White Sulphur Springs is coming back better than ever.
written by SUSAN JOHNSON
photographed by NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS
Growing up in White Sulphur Springs in the 1970s, Fred Giggenbach rode his bicycle to school and the ball parks. He and his five siblings explored the creeks in town and the mountains nearby. The town thrived.
Now 55 and semi-retired after 25 years of public service, Giggenbach still practices law, dabbles in real estate, and enjoys life in the town that raised him. He rides his mountain bike whether he’s picking up mail at the post office or exploring the Greenbrier River Trail.
Like so many small-town natives, Giggenbach saw his flourishing hometown shrink to nearly a ghost town by the end of the century. While the famous 19th century Greenbrier resort, built around the springs that give the town its name, thrived, the town itself declined.
But today, White Sulphur Springs is experiencing a dramatic renaissance. “The flood of 2016 was a turning point,” Giggenbach explains as he drives around town pointing out various attractions. “Former city mayors Lloyd Haynes and Bruce Bowling and philanthropists played integral roles in bringing the town back to life.” Natives near and far and new investors have revitalized the city in ways Giggenbach and others could never have imagined.
What’s Here
A large driver of the renaissance has been the development surrounding The Schoolhouse Hotel. The city once used the old school building as a civic center, but it became too expensive to maintain. New York developer Charlie Hammerman bought the building at public auction. He transformed it into an ADA-accessible boutique hotel, complete with restaurant and rooftop bar. The Schoolhouse Hotel opened in 2022.
At the same time, a large swath of boarded up storefronts began coming back to life. Ace Hardware is now a hub of activity. Beside it, Across the Board offers families a place to play board games, and there’s a dance studio just up the street. Then came the eateries. In addition to The Schoolhouse Hotel’s Varsity Club, there’s Tootsie’s Place, a coffee shop and bakery that opened during the pandemic. There’s Max on Main for pizza, steaks, and pasta, and Gustard’s Bistro, with 5-star entrees, all within blocks of each other. “Walkability is our greatest asset.”
Residents of The Greenbrier Sporting Club—where second homes can cost $9 million—help fuel the local food scene, and upscale Greenbrier establishments aren’t the only beneficiaries. Route 60 American Grill on Main Street doesn’t look like much, Giggenbach says, “but you will see Mercedes Benzes, Audis, and Volvos parked outside with local pickup trucks.” Locals line up at The Lunch Box for handmade sandwiches, salads, and soups and The Cake Box for sweets. April’s Pizzeria is a favorite for casual fare.
An eclectic assortment of retailers has sprung up, too. White Sulphur has an acupuncturist, a yarn shop, an art gallery, a museum, an Amish market, and maker spaces where you can create stained glass, pottery, or welded art. Gillespie’s Flowers and Productions is a longtime favorite florist and gift shop. A nearby salt cave offers a therapeutic underground experience. And Barnwood Living, the themed retail shop owned and operated by Mark Bowe of Barnwood Builders fame, draws many out-of-state visitors. His crew repurposes the wood from old log cabins and barns into beautiful new homes—and now you can book a stay at Barnwood Village, a cluster of tiny cabins the crew has built in White Sulphur.
What ’s Near
For Giggenbach, what makes White Sulphur different from nearby Lewisburg is the abundance of outdoor recreation.
White Sulphur Springs has been home to a federal fish hatchery for over 100 years. You can drop a line into any of the creeks running through town and hope for a trout—or book a fishing trip with local guides at Mountain Water Adventures. Kids can learn to fish at nearby Lake Tuckahoe. New outdoor recreation businesses like Greenbrier Off-road Adventures stay busy. Each year the city hosts the Freshwater Folk Festival, with fishing competitions and vendors for outdoor recreation, and the West Virginia Dandelion Festival is a yearly favorite.
Then there are the mountains. This city of about 2,400 is nestled between Kate’s Mountain and Greenbrier Mountain and abuts the Monongahela National Forest and Greenbrier State Forest. “You can literally step right out and into the woods or take a short drive to the nearby highly touted 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail,” says Giggenbach, an avid outdoorsman.
Why Stay
As early as 1778, people began visiting the mineral springs here for health and relaxation. The original resort hotel was built in the 1850s and, after the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway came through in 1869, it bought the resort property in 1910. “Old White” brought prosperity to the town and region.
The Greenbrier is still the leading employer, but White Sulphur Springs is so much more than the resort. A state-of-the-art bourbon barrel factory nearby provides manufacturing jobs. And White Sulphur is a Mon Forest Town, part of a cooperative that markets the communities within the Monongahela National Forest.
These days, Amtrak stops alongside the C&O’s charming circa 1930 Colonial Revival–style depot. Travelers can board Amtrak’s Cardinal line, which runs between New York and Chicago via Washington, D.C.
The city that began as an attraction to wealthy vacationers remains a great place to raise kids. “Housing is affordable,” Giggenbach explains. “We have a very low crime rate, and our parks and athletic facilities are top-notch.” White Sulphur is the only town in Greenbrier County with a municipal pool and adjacent wellness center. Beside that is a meticulously maintained football field, walking track, and baseball, T-ball, and softball fields. The elementary school Giggenbach’s children attended decades ago recently won a $14 million dollar grant for improvements and expansion. Giggenbach notes with a smile: “Where else in America can kids still ride their bikes to school?”
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S SUMMER 2025 ISSUE
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