From wild whitewater rafting to coal mines and music festivals, West Virginia welcomes vacationing families.

Visit 1850s West Virginia

National Geographic Traveler named Heritage Farm Museum and Village, which recreates a 1850s West Virginia village, a prime Appalachian destination. Visitors stroll the property and its 16 buildings, a one-room schoolhouse and blacksmith shops. Visitors can spend the night in a log home with wood-burning fireplaces.

Ski, Snowshoe

There are deals to be had at West Virginia's ski venues, especially as resorts seek to lure skiers in a bad economy. Most resorts regularly offer packages and specials. The 60-slope Snowshoe Mountain offers a parents-ski-free weekend. It has snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and a tubing park. Canaan Valley has 39 slopes, a wide variety of winter sports offerings and 600-foot snow tubing lanes. Other ski resorts around the state include Winterplace, Timberline and Alpine Lake.

Explore A Coal Mine

Explore the industry that has become synonymous with the state at the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, the extensively renovated and most popular coal heritage site in the state. A tour that explains mining's early days and its modern technologies takes visitors 1,500 feet below ground and trundles them along in authentic "man cars" to old working areas of the mine. A restored coal camp sits aboveground, complete with a coal company house and camp school.

Hit The Water

Maybe the kids aren't quite ready for class 5 whitewater rafting, but there are still lots of places in the state where visitors can enjoy the water -- on jetskis, motorboats, houseboats, pontoons, kayaks and canoes. A number of waterways offer slower-paced, relaxed float trips. The state's lakes are a popular draw for visitors, including Summersville Lake, the state's largest with 60 miles of shoreline. It is said to be the cleanest, clearest lake east of the Mississippi and a favorite of scuba divers, fishers and boaters of all kinds. After the New and Gauley rivers, the Shenandoah River is West Virginia's third most popular rafting river. It's a great option for beginning kayakers and inner-tubers, as well as families with children looking for a quieter, picturesque waterway for canoeing or just relaxing. The Cheat River has some raging rapids in the spring but by summer offers much gentler float trips.

Enjoy The Music

If you have older kids looking for a cool event, you might try taking them to the family-friendly All Good Music Festival, where many people camp during the weekend-long event held in July on Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown. It features an eclectic mix of music, including bluegrass, funk, reggae and rock.

Get Outdoors

West Virginia caters to a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts, from horseback riding to camping. Seneca Shadows Campground in the Monongahela National Forest is one of the state's newest and best campgrounds, with modern restroom facilities and great views from the campsites. Take advantage of the fishing, hiking and rock climbing there.

The Bicycle WV Web site is a good primer that can help visitors plan a mountain biking vacation, with tips on everything from lodging to the best trails.

Trails.com ranks the top 20 mountain biking trails in the state. Or, if you have kids who like to climb, West Virginia is a great state to try rock climbing. Seneca Rocks and New River Gorge offer some of the most awe-inspiring scenery. A number of outfitters cater to beginners and families. Or maybe golf is more your speed -- the state has a number of courses nestled in gorgeous mountain and forested settings.

Park It

Monongahela's 910,000 acres in the Allegheny Mountains in the eastern part of the state are home to black bears and most of the state's tallest peaks. It is a favorite of outdoors enthusiasts who come to hike and bike 825 miles of trails and camp under the canopies of red spruce and mountain ash. Other favorites: George Washington National Forest and Jefferson National Forest. Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis is one of West Virginia's best, with cozy cabins, groomed cross-country ski trails, 20 miles of hiking trails, and trout-stocked fishing in the Blackwater River. The falls themselves are among the most-photographed sites in the state. If you are looking to get away, Lost River State Park in the eastern panhandle is a great place to do it. Cabins have natural stone wood-burning fireplaces, showers and equipped kitchens. Visit any of the parks in fall for spectacular leaf viewing.