Located just off I-64 on the southern edge of the Monongahela National Forest, LEWISBURG is the archetypal West Virginia town, its few square blocks of old buildings surrounded by rich pastureland, with good roads allowing quick access to the wilder mountain reaches. Originally a frontier outpost during the Indian Wars of the 1770s, Lewisburg was greatly prized during the Civil War for its location at the head of the Greenbrier Valley, but nowadays its attractions are those of a classic American small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else and where the houses and shops have remained in the same family for generations. In mid-August each year, Lewisburg plays host to the West Virginia State Fair (call 304/645-1090 for exact dates).

Washington Street , the four-block business district, is lined on both sides by brick-faced early nineteenth-century houses, and makes for pleasant wandering; no. 106 has been a two-chair barbershop for over a hundred years. A block away, in a small park at 200 N Jefferson St, stands the oldest surviving structure in Lewisburg, a rough-hewn limestone shed built in 1770 to protect a freshwater spring that is still flowing today.

The visitor center , 111 N Jefferson St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm; tel 304/645-1000 or 1-800/833-2068, ), hands out walking tour maps of the town and can suggest driving tours around Greenbrier Valley. It can also put you in touch with various cozy hotels , such as the General Lewis Inn , 301 E Washington St (tel 304/645-2600 or 1-800/628-4454, ; $75-100), which also has a fine, moderately priced restaurant .

Just east of Lewisburg, outside the faded spa of WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS , two dozen US presidents have escaped the pressures of politics in The Greenbrier , 300 W Main St (tel 304/536-1110 or 1-800/624-6070, ; $250+). The grandest and plushest hotel in West Virginia, it is five-star all the way, from the pillared entrance hall to the 6500 acres of lush grounds and golf courses. The hotel's four restaurants are all open to the public and require reservations.