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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 (75 mi) north; the practical gateway, roughly 1 h 20 min by carAbout 75 mi (121 km) north; the practical gateway, roughly 1 h 20 min by car
- IAD · Washington Dulles International
- About 320 km (200 mi) east; roughly 3 h 30 min by carAbout 200 mi (320 km) east; roughly 3 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- PIT → Morgantown, by car
- about 121 km (75 mi), 1 h 20 minabout 75 mi (121 km), 1 h 20 min
- Mountain Line bus, one ride
- $0.75–1.00
- WVU PRT, one trip
- $0.50, term-time only
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 (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.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 (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.
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 (8.1 mi) of forest road; car onlyI-68 east to exit 10, then about 8.1 mi (13 km) of forest road; car only | About 30 min from downtown |
| Fairmont, West Virginia | I-79 south, about 35 km (22 mi)I-79 south, about 22 mi (35 km) | About 30–35 min |
| Clarksburg, West Virginia | I-79 south, about 60 km (37 mi)I-79 south, about 37 mi (60 km) | About 45–50 min |
| Sutton, West Virginia | I-79 south then US-19 south, about 150 km (93 mi)I-79 south then US-19 south, about 93 mi (150 km) | About 2 h |
| Summersville | I-79 south then US-19 south, about 200 km (124 mi)I-79 south then US-19 south, about 124 mi (200 km) | About 2 h 45 min |
| Weston, West Virginia | I-79 south to exit 99, about 105 km (65 mi)I-79 south to exit 99, about 65 mi (105 km) | 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.