Have you ever heard of the Mothman Legend? Throwing it back to our visit to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. A small town with a BIG legend right here in the USA! There was even a movie made about it, called The Mothman Propehcies (2002) starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney.
We had a fun time visiting the world’s only Mothman Museum and exploring downtown Point Pleasant, West Virginia. If you visit the Mothman Museum you can check out some of the props from the movie as well as real newspaper clippings of the sightings, eyewitness stories and more!
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This is an excellent example of dark tourism which we like to incorporate on our travels whenever possible. It’s fun to explore something different and unusual.
I was a teenager when I first heard about the mysterious Mothman. My sister and I watched the movie, The Mothman Prophecies dozens of times when we were younger and I really wanted to visit Point Pleasant, West Virginia – the Mothman’s stomping grounds.
So, when the opportunity came on one of our road trips, we took a quick detour to explore and learn about West Virginia’s most famous folklore.
The Mothman and Silver Bridge
In a nutshell, the Mothman is a large, winged creature reportedly seen in Point Pleasant from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967. Supernatural events occurred around the times of his sighting. He was never seen again after the devastating collapse of the town’s suspension bridge called Silver Bridge. It connected traffic over the Ohio River from Point Pleasant, West Virginia to Gallipolis, Ohio on U.S. Route 35.
It collapsed under the weight of rush hour traffic in December 15, 1967 killing 46 people with two victims still missing. Today a new bridge stands over the Ohio River and is named Silver Memorial Bridge. It was an eerie feeling driving over it on our way in and out of town.
Main Street
Besides visiting the town to satisfy your curiosity of the Mothman, Point Pleasant is a nice escape for at least a day if you can. We spent a few hours in the Main Street area visiting the Mothman Museum and popping in and out of the local shops, including the antique store called Mason Jar where there were so many cute things to buy! For lunch, we grabbed a bite to eat at Rio Bravo 2, a great spot for Mexican food.
Point Pleasant Riverfront Park
This was our last stop before hitting the road to go home. It’s a scenic riverfront of the Ohio River where you can take a stroll or sit and relax while overlooking the river. If you visit, don’t forget to look at the historical murals about the Battle of Point Pleasant along the floodwall.
Where have you visited that is considered dark tourism? Comment below and share this post!
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