Locals call it the Jewel City, a nickname inherited from its founder Collis P. Huntington, the railroad magnate who established it in 1871 as the western terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Set on the south bank of the Ohio River, at the meeting point of three states, the city welcomes river boats at Harris Riverfront Park, a green amphitheatre opening onto the river, just a few streets from the shops.

A City Born of the Railroad

Everything here traces back to the railroad: the broad, ruler-straight avenues, the turn-of-the-20th-century storefronts, the station and the workshops that sustained generations of railway workers. The first streets can be explored on foot from the dock: Pullman Square, a modern plaza built on former railyard land, brings together restaurants and shops, while 4th Avenue lines up old theatres, including the Keith-Albee, a 1928 movie palace with an extravagant interior well worth a glance when its doors are open. Those who enjoy browsing for antiques should head further to Old Central City, the former antiques district, where shops cluster along 14th Street West.

The River, Ally and Adversary

The Ohio River built the city's fortune, then very nearly swept it away: the great flood of 1937 drove tens of thousands of residents from their homes and left scars still visible today. The floodwall built since then separates the low-lying neighbourhoods from the river, and Harris Riverfront Park, laid out on the water side, has given residents back the access to the shore they once lost. On summer evenings, concerts and gatherings take place here, facing the tugboats pushing their coal barges upriver.

Heritage Farm, the Memory of Appalachia

The most memorable excursion leads to the Heritage Farm Museum and Village, set in a wooded hollow south of the city. This recreated village of log cabins, barns, and workshops holds a remarkable collection of objects from Appalachian life: tools, quilts, stills, farm machinery. Artisans and guides tell of what life was like in these mountains before electricity. The site, West Virginia's first Smithsonian Affiliate, moves visitors with its sincerity more than many a grander museum.

Ritter Park and the Art Museum

South of downtown, Ritter Park stretches its lawns and trails alongside a creek, around a celebrated rose garden that blooms from late May until the first frost. On the neighbouring hill, the Huntington Museum of Art, the state's leading art museum, holds American paintings, regional glasswork, and a greenhouse of subtropical plants. The two combine easily into a peaceful half-day outing.

Marshall and the Memory of 1970

The city also moves to the rhythm of Marshall University and its Thundering Herd. In 1970, a plane crash claimed 75 lives, including nearly the entire football team; the campus memorial fountain, shut off each year on the anniversary of the tragedy, and the film We Are Marshall, brought wider attention to this story of grief and rebuilding that still binds the community together.

Getting Your Bearings

• Docking: Harris Riverfront Park, within walking distance of the shopping district.
• Pullman Square and 4th Avenue: 10 to 15 minutes on foot.
• Heritage Farm: about a fifteen-minute drive; by organized excursion.
• Ritter Park and the art museum: a few minutes by vehicle from downtown.

The River Resumes Its Course

On departure, the Ohio widens between its wooded hills, and the city slips gently behind, with its church spires and steel bridges. Huntington doesn't dazzle; it leaves an impression. Here, hands were shaken, stories of trains and floods were heard, and the stubborn pride of Appalachia was felt. It's the kind of stop people end up talking about more often than they expected.