pocahontas exhibition coal mine

You can take a tour guided 45 minute tour thru the mine. Loved our coal mining guide - He was one of the original miners which made us feel as though we were taken back in time. It's a dying town and the place is in need of visitors. It's a shame that sites such as this go unnoticed when so much danger and work was done.

We rode our motorcycles through the back roads and ended up in Pocahontas for the coal mine tour. The fella that gave us our tour did an outstanding job and had been a coal miner himself for many years. We arrived at 10AM and had a private tour of the mine and the museum. Very educational and I highly recommend. The entry fee was $8.50 for adults and well worth price of admission. Wasn't much else to be seen in the community.

This town is so awesome and beautiful, and everyone in it is so friendly. We cant get enough here and are planning to buy some property in the very near future. Not to mention my husband & i were recently married in the cole mine.

I was visiting my aunt and uncle this summer in West Virginia and told them I wanted to see what the "country" had to offer. My uncle's dad had worked in the coal mines, and my uncle thought a coal mine tour would be fun. We arrived at the mines and there were a few old men sitting around talking. Our tour guide got up and welcomed us to the mine (which is in a very small town) Our tour guide had worked in the coal mines for 40 years and now gives tours. He was so knowledgeable and personable. Being from MN, I had to listen very carefully as his accent was very strong. Regardless, this was a great tour. I can handle 48 degree weather without a coat, but if you are someone who gets cold easily, I would recommend a light coat for inside the mine as it gets cold in there. Great tour and very informative!

Aaron was an awesome personable guide sharing details about coal mining past and present. This was the first coal mine in the area. It's not "prettied up"; its authentic with old dusty pictures and equipment and the walking mine tour gives you the feel of the hard life of a miner. Driving through the town shows a story of a population once 5000 to now under 1000. It's worth finding!

This is a must-see mine, if you are interested in coal history, and it is accessible for kids as well as adults. You can still see the incredible 10 foot wide coal seam that made world news. We were running late, and called them from another town. They actually stayed open late for us!! On the way you pass a fascinating and beautiful cemetery that was " founded" in e first major coal mine disaster... The scenery from beckley to the mine was spectacular as well. You get to walk rather than ride a trolley, and the guide let my 6 year old take home a big chunk of coal. Highly recommend for all ages!

Last summer after attending my family reunion, I took my husband and children on a tour of my old stomping grounds (Bluewell, WV). Stopping at the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine was not originally on our itinerary as I had forgotten all about it. We visited the Beckley Exhibition Mine earlier in the day and were site-seeing around southern West Virginia and surrounding areas before returning to my childhood home. While driving through Bluefield, VA I remembered touring the Pocahontas Mine when I was a kid and decided to see if the site was still in business. It was late in the day by then and we arrived about 5 minutes after the last tour of the day started. Instead of turning us away the lady in the store contacted the tour guide and let her know we were on our way. The tour guide very graciously held the tour while we rushed to join and even said that she would bring us back through the beginning part of the tour we had missed after it was over. This tour and exhibit far exceeded our expectations and I can state without a doubt that given the chance to return to the "coalfields" with others unfamiliar to the coal mining history of this area, Pocahontas Exhibition Mine would be on the top of my list of sites to visit. While the Beckley mine is more of a "tourist trap", the Pocahontas mine (especially the staff) offers a sense of personability that one does not get while touring the Beckley site. I do recommend exploring both attractions as they both do a fantastic job telling the tale of coal mining history, yet if you're looking for a hands on, authentic, historical experience Pocahontas Exhibition Mine and Museum wins hands down!

My wife and I visited Pocahontas, VA as part of a family heritage trip to the Virginia and West Virginia mountains, and happened upon this fascinating historical treasure quite by accident. I was surprised to learn that the Mine is a designated National Historic Landmark, and serves as the cornerstone of Virginia's Coal Heritage Zone, a tourism marketing program that celebrates this part of Virginia's historical mining activity.The Exhibition Mine allows visitors to tour a small portion of the first commercial coal mine that was opened in this area, in 1883. This mine, and subsequent additional mines opened later on in what became known as the Pocahontas Coal Fields, were among the first large-scale mining operations in what became the Appalachian coal fields, and paved the way for the massive coal mining efforts that developed in this part of Virginia and West Virginia over the last 100+ years. The Pocahontas mine was in continuous production until 1955, and produced over 44 million tons of soft coal during its 73 years in operation. The Town of Pocahontas has asembled a group of retired local coal miners who serve as quides for the about 45 minute tour of the mine, and the combination of the mine tour itself --- which walks an entirely horizontal path, is easily traversed (no elevators, or vertical shafts), and still contains mineable coal, as well as much historical mining machinery --- plus the experiences and mining stories of the guides make for a very interesting and worthwhile visit. Additionally, the mine site includes an adjacent building containing a museum, which is filled with equipment, historical town records and a large volume of pictures that chronicle the development of the town, and coal mining in general in this part of Virginia.The Mine and town are about an hour's drive north from Bluefield, VA, and the area has unfortunately suffered the same depopulation and loss of services as have many small mountain towns in this part of the country. There are no overnight accommodations or restaurants in Pocahontas, but the historical buildings in the town are well worth seeing on a trip to the Mine. The charming town of Bramwell, WV is "around the mountain" (about 30 minutes drive) from Pocahontas, and has several bed and breakfasts and restaurants. We were on a four day trip that included other destinations, and found very satisfactory area accommodations at the Comfort Inn in Bluefield, VA. All in all, a fascinating glimpse into the mining history of this part of the country. A highly recommended 3-4 hour stop during a trip to the Virginia mountains.

We stumbled upon the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine in early Sept. while touring Va. We arrived around opening time ( 10am) and the place was locked up but after knocking on door a wonderful lady opened up and welcomed us like family. We were the only people on the tour - made to feel very welcome and given a great tour. A brief video gives background and then your guide takes you into the mine ( no shaft you walk in). You really get a sense of life in the mines. I would highly rate this little treasure on the West Va border. Bonus ; saw fawn deer on roadside minutes away from mine. Consider a stay at Comfort Inn in Bluefield - we did - it was nicely appointed.