Insider’s Guide to Real-World WV Locations in Fallout 76
Looking to explore the real-life Mountain State locations in Fallout® 76? You’ve come to the right place. Through an exclusive partnership with Bethesda Softworks®, we’ve got the inside scoop on all the West Virginia sites.
They’ve worked with us to create this interactive map to offer insight into the matchup between the fictional sites and real-world West Virginia attractions. This map will help you explore the six regions of Fallout® 76 to learn more about places like beautiful Dolly Sods and the spooky West Virginia State Penitentiary. As you explore the game, we hope you’ll also be planning your real-life tour of West Virginia.
To get you started, here’s a matchup of a few sites you’re seeing in the game that’ll be great places to stop on your real-world West Virginia adventure.
Fallout® 76 Location: Landview Lighthouse
Real-life WV Site: Summersville Lake Lighthouse
Located within Summersville Lake Retreat, you can climb 122 steps to the top of West Virginia’s only working lighthouse. The lighthouse stands 104 feet tall with a top elevation of 2,164 feet above sea level. Visitors who climb up to the gallery deck are rewarded with a magnificent 360-degree view of Summersville Lake and the Gauley Ridge National Recreation Area.
Fallout® 76 Location: Palace of the Winding Path
Real-life WV Site: Palace of Gold
The Palace of Gold located in New Vrindaban was built in 1973 and has been called “America’s Taj Mahal”. Guided tours of the palace are available where you have the opportunity to explore the palace’s incredible beauty. From incredible architecture, original artworks to antiques this tour will truly amaze you.
Fallout® 76 Location: Berkeley Springs West
Real-life WV Site: Berkeley Springs State Park
Berkeley Springs State Park is located in the center of Berkeley Springs, W.V. Long before the first Europeans discovered the warm waters of Berkeley Springs, it was already a famous health mecca that attracted Indians from the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada and the Great Lakes to the Carolinas. Since the bathhouse first opened in 1930, thousands have enjoyed the variety of baths and treatments in the warm mineral waters that flow from the springs at a constant temperature of 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fallout® 76 Location: Prickett’s Fort
Real-life WV Site: Prickett’s Fort
Prickett’s Fort State Park is a 188-acre state park near the confluence of Prickett’s Creek and the Monongahela River. The park features a reconstructed fort and commemorates life on the frontier during the late 18th century. The original fort was constructed in 1774 to provide early settlers protection from Native American attacks.
Fallout® 76 Location: Beckley Mine Exhibit
Real-life WV Site: Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine
Dig deep into West Virginia coal culture at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and load into a man car and roll along the rails down into what was once an operating underground mine. The guides are veteran miners and provide firsthand accounts of the daily responsibilities and travail of past and present-day miners. In addition to the Coal Mine Tour, enjoy the Coal Camp, which includes a restored coal camp house, miner’s shanty, church, school and more.
Fallout® 76 Location: Big Bend Tunnel East
Real-life WV: Big Bend Tunnel
Known as the place where John Henry defeated the steam drill, becoming one of the world’s greatest folk heroes. It is the longest tunnel on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. At the tunnel’s entrance in Talcott, you’ll find a life-sized statue of John Henry wielding the sledgehammer that won him the battle against the machine.
Fallout® 76 Location: The Whitespring Resort
Real-life WV: The Greenbrier Resort
The Greenbrier Resort has earned national recognition numerous times for its world class amenities, which means you can find this White Sulphur Springs staple in Fallout® 76. It’s hard to say if all 11,000 acres made it into the game, but in real life you can enjoy all the beautiful mountains, test your luck at the on-site casino, hit the green on the golf course and enjoy the many restaurants. A once-secret cold war bunker is also worth a look too. The “Whitespring Resort” in the game is in dire need of new coats of white paint, but otherwise, still carries its elegance.
Fallout® 76 Location: Charleston Capitol Building
Real-life WV: West Virginia State Capitol Building
The iconic golden dome of the West Virginia State Capitol building in Charleston is unmistakable in the game. The building is 292 feet tall, making it four and a half feet taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C. You can take guided tours of the building and the West Virginia State Capitol Complex to learn more about the history of this charming city.
Fallout® 76 Location: Woodburn Hall
Real-life WV: Woodburn Hall
Woodburn Hall was constructed between 1874 and 1876 and was first known as University Hall at West Virginia University. In Fallout® 76, the building retains most of its historic architecture and design – with the addition of a statue of the Vault Boy mascot in front.
Fallout® 76 Location: Fort Defiance
Real-life WV: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Aslyum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston served as a sanctuary for the mentally ill in the mid-1800s., and it retains most of its details in Fallout® 76 as “Fort Defiance.” Today, you can tour the retired facility and learn about its roots to the Civil War raids, a gold robbery, the “curative” effects of architecture and more. Tours include museum rooms, overnight ghost hunts, nighttime paranormal tours, festivals flashlight tours, photo tours and a haunted house.
This post was last updated on September 27, 2023