Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

Visited Berkeley Springs in 2022 to celebrate my birthday. This town is known for their hot springs but I didn’t visit any of them. Folks from a Bourbon group I was in raved about Smooth Ambler distillery so that was my reason for going, as during that time they only sold their spirits in select areas with my state not being one of them.

Before you judge I didn’t know WV was known for being a racist place until after we texted the family group chat we were going out of town. Grandma, MIL, & Auntie swiftly called us on a 3 way & gave us an earful. We had already paid for our Aibnb hence why we didn’t turn around. Our experience overall was okay only because we did certain things.

Warnings:

1. I don’t recommend entering WV without turning your location on and sharing it with multiple loved ones. We were in a hilly area with a LOT of woods. It was beautiful however it’s perfect for K3’s to have a “picnic” where you probably won’t be found after the fact.

2. If you have a dog bring them along, bonus if they are a breed folks are more inclined to be afraid of like a Pitbull.

3. Travel with a man who is of the same race as you. Brought hubby who can be intimating when he wants to. Don’t drive here in mixed company (white) if you’re black.

4. Keep your head on a swivel & trust your gut. Back into a spot to park don’t pull in just in case you have to make a quick exit.

5. You will get looks. Outside of ourselves we didn’t see any black people while in this town. At most saw 2 mixed people who clearly had a white mom & black dad but no other groups. Generally speaking most folks glanced as us and went about their way. However there were a few times we could feel folks staring & there was once instance where we felt some danger but nothing happened.

6. There’s only 2 restaurants to order from on Uber Eats and Grubhub, Friendly’s & Subway. Either buy groceries from the store or drive to local restaurants to eat.

7. Go during the winter. I believe the weather combined with the terrain kept us safe. I don’t think it would be safe for any minority to go here during the summer.

Things I Loved

1. The landscape is breathtaking & if you’re into nature you will love it here.

2. The Smooth Ambler tour was EVERYTHING! Here is where we saw other black people & had an amazing time.

3. After the Smooth Ambler tour we were hungry & our tour guide recommended a Mexican spot behind the distillery, Mi Tequila Mexican Restaurant. When we entered we knew the place was legit because it was a majority Mexican/Latino staff. Best authentic Mexican food I’ve had thus far & the service was top tier.

4. Charlotte’s Cafe staff made us feel welcome. When we parked there was a group of white that stared at us outside. But when we entered is when we encountered a white male patron who us feel like we were in danger because he would not stop staring really glaring at us.

5. It is very quiet & peaceful.