Morgantown

Morgantown is in Monongalia County, West Virginia and is the county seat. It is home to the West Virginia University Mountaineers. It has been described as the #1 small city in America. Its main claim to fame is the Morgantown PRT, a "Personal Rapid Transit" system that was supposed to be the future of public transportation in the 1970s but found no takers elsewhere after cost overruns and delays.

Walnut PRT Station and part of downtown

For other places with the same name, see Morgantown (disambiguation).

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW  ^IATA). Has nonstop service from Baltimore, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  
• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT ^IATA) is 75 mi (121 km) north of Morgantown, and has scheduled commercial service from many airports in the U.S. and other countries.

By car

Major routes in and out of Morgantown include:

• I-79, which runs in a north-south fashion through the eastern side of Morgantown
• I-68, which runs in an east-west fashion through the southern side of Morgantown
• WV 43, a section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway connecting the Morgantown area to Fayette County, Pennsylvania
• US 119, which runs in a north-south fashion through downtown
• US 19, which runs through downtown
• WV 7
• WV 705

Morgantown is:

• 77 miles (120 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
• 385 miles (615 km) north of Charlotte, North Carolina;
• 528 miles (845 km) east of Chicago, Illinois;
• 218 miles (350 km) west of Washington, D.C.

By bus

• Megabus. Service from Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Buses stop at Mountaineer Station, 1112 Van Voorhis Road.

Get around

The PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) is a unique urban rail system that provides the primary mode of transportation for students, faculty, and staff of the university, and for residents of the Morgantown area. There are five station stops: Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, and Medical. The PRTs transport between Downtown Morgantown, the WVU Downtown Campus, the Evansdale Campus and the Medical Center Complex. $0.50/ride; free with WVU ID.

• Regular hours (during school year): M-F 6:30AM-10:15PM, Sa 9:30-5PM. No Sunday service, unless the day before classes begin is a Sunday, in which case PRT runs on Saturday hours. No service on days when class is not in session. Extended hours for special events, most notably football and basketball games.
• Summer hours: M-F 6:30AM-6:15PM, Sa 9:30AM-5PM.

The Mountain Line is a public transit bus system providing service in and around the city of Morgantown. The service is free to students, with nominal fares for the public. The city of Morgantown subsidizes the bus system, making the fares very affordable.

Since a lot of recreational activities are available close to one another they are easily accessible by car and foot. There is no need to worry about parking. There are four parking garages with a total of 1,600 parking spots in Morgantown. They are at University Ave and Chestnut Street, Pleasant Street, Spruce Street and Wharf Street.

See

• 🌍 Core Arboretum, ☎ [phone]. Monongahela Boulevard. Daily, dawn to dusk. 91 acres of forest with 3.5 miles of trails and 3 acres of lawns planted with specimen trees.  
• 🌍 Dorsey's Knob. An excellent view of the Rolling Hills of West Virginia at no cost.  

Museums

• 🌍 The Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum, 401 Evansdale Drive, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. MWF Sa: 1-4PM. Mineral Resources Building Room 125. Dedicated to preserving the social, cultural, and technological history of the coal, oil and natural gas industries of the state of West Virginia. free. (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 Cook-Hayman Pharmacy Museum, 1132 Health Sciences North, ☎ [phone]. Tours by appointment booked through website. Built to resemble a 19th-century drugstore, the museum includes texts, medicines, furnishings, apothecary jars, mills, bottles, scales and other devices used by pharmacists over the past 100 years. Free. (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 Morgantown Glass Museum, 1628 Mileground Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. By appointment only. Please call.. Displays thousands of glass pieces from the late 19th century to around 1980, made in factories of the Morgantown Glass Company, the Seneca Glass company and the Gentile Glass Company in the Morgantown area. (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 Old Morgantown Glass Collector's Guild Glass Museum, 709 Beechurst, e-mail: [e-mail]. W-Sa 10AM-3PM, Su 1-5PM. (updated Feb 2017)
• Scott's Run Museum (exit 155 from I-79, Osage), ☎ [phone]. Sa 1PM-4PM, or by appointment. Celebrating and preserving the history of coal and the coal boom area in Morgantown. Free. (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 Morgantown History Museum, 175 Kirk St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. MWFSa 10AM-4PM. Tu,Th 11AM-4PM. local and regional history (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 West Virginia University's Creative Arts Center, ☎ [phone]. Gallery hours F noon-9PM; Sa 1PM-9PM.. 4 theatres and 1 performance hall. All exhibitions, lectures, and receptions are free and open to the public. 
• 🌍 Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street (between the historic Hotel Morgan and the old Morgantown Post Office on South High Street), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-F 11AM - 7PM, Sa 11AM - 4PM. A non-profit arts and culture center serving Monongalia County and surrounding areas. MAC offers classes in the visual and performing arts, and houses the Benedum Gallery, Davis Gallery, Tanner Theatre, and a gift shop featuring artwork by various local artists. (updated Apr 2017)

Do

Spectator sports

• West Virginia Mountaineers, WVU Coliseum, 3450 Jerry West Blvd. (between Blue and Gold Gate entrances), toll-free: +1 800 WVU-GAME (988-4263). M-F 9AM–5PM. WVU sports teams are undoubtedly Morgantown's highest-profile attraction. The Mountaineers field teams in seven men's sports, 10 women's sports, and one coeducational sport (rifle shooting), mostly as members of the Big 12 Conference. As at most other big schools, the football and men's basketball teams are the biggest draws. Notably, when WVU fills Milan Puskar Stadium for football games, the stadium becomes the largest "city" in the state by a healthy margin. While a small number of WVU fans aren't exactly friendly to opposing fans, violence is largely nonexistent, and neutral visitors should have no trouble. Like the WVU campus, the school's main athletic venues are disjointed—the football stadium is at the Health Sciences campus; the WVU Coliseum (several indoor sports, most notably basketball) and some other venues are at the Evansdale campus; and the baseball stadium is at University Town Centre in Granville.  
• 🌍 West Virginia Black Bears, Monongalia County Ballpark (University Town Centre, Granville), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. The Black Bears, which moved from Jamestown, New York, after the 2014 season, play in the New York–Penn League, a short-season Class A league, and share WVU's ballpark. The season runs from mid-June to early September.  

Movie theaters

• Carmike Morgantown Mall 12, 9540 Mall Road, ☎ [phone]. 
• Hollywood Movie Theater, 1001 Mountaineer Dr, Granville, ☎ [phone]. 

Arts and entertainment

• West Virginia Public Theater, 2 Waterfront Place, ☎ [phone]. For tickets call: [phone]. 
• Metropolitan Theater, 369 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Performances of all kinds, including concerts, movies, shows, comedy. 
• Arts Monongahela, 201 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Works of local artists. 

Outdoors

• Boparc. Recreational activities. Includes parks, swimming, summer camps, trips, and other special events. 
• Adventures on Magic River. Guided historical kayak tours 
• 🌍 Cooper's Rock State Forest. A West Virginia State Forest Managed cooperatively by WV State Parks and the WV Division of Forestry. Just outside Morgantown on the border of Monongalia and Preston counties.  
• Dorsey's Knob. An excellent view of the Rolling Hills of West Virginia at no cost. 
• Mon River/Decker's Creek/Caperton Trail. 48 miles (80 km) of trail for biking, walking, jogging. Converted from the former B&O Railroad. 
• Mountaineer Golf and Country Club, 212 Brand Road, ☎ [phone]. 72 par, 18 holes. Open seven days a week, weather permitting. Pricing varies. 

Buy

• Adventures Edge, 131 Pleasant Street, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-7PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Clothing and apparel for any outdoor adventure. 
• Appalachian Gallery, 44 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Handcrafted works by artists and artisans in West Virginia and neighboring regions, including baskets, books, fabric art, folk toys, framed art, glass, jewellery, metal works, mosaics, music, pottery, thumb pianos, wildlife portraits and wooden items. 
• Fig Leaf, 491 High Street. M-W 11AM-5PM, Th-Sa 11AM-6PM. . Small boutique for women's clothing. 
• Tanner's Alley Leather Shop, 416 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Leather products including briefcases, luggage, handbags. 
• The Book Exchange, 152 Willey Street, ☎ [phone]. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 10AM-2PM. Campus store supplying textbooks, clothing, school merchandise and memorabilia. 
• Old Stone House Gift Shop, 313 Chestnut Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 10AM-2PM. Closed Su. Historic building turned shop selling handcrafted goods and crafts. 

Glass

The Morgantown area has been home to over 30 glass factories over the past 100 years, including Seneca Glass, Monongahela Valley Cut Glass, Mississippi Glass, Pressed Prism Glass, Beaumont Glass, and others. There are only two glass factories left in the area:

• Davis-Lynch Glass, Boyers Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Most of their output is sold to lamp distributors, but some is offered for sale to the public at the L & G Lamp Shop. 
• Gentile Glass, 425 Industrial Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Glassworking hours M-F 8AM-3PM; shop hours M-F 8AM-4PM and Sa 8AM-noon. The only place in the Morgantown area where you can watch glass being worked. 
• Seneca Center, 709 Beechurst Avenue. Offers a collection of vintage Morgantown Glass, among other things. 

Malls

• Morgantown Mall, 9500 Mall Road, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-6PM. Over 80 shops and restaurants, including: Aeropostale, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Finishline, Forever 21, Gamestop, Gap, Hallmark, Hollister, JCPenney, Kay Jewelers, New York & Company, Pacific Sunwear, Payless, Radio Shack, Sears, Sepencer's, and Victoria's Secret. 
• Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Greenbag Road, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-5PM. 40 shops and restaurants. 
• University Town Centre, at Granville, 5001 University Towne Center Drive (off I-79, Star City Exit). Stores include: Sally’s Beauty Supply, Maurice’s, Petco, TJ Maxx, Old Navy, Target, Giant Eagle, Goody's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Sam's Club, Super Wal-Mart, Olive Garden, Cheddar's, Longhorn Steakhouse, Chili's, CiCi's Pizza, Evergreen Buffet. The development is also home to Monongalia County Ballpark, home to WVU baseball and the Black Bears. 

Eat

• Black Bear Burritos, 132 Pleasant Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11:30AM-10PM. Burritos of all ethnic cuisines, served in a unique Appalachian atmosphere. 
• 🌍 Boston Beanery Restaurant, 321 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-1AM. Catch the spirit of Old Boston! Salads, entrées, clam chowder and more available. (updated Oct 2016)
• Oliverio's Ristorante, 52 Clay Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Tu 4PM-10PM, W-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 3PM-10PM, Su 4PM-9PM. Tuscan-inspired cuisine Pasta dishes $13-15, mains $17-45. (updated Mar 2017)
• Ali Baba (formerly Voyagers), Morgantown Airport (Hart Field), 110 Hart Field Road, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 11AM-8PM; F Sa 11AM-9PM; closed Su. Mediterranean and American menu, lunch buffet. Quiet atmosphere, ample free parking. 
• Yama Japanese Restaurant, 387½ High St, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11:30AM-3PM, 5PM-8PM; Sa noon-3PM, 5PM-8PM. Authentic Japanese cuisine, including sushi. Noodles, bowls $8; mains $12.50. (updated Mar 2017)
• Blue Moose Cafe, 248 Walnut Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 7AM-10PM, F 7AM-11PM, Sa 8AM-11PM, Su 8AM-10PM. Breakfast, lunch, and live entertainment. 
• 🌍 Chico's Fat Burritos, 456 High Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-11PM, closed Su. California-style burritos and tacos. (updated Oct 2016)
• Tutto Gelato, 461 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Gelatos, ice cream, and more sweet desserts. 
• Sandwich U, 236 Walnut St., ☎ [phone]. King of the Fat Sandwich. 
• 🌍 Tin 202, 202 High St, ☎ [phone]. Upscale restaurant and bar in downtown, serving up tapas, prime beef and well-made cocktails. (updated Oct 2016)
• Mountainlair Student Union, 1550 University Avenue, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 7AM-midnight, F 7AM-2AM, Sa 9AM-2AM, Su 2PM-midnight. The Mountainlair, or "Lair", houses a convenience store and more than 10 eateries, some of which include: Burger King, Freshens, Quizno's, Hatfields, and Sbarro. The Mountainlair also has a bowling alley and billiard tables on the ground floor. 

Drink

Because Morgantown is home to a major university, downtown Morgantown nightlife thrives for those in their twenties to early thirties. High Street is the main center for bar activity. Similar student activity can be found adjacent to the main WVU campus in "Sunnyside". Don't expect this to apply to the summer months, however.

• Forks of Cheat Winery, 2811 Stewartstown Road, toll-free: +1-877-WV WINES (9894637). M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM. Offering 29 white, red and fruit wines. Tours and tastings available, weather permitting. 
• West Virginia Distilling Company, 1425 Saratoga Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Suite C. The first distillery in West Virginia, offering fresh unaged clear corn whiskey aka Mountain Moonshine, and an oak-aged version. 

Bars and pubs

• 🌍 4th & Goal, 234 Walnut Street, ☎ [phone]. M-F 5PM-3AM, Sa Su 11:30AM-3AM. Weekly drink specials. Food, pool table, darts, beer pong. Inquire for private parties. (updated Oct 2016)
• 🌍 The Backdoor Bar & Tavern, 485 High Street, ☎ [phone]. M-Th Sa 8PM-3AM; F 5PM-3AM. Weekly drink specials including a happy hour buffet and live entertainment with karaoke. (updated Oct 2016)
• Lola's Cocktail Lounge, 491 High Street, ☎ +1 304-225-LOLA (5652). Tu-Sa 8PM-3AM. Upscale cocktail lounge 
• Mario's Fishbowl, 704 Richwood Ave, ☎ [phone]. M-W 11AM-midnight, Th-Sa 11AM-1AM, Su noon-10PM. Morgantown's best known bar among students and alumni. 
• 🌍 McClafferty's Irish Pub, 1301 University Ave, ☎ [phone]. Daily 4PM-3AM. Weekly drink specials. Food, darts, pool table, trivia. (updated Oct 2016)
• Richwood Grill, 318 Richwood Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Local, organic dishes updated seasonally. Huge microbrew and liquor list. $20-30 per entree. 
• 🌍 The Sports Page, 325 High Street, ☎ [phone]. M-F 5PM-3AM, Sa 11AM-3AM, Su noon-2AM. Happy hour everyday from 5PM-8PM. Weekly drink specials. Food, pool and foosball table, TV and dance floor. (updated Oct 2016)
• West Virginia Brewing Company, 1291 University Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 3PM-2AM. Brewing 24 beers, ales, stouts, bitters and lagers. Serves good pub food. Try Ned's Pale Ale and the Appalachian Ale. Catering and private parties available. 

Clubs

• Bent Willey's, 471 Chestnut Street, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Sa 8PM-3AM. Two-level night club with food, drinks, DJ, and deck. Nightly drink specials. Must be 21 years to enter. 
• The Cellar, 376 High Street, ☎ [phone]. W-Sa 9PM-3AM. Drink specials until midnight. Dance floor and DJ. 18 to enter, 21 to drink. 
• de Lazy Lizard, 345 High Street, ☎ [phone]. W-Sa 9PM-3AM. Two-level night club including eight bars, DJ, and dance floor. Weekly specials. Must be 21 years to enter. 
• Karma Nightclub, 335 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Tu Th-Sa 9PM-3AM. Dance club with bar; must be 18 to enter, 21 to drink. 
• Ky's Lounge, 491 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Th F 9PM-3AM; Sa 9PM-2:30AM; Su 10PM-2:30AM. No cover charge. 
• Vice Versa, 335 High Street, ☎ [phone]. Th-Su 8PM-3AM. Local LGBT club. 
• X-Hale Hookah Lounge, 218 Walnut Street, ☎ [phone]. Daily from 9PM. Relaxing hookah lounge with more than 70 different flavors of shisha tobacco. Private parties available. 

Sleep

• 🌍 Best Western Mountaineer Inn, 366 Boyers Ave (Near I-79.), ☎ [phone]. Indoor pool, continental breakfast, high speed internet, coffee maker, and iron. (updated Oct 2016)
• 🌍 Clarion Hotel Morgan, 127 High St, ☎ [phone]. Historic hotel in downtown Morgantown, directly beside the historic Warner Theatre. (updated Oct 2016)
• 🌍 Euro-Suites Hotel, 501 Chestnut Ridge Road, ☎ [phone]. Upscale "green" facility. Internet and breakfast are free. 
• 🌍 Hilton Garden Inn, 150 Suncrest Towne Center Drive, ☎ [phone]. Affordable prices that include free Wi-Fi, workout facility, and indoor pool. 
• 🌍 Ramada Morgantown, 20 Scott Ave, ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Residence Inn Morgantown, 1046 Willowdale Rd. Full amenities directly across from Ruby Memorial Hospital and Milan Puskar Stadium. (updated Oct 2016)
• 🌍 Waterfront Place Hotel, 2 Waterfront Pl, ☎ [phone]. Overlooking the Monongahela River in the restored Wharf District. 
• 🌍 Quality Inn, 225 Comfort Inn Drive (Off 1-68 south of city), ☎ [phone]. Free continental breakfast. Pets welcomed. Indoor hot tub and fitness center. 

Learn

• West Virginia University is home to more than 30,000 students. The annual tuition for residential students is about $5,500 versus an out-of-state student whose tuition is approximately $17,000. WVU has 13 colleges and schools offering over 190 degrees. There are three campuses within WVU: Downtown, Evansdale, and the Health Sciences. They also offer a study abroad program for students who are interested. The football and basketball teams promote a lot of school spirit to their fellow "mountaineers" when they are playing.

Go next

• Prickett's Fort State Park - State park in Fairmont, West Virginia, 15 miles south of Morgantown on I-79.

Routes through Morgantown

END ←	W  E	→ Grantsville → Cumberland
Washington ← Waynesburg ←	N  S	→ Fairmont → Charleston
New Stanton ← Uniontown ←	N  S	→ Grafton → Weston