What do you do when you have an unexpected weekend visitor?
You take them to Pt. Pleasant in search of the Mothman!
Last month, a family friend came to visit for a few days from out of state. We didn't know about the visit until last minute, so we didn't really have anything planned. But, a last minute lunch decision led to a fun and memorable day in West Virginia's Cryptid Capital: Pt. Pleasant.
It was a beautiful, sunny day and the temperature was just right as we made the 25 minute drive from Putnam County. Arriving in town around 1pm on Sunday, we went straight to one of my favorite restaurants. Rio Bravo #2 is located right on Main Street. In addition to classic favorites, Rio Bravo also offers a few regional delights, including Mothman Margaritas and the Mothman Burrito.
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| Mothman Burrito |
For a Sunday, the town was fairly busy, and the restaurant was PACKED. We had just happened to have arrived at an extremely busy time. We didn't have to wait for a table (there was ONE left when we arrived) but service was much slower than it had been on previous trips. An hour later, we got our food and it was absolutely wonderful. In my opinion, a Mothman Burrito is always worth the wait!
Finally feeling full, we ambled down the road. My son wanted to get dessert at What's the Scoop, Pt. Pleasant's own little ice cream shop that specializes in Mothman sundaes and a host of other fancy, themed treats. The inside of What's the Scoop is also really fun, with large, colorful cryptid decorations, games for kids, and even a small gift shop. I don't do lactose very well, so I skipped on the ice cream this trip, but everyone else loved theirs! We even picked up a few mini figures of Mothman, the Flatwoods Monster, etc.
Upon leaving the ice cream shop, we grabbed a rare opportunity. Currently, there was no one waiting to take a picture with the infamous Mothman statue, so we ran over. We got several one-on-one and group shots from both the front and the back (iykyk). Of course, we also had to wave to the 24/7 Mothman Live Cam!
So, you know how you can live nearby a popular tourist attraction, but never really visit unless you're taking someone else to it? Even though we live less than a half hour away from Pt. Pleasant, we had never taken advantage of Mothman Mini Golf! My son asked if we could go play, and everyone agreed that a round of blacklight putt-putt, featuring WV's favorite cryptid, would be a perfect activity for our day out.
Mothman Mini Golf is located above the Pt. Pleasant Trading Company, adjacent to the Mothman Museum. A full round of mini golf is $9.95 per person, takes about 30-45 minutes to complete, and is an entire sensory experience. The artistry and the storyline you work through as you play your nine holes of mini golf are amazing, and there are plenty of photo ops available. There are even a few jump scares that hilariously, my son fell for.
Shopping was next on our list of activities and we hit up the Mothman Museum gift shop, Counterpoint Cooperative, and of course, the Pt. Pleasant Trading Company. Since I had recently visited the museum, and the rest of the group had been multiple times, we chose not to go through on this trip, but we did buy some shirts and postcards. If you haven't been to the museum, it's not something you'll want to skip. You can spend hours there, browsing witness statements, movie paraphernalia, and watching the documentary films. This museum is an invaluable treasure to anyone interested in the Mothman story, and the history of Pt. Pleasant.
The Pt. Pleasant Trading Company is an experience in and of itself, as well. In addition to having plenty of Mothman memorabilia, other cryptids are not forgotten, and Bigfoot especially, has a wide representation here. There are plenty of photo ops scattered about, as well as a fortune-telling Bigfoot machine, where Bigfoot will give you some sage advice for the bargain price of $1.
Counterpoint Cooperative has some of the best stickers and t-shirts ever. Obviously, cryptid and paranormal lovers will find plenty of items they'd love, but Gen X or Millennials will be especially thrilled with some of the more nostalgic items. As an added bonus, the hallway at Counterpoint Cooperative is filled with 'haunted paintings' and even a framed photograph of the store's resident ghost.
I could do all my Christmas shopping in downtown Pt. Pleasant and find unique gifts for everyone on my list. I could also spend a ton of money on things for ME, as there were so many things I really would love to own. I had to budget myself, but I still walked away with a new Halloween shirt, some mini-figures, and a few new stickers.
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| Bigfoot Zoltar at Pt. Pleasant Trading Co |
We rounded out our day in Pt. Pleasant with one more stop. You can't go to Pt. Pleasant and NOT visit the old TNT area and the igloos. The last time all four of us (me, Luke, Larry, and Aaron) were out at the igloos together was 17+ years ago when I was pregnant with Luke! It had been kind of rainy earlier that week, so we only went out to the first open igloo. Per usual, we ran into other curiosity-seekers on the way in and out, chatted a second, and enjoyed just knowing that we were not the only ones making the pilgrimage.
By this time, we were all tired and ready to head back to Putnam County with all the goodies we bought throughout the day. We didn't find the real Mothman on our trip, but we found a community of like-minded individuals who work tirelessly to keep the legend alive, and to keep a small river town thriving. If you'd like to see more photos of this trip (and many others!), please follow me over on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State FaceBook.
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| TNT Area Igloo October 2026 |
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