The University of Charleston’s UC Adventure Guide may be designed for students, but its list of places and experiences offers plenty of ideas for local residents looking to discover something new close to home.
The expanded 2026 guide features nearly 100 curated experiences on the University’s campus, throughout Charleston and within an easy day trip. The recommendations include locally owned businesses, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, hiking trails, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, festivals and other destinations across West Virginia.
The award-winning publication also points readers toward experiences at the University of Charleston, including Golden Eagle athletic events, campus locations, annual events and UC traditions.
While the guide was created to help new students become familiar with their surroundings, University officials say alumni, families and lifelong West Virginians have also used it to find places they may have overlooked in their own communities.
“One of the greatest advantages of attending the University of Charleston is the opportunity to live and learn in one of the most beautiful states in the country,” UC President Marty Roth said. “We want our students to graduate with a great education, but also with a genuine connection to the place they called home during their college years. The UC Adventure Guide encourages students to begin making those connections from the moment they arrive, and it is rewarding to see so many others embracing it as well.”
University representatives say the guide is intended to encourage readers to spend less time on screens, support local businesses and experience the people, places and communities that make West Virginia unique.
“As someone who was born and raised in West Virginia, this project has always been personal to me,” said C.J. Harvey, UC vice president of marketing and communications. “We created the guide to help our students experience the places that make this state so special, but it has become much more than that.”
The UC Adventure Guide debuted last year and has since received national recognition, including a Communicator Award for Overall Design Excellence and a Bronze Telly Award.
Printed copies of the 2026 guide will be available on the University of Charleston campus and at select community locations. An interactive digital edition also is available.
