Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Today is Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
#1 – From WV TOURISM – Get ready for fall in Almost Heaven
Cooler temperatures, country roads and those unmistakable West Virginia colors are right around the corner.
The West Virginia Department of Tourism has released its 2026 fall foliage projection map, helping travelers plan their autumn adventures across the Mountain State. And this year, the map will be updated weekly throughout the season to highlight the regions experiencing the best color.
There’s also a new way to explore.
The Almost Heaven Swing BINGO Challenge, or SWINGO, is back with a special fall edition. Travelers can visit nearly 60 Almost Heaven Swing locations, check in with their phones and complete their digital BINGO cards.
Get five spots in a row and earn an Almost Heaven Swing sticker. Complete the entire card and you’ll receive a fall-themed wooden Almost Heaven Swing picture frame.
Weekly foliage updates begin in mid-September, giving you plenty of reasons to hit the country roads this fall.
Read more:
https://wvtourism.com/fall/
#2 – From WDTV – Tourism Works tops 25,000 microcredentials
West Virginia’s growing tourism industry needs skilled people ready to welcome visitors.
And thousands of West Virginians are answering the call.
Since launching in March 2025, the state’s Tourism Works program has awarded more than 25,000 microcredentials and 1,000 college credit hours. More than 4,000 West Virginians have enrolled, including high school and college students, educators, tourism professionals and community residents.
The free, 12-module online program provides training in customer service, communication and tourism-specific skills. Participants can also prepare to become “Ask Me, I’m a Local” ambassadors in their communities.
Tourism supports more than 70,000 West Virginia jobs, roughly one in every 15 jobs statewide, with an estimated 21,000 tourism job openings each year.
Tourism Works is helping build the workforce to meet that opportunity.
#3 – From WV PRESS ASSOCIATION – Ohio County celebrates America 250 through art
West Virginia’s story is becoming part of America’s 250th birthday celebration.
Ohio County has unveiled a new six-foot-by-six-foot America 250 mural created by Wheeling artist Vondel Bell.
At its center is one of the region’s most recognizable landmarks, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Bell surrounded it with symbols of West Virginia, including a black bear, cardinal and coal car.
The county received a $5,000 tourism grant to commission the work. And rather than painting it permanently on a wall, Bell created the mural on a movable canvas so it can be displayed at different locations throughout Ohio County.
It currently hangs in Wheeling’s City-County Building, with plans to take the artwork to other locations in the future.
One artist. One county. And one colorful contribution to America’s 250th celebration.
Read more:
https://wvpress.org/breaking-news/ohio-county-unveils-vondel-bell-created-america-250-mural/
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty, and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.
That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.