West Virginia Power

Address: 601 Morris Street, Suite 201, Charleston, West Virginia (WV), 25301, USA
Tel: +1 304 344 2287
Calling the downtown Appalachian Power Park stadium its home, Charleston's very own minor-league baseball team is known as West Virginia Power and plays in the South Atlantic League. Of note, other regional baseball teams often play games here, such as those of the University of Charleston, the West Virginia University and the Marshall University.

The stadium also plays host to periodic concerts and sporting events, such as boxing matches, and comes with its own restaurant named the Power Alley Bar and Grill. There is much memorabilia from the city's Watt Powell Park, which closed in 2005 following the opening of the Appalachian Power Park.
Open hours: April to September, hours vary according to baseball games
Admission: charge, season passes available

West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO)

Address: 1 Clay Square, Charleston, West Virginia (WV), 25301, USA
Tel: +1 304 561 3500
Based within the Maier Foundation Performance Hall at the spacious Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, along with the Avampato Discovery Museum and a number of additional attractions, is the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra itself performs regular concerts here most weeks and often attracts famous soloists from around the world, which in the past have included acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and operatic soprano singer Kathleen Deanna Battle.
Open hours: hours vary according to performance and calendar
Admission: charge

Capitol Market

Address: 800 Smith Street, Charleston, West Virginia (WV), 25301, USA
Tel: +1 304 344 1905
In the latter part of the 19th century, the Kanawha and Michigan Railroad's station was a major part of life in Charleston, bustling with crowds and integral to the growth of West Virginia's capital. However, roughly a century later it had rather sadly fallen into a state of disrepair. It was at this time that the city decided to redevelop this part of Smith Street as the Capitol Market, creating both an attraction for visitors and a place for locals to shop. The former transfer dock is where you will now find an open-air market, together with an assortment of indoor stores where you can buy local produce, seafood, wine, confectionary and gifts, as well as a sit-down Italian restaurant of note (Soho's). Here you can enjoy everything from meatball paninis and stone-oven baked pizzas to Insalata Caprese salads with buffalo mozzarella cheese.
Open hours: January to March, Monday to Saturday - 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00; April to November, Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 18:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00; December, Monday to Thursday - 09:00 to 19:00, Friday and Saturday - 09:00 to 20:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00
Admission: free