A frontier battlefield. A mile of riverfront murals. And one very famous cryptid. Point Pleasant, West Virginia packs more legend per block than towns ten times its size.
The 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant, a reconstructed Fort Randolph, and an 84-foot monument where two rivers meet. One of the most storied acres on the Ohio.
Historic sites →First sighted near the old TNT bunkers in 1966. Today: the world's only Mothman Museum, a 12-foot stainless statue, and a festival that draws tens of thousands.
Follow the legend →Kayak the confluence, fish a stocked lake at Krodel Park, ride a five-mile bike path, or catch a sunset from the floodwall murals at Riverfront Park.
Get outside →Pastries and a proper breakfast at 330 Main St — fuel for the day.
Original press clippings, movie props, and the obligatory photo with those red eyes, all within a block.
Authentic Mexican on Main Street, a short walk from the museum.
Stand where the rivers meet, then walk the Riverfront Park murals that tell the whole story in paint.
Five miles north: WWII-era bunkers, wetlands, and the spot where the legend began. Go before dark. Or don't.
End at the historic Lowe Hotel on Main Street — ask the staff about their ghosts.
The biggest weekend of the year: vendors, speakers, hayride tours of the TNT Area, and thousands of costumed fans downtown.
Living-history encampments and ceremonies commemorating the Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774.
Tree lighting at City Hall, a parade down Main Street, and frontier Christmas at Fort Randolph.
Every attraction in town, in one place — history by day, mystery by night. Filter by what you came for; most of these are within a short walk or drive of Main Street.
Mystery
The world's only Mothman Museum: eyewitness accounts, original 1966–67 press clippings, and props from The Mothman Prophecies. The gift shop is half the fun.
Mystery
Bob Roach's 12-foot polished-steel Mothman with ruby-red eyes — the most photographed spot in town, day or night.
Mystery
WWII explosives bunkers scattered through 3,600 acres of wetlands — where the Mothman was first reported in November 1966. Also great fishing and hiking, if you're brave.
History
An 84-foot granite obelisk marks the Battle of Point Pleasant at the exact point where the Kanawha meets the Ohio. The 1796 Mansion House museum is open May–October.
History
A full reconstruction of the 1776 frontier fort, with living-history reenactments, tours, and events on weekends May through December.
History
Robert Dafford's larger-than-life murals turn the floodwall into a timeline of the town — battle scenes, steamboats, and all. Amphitheater and river overlook included.
History
A quiet memorial to the 46 lives lost when the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio on December 15, 1967 — the event forever linked to the Mothman story.
History
River life, towboats, and the commercial story of the Ohio and Kanawha — rebuilt and expanded after the 2018 fire. Check current hours before visiting.
History
A preserved slice of farm-life heritage with a working blacksmith shop, historic buildings, and rotating exhibits just north of town.
Outdoors
The town's backyard: a stocked fishing lake, kayak rentals, walking trail, playground, a 19-feature splash pad in summer, and a 63-site campground.
A five-mile paved path system connecting Tu-Endie-Wei, downtown, and the high school — flat, scenic, and family-friendly.
Outdoors
Two public launches — Main Street and across from Krodel Park — put you on the Ohio in minutes. Bring a rod; this stretch fishes well.
A century-old hotel on Main Street, a lakeside campground, and a downtown you can eat your way across in a weekend.
Historic
A grand, family-run hotel that has anchored Main Street for over a century — antique-furnished rooms, river views, and a reputation for friendly resident ghosts. Mothman Festival weekends book out months ahead.
Camping
63 sites for tents, travel trailers, and pop-ups with full hookups, right on the lake beside Fort Randolph — a ten-minute drive from downtown.
Coffee shop and restaurant — breakfast, lunch, and pastries in the middle of the Main Street action.
Authentic Mexican — lunch, dinner, and drinks a block from the Mothman statue.
Specialty pizzas, sandwiches, and wings — a longtime local favorite.
Quick-service sandwiches, sides, and daily specials.
Hot and fresh American-style Chinese buffet.
Ice cream on Main Street — the mandatory stop after a day on the river.
Also in town: Ichiban II (Japanese, Main St), plus familiar names — Tudor's Biscuit World, Dairy Queen, Gino's, Giovanni's, Little Caesars, McDonald's, McHappy's, Subway, Domino's, and Wendy's, mostly along Jackson Avenue.
The signature events that shape the town's year. Exact dates are posted each season on the city's Facebook page and events calendar.
Reenactments, colonial-era demonstrations, and tours at the reconstructed 1776 fort in Krodel Park, most weekends through the season.
Concerts and community events on the Ohio at Riverfront Park, with the floodwall murals as the backdrop. The splash pad at Krodel runs all summer.
The one that put the town on the map: two days of vendors, guest speakers, live music, costume contests, and hayride tours of the TNT Area. Book lodging early — the whole county fills up.
Commemorating October 10, 1774 with encampments, wreath ceremonies, and living history at Tu-Endie-Wei and downtown.
A full holiday weekend: the parade and tree lighting at City Hall Friday evening, Christmas on Main downtown, and Christmas on the Frontier at Fort Randolph.
Planning around an event? Call City Hall at (304) 675-2360 to confirm dates and details.
Notices, project updates, and good stories from around Point Pleasant — what the city is working on, and what's worth celebrating.
The city has updated its farmers market vendor licensing under §20.50 of the Business & Taxation Code. The new license form is posted on the City Hall page — print it, fill it out, and return it to City Hall at 400 Viand St. Questions: (304) 675-2360.
The biggest weekend of the year returns to Main Street the third weekend of September. Expect vendors, speakers, costume contests, and hayride tours of the TNT Area — and expect lodging across the county to fill early. Locals: downtown streets close for the weekend, so plan around Main Street. Visitors: see Stay & Eat and book now.
WVDOT has closed the slow lane coming from Ohio while parts are manufactured to replace a failed expansion joint — crews had been making temporary repairs until several metal teeth broke. Expect the closure to last until the replacement is fabricated and installed.
Mason County residents pressed commissioners for more than two hours about the data center under construction just north of town — including whether the project qualifies as a registered "high impact data center" under state law (HB 2014).
Point Pleasant High School softball reached the state tournament as the No. 4 seed and staved off elimination with an 11–3 win over Robert C. Byrd — scoring ten runs in the first three innings — before Herbert Hoover ended the run.
Heavy rain breached a silt retention area at the Monarch Compute Campus construction site, sending water and mud into the Meadowlands Estates subdivision along University Lane. The developer committed to covering cleanup and repairs; the WV DEP later issued an enforcement order over stormwater violations.
With Nucor now paying about $1 million a year in property taxes, the Mason County Commission cut levy rates from 2.25% to 1.82% — roughly $300,000 a year back in taxpayers' pockets.
The largest capital investment in West Virginia history — a 3-million-ton-per-year sheet mill on Route 2 south of town — is commissioning line by line, with commercial shipments expected in early 2027 and around 800 direct jobs.
The UK-based firm purchased the 2,380-acre data-center project north of town; its builder says the first phase should be operational in early 2027 with about 700 people working on site.
A fire just before midnight damaged one building and part of a fence wall at the replica fort in Krodel Park; other structures were untouched. Fire Chief Jeremy Bryant called the fort "a way for us to share our history with many groups."
The annual memorial service at the old bridge abutment honored the 46 lives lost on December 15, 1967, with the bell rung 46 times — a disaster whose legacy lives on in national bridge-inspection standards.
Construction began at the corner of Third Street by the light coming off the bridge — Main Street officials are keeping the name under wraps for now, but call it part of big changes coming to the corridor.
National coverage of the 2025 festival described a town transformed: storefronts full, vendors busy, and a festival weekend worth roughly as much to local business as the rest of the year combined.
The three-day festival featured living history for the public and area students, a lantern tour of the park, a parade through downtown, a colonial ball, and a memorial service for those who fell in the Battle of Point Pleasant.
At a public meeting, residents near the planned site in northern Point Pleasant raised concerns about air and water quality, the nearby wildlife area and high school, and the county's only airport — and asked for more communication from officials.
Main Street Point Pleasant and the county commission are planning a 100-to-200-car garage on the lot behind the Mason County Courthouse to relieve event-weekend parking crunches, with hopes of starting construction in 2026.
The fair ran six days at the fairgrounds with concerts, carnival rides, demolition events, and livestock shows — opening with the fair parade through downtown.
The 22-mile sanitary sewer line with seven lift stations — first proposed in 2010 — runs from Bethel Road to the Camp Conley treatment plant, will serve at least 400 residents, and is expected to wrap in early 2026.
Mason and Cabell county leaders petitioned the state to widen WV Route 2 through the county, citing rush-hour congestion and the wave of industrial jobs coming with Nucor and the planned hydrogen facility.
The governor announced a Fidelis / Babcock & Wilcox partnership to develop the BrightLoop facility at the Mountaineer Gigasystem site along Airport Road off Route 62 — projected at roughly 3,000 jobs over more than a decade.
Mid-February rain pushed the river to a crest just above 41 feet, flooding low-lying areas. City officials noted the floodwall gates don't need to close until 50 feet — but crews had equipment staged to install them immediately.
A truck on Route 35 lost control and rolled over the median wall into the southbound lane; all lanes reopened the following morning.
Comcast was awarded $7.7 million through the state's LEAD program for fiber line-extension projects across Mason, Jackson, and Putnam counties — part of a $34.6 million, ten-county broadband push.
Six years after fire destroyed the original building, the rebuilt museum at 316 Main St held its official grand reopening — complete with a boat-piloting simulator covering seven waterways, a research library, and a 2,400-gallon Ohio River aquarium.
Start with your ward's council member — every ward representative is listed with a phone number on the City Hall page. For service problems like water, sewer, or streets, call the department directly, or file the citizen complaint form. Council meets at City Hall, 400 Viand St — call the clerk at (304) 430-3426 for the meeting schedule and how to get on the agenda.
Have a story or a concern the city should hear about? Call City Hall at (304) 675-2360, or reach your council member directly. Stories above are drawn from local and regional news coverage; follow the source links for full reporting.
Two and a half centuries at the Point: surveyed by George Washington, contested in battle, built by the river, and haunted — pleasantly — ever since.
Surveying the Ohio Valley, George Washington camps at the confluence and, by tradition, gives the "pleasant point" its name.
On October 10, Colonel Andrew Lewis's Virginia militia and Shawnee forces under Chief Cornstalk fight a day-long battle here — regarded by many as a first engagement of the American Revolution.
Chief Cornstalk, visiting Fort Randolph under a flag of peace, is killed by militiamen. Legend holds he cursed the land — a story locals revisit whenever misfortune strikes.
Virginia grants Point Pleasant its charter. The Mansion House, built two years later, still stands at Tu-Endie-Wei.
The young river town becomes the county seat, a role it holds today.
Marietta Manufacturing opens its shipyard, building vessels here — including WWII ships — until 1984.
The Ohio River flood devastates the town; the floodwall that now carries the murals is completed in 1951 in response.
On November 15, two young couples report a winged, red-eyed figure near the old WWII munitions bunkers. Sightings continue for thirteen months. The Mothman is born.
On December 15, the Silver Bridge collapses into the Ohio at rush hour, killing 46. The sightings stop — and the two events fuse into one of America's most enduring legends.
The Mothman Prophecies brings the story to theaters, and the first Mothman Festival draws fans to Main Street soon after.
Historic districts, a revitalized Main Street, and a festival that draws visitors from around the world — all of it built on the stories that began here.
Point Pleasant sits on the Ohio River at the junction of US-35, WV-2, and WV-62 — an easy day trip from Charleston, Huntington, or southeast Ohio.
From Charleston, WV: about an hour northwest via US-35.
From Huntington, WV: about an hour north along the Ohio.
From Ohio: Gallipolis is just across the river — minutes away over the Silver Memorial Bridge.
September for the Mothman Festival — the biggest weekend of the year.
October for Battle Days and fall color on the rivers.
Summer for the amphitheater, splash pad, and kayaking. Most historic sites run May–October seasons.
City of Point Pleasant
400 Viand St, Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Phone: (304) 675-2360
Email: [email protected]
Follow the city on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for event dates.
Downtown is compact and walkable — park once near Main Street and see the museum, statue, memorial, and riverfront on foot.
The TNT Area is a wildlife management area: daylight visits, sturdy shoes, and a full tank of gas recommended.
The historic Lowe Hotel downtown, or Krodel Park Campground with 63 full-hookup sites by the lake.
Reach your elected officials and city departments, download forms and permits, and read the city's codified ordinances — municipal business, all in one place.
Click a name to send an email — where there's no link, phone is the best way to reach them. Agendas & records: email the City Clerk.
Click a name to send an email — where there's no link, phone is the best way to reach that department.
Every city form, as a printable PDF. Completed forms go to City Hall at 400 Viand St — call (304) 675-2360 with questions.
The city's laws, hosted by American Legal Publishing. Jump straight to any part below — each opens the official online code in a new tab. Local legislation current through the most recent codification; consult City Hall for the authoritative copy.
Civic groups, service clubs, and public-facing organizations around town. These are independent of city government — and glad to have you.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit revitalizing the historic downtown business district, from the Kanawha River to 7th Street.
Meals-on-wheels and in-home programs supporting Point Pleasant's senior citizens.
Meets every Wednesday at noon in the McNeil Room at Rivers Health.
Meets the first Thursday of every month at 11:30 am at the Coffee Grinder.
Meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm at Fort Randolph Terrace, 123 Main Street.
Maps, event info, and a friendly local answer to any question.
Mason County government offices, emergency services, schools, the library, the health department, and area churches are listed in the county directory.
The Welcome Center at 210 Viand St can point you to any of them.
Officials, departments, forms, permits, and ordinances all live on the City Hall page.