Harper's Ferry

Thomas Jefferson said one view from Harpers Ferry was worth a trip across the Atlantic. Harpers Ferry is located on a mountain at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. A lot of history and a lot of beautiful scenery, not to mention the Appalachian Trail goes right through the town.

I went there for a school project a while back and it was one of the coolest places I had been to.

I’m not usually one for historic sights, but in Harper’s Ferry the National Park Service has done it right. There is some of the tedious overinterpreted waxwork type of historical exhibit, but there are also mysterious alleys between buildings, semi-restored, with drawings that suggest what they might have looked like in the 19th century; buildings like the armory John Brown raided, with excellent NPS interpreters and not a lot of clutter; and some downright creepy house sites that are being excavated right now on the Potomac. Harper’s Ferry also offers some pleasant hilly scenery, including a climb on a hill overlooking the town, the C&O Canal along the Potomac, rafting or tubing on the river, and the frequent presence of Civil War reenactors.

i was only in the very eastern tip on wv, but what i saw made me want to go back. we stopped by the harper’s ferry visitor center for information but couldn’t stop for a long enough visit. i’d really like to go back and explore more.

I visited Harper’s Ferry a few years ago. I remember how pretty the Potomac River was (my relatives built a house on it).

Fun camping along the Shenandoah River

The shops are fun. The historical areas could use some work. I was surprised they had not taken advantage of providing living history exhibits like colonial Williamsburg. This may have happened now, it was over ten years ago when I was there.