On Wednesday, February 15th, my husband and I had to make a trip to Elkins for family business. It's been a hot minute since I've found myself headed north up Interstate 79, so I insisted that we make a quick stop in one of my favorite unique, spooky lil' WV towns---Sutton!
Located in Braxton County, right in the center of the state, Sutton is quickly becoming the paranormal heart of the Mountain State. It's home to one of SRI's top haunted locations (The Haunted Haymond House), as well as the haunted Elk Hostel, which I hope we'll get to explore one day soon. It's also home to not one, but TWO really cool museums featuring the paranormal: The Flatwoods Monsters Museum and the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum. These two museums were the focus of our little impromptu stop.
Up first was the Flatwoods Monster Museum to browse around and check out any new acquisitions. As many times as I've been there, it seems like there's always something new and interesting to see and discover. I think my favorite exhibit is still the original mold and information on the creation of the Flatwoods Monster lanterns. There's a great little documentary about the lanterns which you can watch HERE, as well as a little How It's Made clip on the actual process. The How It's Made clip was actually playing on the museum's television while we were there, much to my husband's delight. He's a sucker for that kinda thing. Luckily, I already own a lantern, or else I think we would have been walking out of there with another one that day. This visit was actually only my husband's second visit to the museum. Although he supports my weirdness, he's just not as in to the spooky stuff as I am, so I'm thrilled whenever he finds something (like the lantern making process) that he finds especially interesting and can enjoy.
I also love seeing the reactions of other visitors, especially those who have never been there before, as they experience the story of the Flatwoods Monster for themselves through an awesome collection of memorabilia related to the sighting, as well as depictions of the creature in art and in pop culture. Even on a Wednesday afternoon, there were a good number of visitors there that day, which warms my heart!
It was also a pleasure getting to chat with the curator of the museum, Andrew Smith, who has worked tirelessly and has done so much in promoting and sharing the story of the Flatwoods Monster, as well as the history of the area as a whole. If you're new to the area or unfamiliar with the Flatwoods Monster incident of 1952, Andrew is your go-to guy. He's a wealth of information, and has always been super accommodating to the countless bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, etc. that are eager to showcase Braxxie and the Flatwoods Monster Museum.
Including all the wonderful displays, articles/print media, videos, and chatting, you could easily spend a couple hours just in the Flatwoods Monster Museum alone. Unfortunately, we did have to be in Elkins at a certain time, and had another stop we wanted to make. But, I couldn't leave without adding a new Braxxie t-shirt to my wardrobe and picking up some postcards.
Upon leaving the Flatwoods Monster Museum, it was a beautifully warm and sunny day, so we made the short walk a block or so down to the Mountain Laurel Country Store, home to the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum. The store itself is a cute little shop full of handmade and unique gift items, jewelry, books, primitives, home goods, and more. They've also recently added a little cafe-type area, called Main Street Coffee, serving coffee, sandwiches, and other goodies. We looked around a bit, and I got a bit sad, thinking about how much my mom would have loved this shop, but never got the chance to visit.
Anyway, the shop is great, but I was ready for the main attraction: The WV Bigfoot Museum! The Flatwoods/Sutton area has a long history of Bigfoot sightings, beginning as early as 1919 and continuing to this day, largely around Sutton Lake. So, this is the perfect spot for a museum dedicated to our Appalachian hairy man.
The museum showcases an impressive collection of plaster casts made throughout WV and beyond, information on sightings around the state (largely collected and researched by the awesome Les O'Dell of WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters), and a general overview of the Bigfoot phenomenon, with some Yeti information as well. There's also wood carvings, wall murals featuring hidden Bigfoots, and an EXTENSIVE gift shop, where you can pick up books, toys, novelties, clothing/accessories, and seriously...anything you can think of Bigfoot-related. Again, I couldn't leave without adding a new book by Doug Waller to my library and a few Bigfoot stickers.
As with the Flatwoods Monster Museum, it was a pleasure having a nice lil' chat with the owner. Every time I've visited, she has been so sweet and welcoming, making sure that everyone who steps foot through the door feels at home and enjoys the museum experience. This was my husband's first visit to the Bigfoot Museum, and again, even though he's not super into the strange and unusual side of history, he really enjoyed the novelty of the experience. I also think he was a little shocked that in one little West Virginia town, we had stopped at a museum dedicated to arguably the weirdest and wildest UFO/monster cases in the WORLD, then made a two minute walk to another museum, this one dedicated to arguably the most famous cryptid in the world.
I'd bet a lot of people feel that way, but I'm thrilled! As a whole, West Virginia is such a cool place to explore, especially for anyone interested in the paranormal, be it ghosts/hauntings, UFOs, or cryptozoology. As more and more locations around the state open up, catering to WV's weird history, it's wonderful to see downtown Sutton becoming a premier mecca for those wanting a truly unique tourist experience. I could have stayed in the area a week or more, checking out all the cool stuff to see and do, but alas, we had to get back on the road. But, not before grabbing a late lunch!
Normally a trip to the Sutton/Flatwoods area means a trip to The Spot, a cute little restaurant in Flatwoods, located close to the original 1952 sighting of the Flatwoods Monster. You can grab a sandwich, chicken strips, calzone, hot dog, ice cream, etc, many with fun, monster-themed names. You can also pick up some souvenirs, take advantage of some neat photo ops, and of course, visit one of the five monster chairs located just across the road from the restaurant. I highly recommend adding a stop at The Spot to your Sutton/Flatwoods itinerary. But, as we were walking back to the car, discussing exactly what to do about food, we passed by a new-to-me business and noticed it was open. A split decision later, and we were seated at a table in the Bad Axe Bistro!
The Bad Axe Bistro is open for lunch and dinner, serving up a variety of sandwiches and appetizers during the lunch hour, and a more extensive menu for dinner. They also offer lanes for axe throwing, which we didn't take advantage of on this trip, but definitely next time!
My husband and I both had a grilled chicken sandwich and fries, and ordered the Bad Axe spiral loaded potato for an appetizer. The restaurant was clean, the service was great, and the food came out quickly. I really enjoyed my chicken sandwich, but my favorite was absolutely the appetizer. It was a spiral-cut potato on a stick, smothered in cheese and bacon and served on a wooden skewer. I love an opportunity to support small, local businesses and am happy to have another restaurant, located right in town, to add to my food options for when I'm in town.
By the time we paid the check, we really did have to get back on the road, so I had to say goodbye to Sutton. Fortunately, I'll be back again! SRI is planning an event at the Haunted Haymond House for April, so make sure you follow our page for information on that as it comes available. I'll also be sure to visit for two upcoming festivals, showcasing the area's strange history! The West Virginia Bigfoot Festival will be held in Sutton June 23-24, 2023 and the Flatwoods Monster Convention will be held in Flatwoods on September 9th, 2023.
I hope you get the chance to visit the Flatwoods Monster Museum and/or WV Bigfoot Museum soon! If you do, tell 'em that Theresa's Haunted History sent ya! And until then, follow me over on Facebook for MORE pictures of my trip to Sutton, as well as my other paranormal adventures around West Virginia and beyond. Stay spooky, ya'll.
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