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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Give Morgantown one full day plus a game night: downtown High Street, the PRT ride, Coopers Rock. Two nights is enough unless it is a WVU football weekend.
Morgantown is a college town on steep hills above the Monongahela River, home to West Virginia University and the state's biggest sports crowds. It works as a one- or two-night stop on an I-79/I-68 drive, or as a base for Coopers Rock State Forest and the high Alleghenies. Downtown is walkable; everything else needs a car, and the hills are steeper than the map suggests.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Morgantown, West Virginia
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (ice and steep roads); home-football Saturdays for hotel prices
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–190 excl. bed · High $190+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Sandwich or burger, casual lunch | $10–16 |
| Sit-down dinner, one main | $16–30 |
| Draft beer in a High Street bar | $5–8 |
| Mountain Line bus ride | $0.75–1.00 |
| WVU PRT ride | $0.50 |
| Rideshare, downtown to Evansdale | $8–14 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MGW · Morgantown Municipal Airport
- Small field with scheduled flights to Washington Dulles and Pittsburgh; about 15 min from downtown by car (check current routes)
- PIT · Pittsburgh International
- About 121 km north; the practical gateway, roughly 1 h 20 min by carAbout 75 mi north; the practical gateway, roughly 1 h 20 min by car
- IAD · Washington Dulles International
- About 320 km east; roughly 3 h 30 min by carAbout 200 mi east; roughly 3 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- PIT → Morgantown, by car
- about 121 km, 1 h 20 minabout 75 mi, 1 h 20 min
- Mountain Line bus, one ride
- $0.75–1.00
- WVU PRT, one trip
- $0.50, term-time only
Get around
Downtown is walkable, but the city is built on steep hills and a straight line on the map can mean a 60 m climb. Mountain Line buses run in and around town for a small fare and are free to WVU students. The WVU PRT links the downtown, Evansdale and health-sciences campuses on a dedicated 14 km track; it is a 1970s automated pod system and a ride in itself, but it runs on term-time schedules only and closes on university holidays and semester breaks. For Coopers Rock or Cheat Lake you need a car; rent at MGW or use Uber/Lyft and local taxis.Downtown is walkable, but the city is built on steep hills and a straight line on the map can mean a 60 m climb. Mountain Line buses run in and around town for a small fare and are free to WVU students. The WVU PRT links the downtown, Evansdale and health-sciences campuses on a dedicated 8.7 mi track; it is a 1970s automated pod system and a ride in itself, but it runs on term-time schedules only and closes on university holidays and semester breaks. For Coopers Rock or Cheat Lake you need a car; rent at MGW or use Uber/Lyft and local taxis.
See and do
Known for
- West Virginia University Mountaineers football and basketball
- Morgantown PRT (Personal Rapid Transit)
- Coopers Rock State Forest
- High Street restaurants and bars
- Glass and coal-mining museums
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coopers Rock State Forest | I-68 east to exit 10, then about 13 km of forest road; car onlyI-68 east to exit 10, then about 8.1 mi of forest road; car only | About 30 min from downtown |
| Fairmont, West Virginia | I-79 south, about 35 kmI-79 south, about 22 mi | About 30–35 min |
| Clarksburg, West Virginia | I-79 south, about 60 kmI-79 south, about 37 mi | About 45–50 min |
| Sutton, West Virginia | I-79 south then US-19 south, about 150 kmI-79 south then US-19 south, about 93 mi | About 2 h |
| Summersville | I-79 south then US-19 south, about 200 kmI-79 south then US-19 south, about 124 mi | About 2 h 45 min |
| Weston, West Virginia | I-79 south to exit 99, about 105 kmI-79 south to exit 99, about 65 mi | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / High Street
- Walk to restaurants, bars and the WVU downtown campus; the best base without a car.
- Evansdale / Suncrest
- Near the hospital and the Evansdale campus; chain hotels, free parking, 10–15 min drive downtown.
- Waterfront / Wharf District
- Riverside hotels by the Caperton Trail; quiet at night, 10 min walk to High Street.
- Westover and Granville
- Across the river or off I-79; cheaper rooms and big-box shopping, but you will drive everywhere.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the PRT station? | Where is the PRT station? |
| Is this seat taken? | Is this seat taken? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| How far is it on foot? | How far is it on foot? |
| Where can I park? | Where can I park? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Winter ice and steep grades: many side streets are hard to drive and harder to walk in January and February.
- Home football Saturdays fill every hotel in the county and double rates; book weeks ahead or pick another weekend.
- The PRT does not run on university holidays or during semester breaks: check the schedule before you plan a ride.
- Some museums are appointment-only; call or book before you go.
- Sales tax is added at the till, and 18–22% tipping is expected at sit-down restaurants.
Morgantown is a busy college town and generally safe by day and on game nights; the real risks are winter ice on steep streets, drink-fuelled late nights near High Street, and unlit riverfront trail sections after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Morgantown yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- West Virginia University Mountaineers football and basketball
- Morgantown PRT (Personal Rapid Transit)
- Coopers Rock State Forest
- High Street restaurants and bars
- Glass and coal-mining museums
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Mountaineer Country — official tourism site: visitmountaineercountry.com/
- WVU PRT — official: prt.wvu.edu/home
- Wikivoyage: Morgantown, revision 5293971 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5293971
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
MorgantownMorgantown, West Virginia
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Morgantown; consulates and embassies are in Washington, DC and New York. US visitors: your own consulate is not relevant here.
US tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/morgantown). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.