Charleston’s Coonskin Park, Carriage Trail & Capitol Market Tour

Full – Closed

Tour Date: Thursday, October 13
Tour Time: Noon – 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $30
Activity Level: Moderate – High. (This tour is not ADA accessible. See additional information at the bottom of the page.)

Our parks are forested hillsides and in October are dressed in their fall beauty. This tour will take you to Coonskin, a county park of 850 acres, the Carriage Trail, a city park of 11 acres and the Charleston’s Capitol Market. You will learn how volunteers have aided the government agencies. Coonskin, 15 minutes out of town, has a picnic pavilion near the entrance garden which is maintained by the Kanawha County Master Gardeners. Here we will eat our lunch and discuss the plantings in the garden and the trees that surround us.

After a drive through the park, we continue on to the Carriage Trail, a hidden treasure where you will feel secluded by the wooded area. This gentle .67 walking path down hill, filled with history and native plants, is just across the river from town. This walk will be of special interest to people interested in removing English ivy.

The bus will meet us at the bottom and take us just a short distance to the Capitol Market. This is an opportunity to look at the produce in season and enjoy a colorful array of pumpkins and chrysanthemums. An indoor section has WV made crafts, wine, Swiss chocolate, bulk foods and prepared food for purchase. From here the bus will return you to your hotel and the Civic Center.

*This is an active tour that is fairly fast paced with walking on sloped terrain. This tour is not ADA accessible.

Photos published with permission of the West Virginia Department of Commerce.