Perhaps the most well-known destination in West Virginia, Harpers Ferry is more than a quaint 19th-century town. It’s a National Historic Park with Civil War sites including battlefields, remnants of campsites and, most notably, John Brown’s Fort and the John Brown Museum. If you don’t remember this one from history class, John Brown is the abolitionist credited with leading what’s now known as the Harpers Ferry Raid, in which he attempted to start an armed revolt of enslaved people in 1859.

Harpers Ferry is also known as the psychological midpoint of the 2,178-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail and, as such, attracts thru-hikers to the historic Lower Town’s restaurants and nearby vacation rentals. Other highlights in Harper’s Ferry include The Point, where you can see the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers; crossing the Potomac on a pedestrian bridge to access the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath; and, better still, getting out on the waters in a river tube, cold drink in hand.