Elkhorn Inn & Theater - Northfork, West Virginia

Anne G.

The Elkhorn Inn provides a perfect resting stop to experience all the area attractions: train watching, hiking, trout fishing, ATV riding, and more. Dan and Elisse provide their guests with wildly spectacular service throughout the stay. Dan and Elisse greeted us, showed us our rooms (including beautiful quilts!) and shared a glass of wine and wonderful conversation our first night. Dan showed us where to fly fish along the creek running behind the property, even coming down to point out the perfect spots to catch trout! Elisse and Dan were excellent history-tellers of the area, giving a guided tour of the small museum at the Inn, which also includes local and international art. We took their suggestions on day-trips during out stay and were not disappointed. I cannot recommend Dan and Elisse as hosts more exuberantly - they made our stay a success simply because of their friendliness, conversation skills, and willingness to go the extra mile to make our stay wonderful.

Cindy Y.

I have stayed at the Elkhorn Inn 3 times, had wonderful Chef Dan meals, attended two special events at the Inn that were great fun with fabulous food, so I decided to go back with my boyfriend. The owner made it so romantic. Although it was June they lit the fireplace and had wine for us. Chef Dan made a wonderful candlelit meal. We brought the motorcycle and fishing poles. The ride through the mountains was so beautiful. My guest room was clean and cozy. I can't wait to go back.

Sally H.

We spent a week exploring and photographing the small towns in West Virginia and heard this was a 'must-stay' when in McDowell County. It was very convenient to where we were photographing and we loved being able to return each evening for a terrific meal by Chef Dan. (Note: Dinner was $55/person and we brought our own wine. Seems a bit pricey) You get a real sense of history and there's a great art collection in the Inn - including several photographs by Builder Levy. Elisse warned us when we arrived that because it is old, we would see dirt and bugs. We did but we really didn't mind because we value personality over perfection. Therefore I gave it a 4.

Gayle T.

We enjoyed our time here with Dan and his animals. He has two friendly cats and two dogs. We did not get to pet the dogs but loved the cats, Caramel and Butterscotch. Dan is very friendly and so easy to visit with at breakfast. You get a muffin, coffee, juice and cereal. It was a good way to start the day. He was in the Army so knows a lot of history.|Our room was No. 8 and the bed was comfy and we had a claw foot tub and a large bathroom. He provided bottled water and clean towels as needed. If you like coal country and railroads, this is an excellent place to stay.

Kathleen P.

I have stayed here several times and found it to be very nice. The accommodations are comfortable and clean and the food - the food is out of this world GREAT! It is the best place to stay in the region. Motorcyclists, ATV riders, railroad enthusiatists, history buffs, fly fishermen, and FOODIES will find this the perfect place to stay.

I recently returned for their Mark Twain Weekend. It was wonderful. The meals were all based on Mark Twain's writings about foods he enjoyed. "Mark Twain" was there the entire weekend speaking and reading and making it an event worth going to. Looking forward to the next one that I understand is coming soon.

In October 2018, Elkhorn Inn & Theater brought Mark Twain back to McDowell County for another presentation - different from last year's visit. This year, we were also treated to have the pleasure of the company of General Thomas J Jackson (aka Stonewall). Given the opportunity to ask him about any of his campaigns, the Valley campaign was chosen and he told about it in detail. Once again, the meals were wonderfully delicious with the added enjoyment of dining with Mark Twain or General Jackson's Aide de Campe, Major Riley. Once again, an excellent weekend and a great value.

Kathleen P.

My friend and I went to the Elkhorn Inn & Theater for the Mark Twain Weekend offered Oct 27-29, 2017. It was well worth the trip and the price. Mark Twain was "ON" from Friday afternoon to Sunday check-out. He gave readings, talks, and answered questions. He had his meals with us and it was meals with Mark Twain - the conversation was awesome. The meals were gourmet - and planned per Mark Twain writings of favorite foods. The Elkhorn Inn & Theater is very comfortable and has several lovely guest lounges. If one is a rail fan, THIS is your place as the trains run directly across the highway and they have a 24-hour railcam set up for watching the trains from your computer (but nothing is like actually being there).

KS C.

Pros- The front porch is a great place for watching trains, many all day and all night. A crossroads is nearby so there is a lot of whistle-blowing. This is a train watchers dream, since the trains are less than one hundred feet from the inn. ||The bed was comfortable, though I wish it had been a queen since there were two of us. The room was not big enough for a queen, so we sacrificed a queen bed for a private bathroom. Free Wifi was strong, much improved over a previous visit.||||Cons- Inn is only feet from a heavily traveled road, so there is a lot of truck traffic and road noise, which annoys me, even though train traffic does not. ||The room was not clean. All surfaces needed dusting- dresser, bookcase, window sills. The rug and floor needed vacuuming. By the second day, I decided that I needed to keep my shoes on in the room as my socks were getting brown. The walls were quite dirty and needed painting or at least vacuumed clean. I realize that old sculpted plaster collects dust, but you have to deal with what you have when you buy a place like this. ||Also the bathroom was not clean. Bath mats did not appear clean or swept. If they were clean, they should be thrown out because of their appearance. The bathtub had to be cleaned before we used it the first time. The soaps and shampoo are drying to the skin---take your own. ||Breakfast is coffee, juice, banana, cereal and store-bought muffin. Prepackaged food is probably better however, since the cat likes to sleep on the dining table.||Lastly and most obvious, when you walk in the door you smell dirty DOGS. An inn should not smell unpleasant. Did their dogs need baths? The room where the dogs stay needs some serious attention to cleaning. The door was left open once and I was aghast! ||We are not high maintenance, but come on, people are paying for this! The owners need to get a cleaning service to deep clean the whole inn if they are unable to do it themselves. The outside needs serious repair also. Bricks, gutters, windows need repair, paint. This was our second visit and nothing had changed since the first visit, years ago. The charm is hidden under all the dust, clutter, odors and years of neglect. ||||You have to drive a ways for a place to eat and scenery. If you want a clean, comfortable place to stay, drive to another part of the state, as nothing else is around here. We have enjoyed our time there simply for the trains. I would not accept this as a place to stay if it were not unique to the train tracks.

Kathleen P.

Elkhorn Inn & Theater brought a literary icon and a most famous Military man to McDowell County recently. If you loved the books of Mark Twain this was your weekend! We breakfasted with Mark Twain both mornings as well as dinner (a delicious dinner of some of Mark Twain's favorite foods) with Mark Twain on Friday. Friday evening and Saturday morning were spent with Mr. Twain giving readings and talking about his life and answering questions. He then excused himself to catch up on his correspondence. Saturday afternoon we had the pleasure of meeting General Thomas J. Jackson (aka Stonewall) who told us about the battles he was asked about. His Aide de Campe, Major Riley joined us for dinner since the General did not partake of the foods that were served - our lushious dinner was not the usual fare for the General. With comfortable rooms, EXCELLENT food, and most informative entertainment, this weekend was an excellent value and informative.