Ditch the Hashtags: Discovering West Virginia Beyond Instagram’s Hype

If you think West Virginia is just another stop on your quest for the perfect Instagram feed, you’re missing the point—and contributing to the problem. When a place gets slapped with the “Instagrammable” label, it’s like a warning sign for anyone who values real adventure: here come the crowds, the trash, and the erosion of what made it special in the first place. Top 10 lists and photo ops aren’t tourism—they’re just lazy marketing, reducing this wild and wonderful state to a mere backdrop. If your travel plans are driven by hashtags instead of heartbeats, maybe it’s time to rethink what you’re really searching for.