Clay (West Virginia)

town in Clay County, West Virginia, United States of America

Clay is a town of 440 people (as of 2019) in West Virginia. Local residents, enamored of its small-town charm, sometimes call it "Clayberry". It's the county seat of Clay County, whose claim to fame is being the home of the Golden Delicious apple, which was discovered in 1905 and grown commercially in 1912, at a time when apples were predominantly red.

Get in

Clay is located on WV-4, which runs from the county border to Sutton in the northeast, and WV-16, from near Parkersburg in the west to Fayetteville in the south.

Get around

See

Clay County Courthouse
  • Solomon's Secret, Dundon Hill, +1 304-587-4452. Held annually during two weekends in late September. Outdoor drama about one Cherokee family's struggle to find peace and love in a time of selfishness and destruction. Performances begin at 8PM; admission $8; children 5 & under are free.
  • Rush Fork of Big Otter Creek, formerly called Booger Hole, was reportedly once a violent area where thieving, disappearances and murders were commonplace; the unsolved crimes of the area have led some to believe that the hollow is now a paranormally-active site.

Do

  • People tend to visit Clay County for its outdoor sports: kayaking, canoeing and fishing on the Elk River and Laurel Creek, and hunting in the Wallback Public Hunting Area.
  • Rail Explorers USA opened a division of their rail bike tour attractions here in 2024. This two-hour tour runs along the Elk River and Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad, passing the Devils Sawmill waterfall and crossing the rebuilt Sandfork Bridge. Bookings are recommended.

Events

  • Clay County Golden Delicious Festival. Held one weekend in mid-September since 1972. Apple baking contest, world's smallest apple pie contest, apple peeling contest, apple eating contest, decorated apple contest, apple archery, chili cook-off, quilt show, pageants, amusement rides, karaoke, vendors, parades, fireworks, and live entertainment. 

Buy

  • Fabric & Gift Shop, 594 Main Street, ☏ +1 304-587-7411. M-F 8:30AM to 4:30PM, Sa 8:30AM to noon, closed Sundays. 
  • Spunky le chat, M-F 9AM to 5PM. A pet store if not mini zoo inspired by the town's hero Spunky. Gift shop and deli are also in the making.

Eat

  • Betty's Place, 6012 Procious Maysel Road, ☏ +1 304-587-7840. 1950s-themed restaurant. Try their fried bologna sandwiches and 2-for-$1 hot dogs. 
  • Freda's Restaurant, 13912 Clay Highway, ☏ +1 304-587-7896. Breakfast all day long, however sometimes they will not make all of their breakfast items such as biscuits any time of the day. Friday night music, dancing and karaoke. 
  • Go-Mart deli. Junction Rt 4 & 16. The town hang out. Serves the best mashed potatoes and potato wedges in Clay County. Offers everything from chicken dinners, pizza, hamburgers to Chinese food.
  • Breakfast Club, Rt.16 Ivydale (left off 77 north and right from south). 6 am-3pm. Serving breakfast,lunch and appetizers and gourmet salads,sandwiches 
  • Country Kitchen, Big Otter Hwy (Ivydale, WV). Breakfast, lunch, & gourmet salads. 

Drink

Sleep

Hotels and motels

  • Country Inn, exit 40 off I-79 in Ivydale, +1 304-286-3300. RV camping available. Motel $35-40, RVs $10.
  • Elk River Inn, 295 Main Street, ☏ +1 304-587-7530. Canoe rentals available. $39-44. 
  • Historic Henry Clay Hotel & Restaurant, 141 Main Street, ☏ +1 304-587-4028. $15-25. 

Campgrounds and cabins

  • Bessie Braley's Campground, in Ivydale, +1 304-286-2904.
  • Curry's Cabin, 3320 Ossia Road, toll-free: +1-866-406-5111. In Duck. Open year-round; call for reservations. 100-year-old farmhouse on 80 private acres bordering the Wallback Public Hunting Area. 4 twin beds, 1 full bed. $50-60. 
  • Jinx's Cozy Outdoor Inn, About one mile up Adonijah Hollow. Set apart from other sleeping arrangements. There is one main cabin, where food is served three times a day. Choose the tent you like from tents that sleep 2, 4, or 8 people. Bears, and panthers no longer a problem on camping grounds. $15-45.

Go next

  • Sutton is about 50 minutes northeast on WV-36 / I-79.
  • Charleston is about 1 hour southwest on WV-36 / I-79.
  • Fayetteville is about 1 hour south on WV-16.
  • Summersville is about 1 hour southeast on CR-19.
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