Mystery Hole

I feel bad for the low reviews for not having a sense of fun/humor. It’s a cool place that is just really unique to see in this area of WV. We stopped by on our roadtrip from Ohio and thought it was worth the stop. The tour is pretty quick but you gotta approach it with an open mind. While the $10 may be steep for some people, it was still fun to see what the owners could come up with. Everyone that worked there was very nice and I feel like keeping your phones in the car isn’t the worst thing to ask when it comes to a place like this. Tons of cool things to take pictures outside of anyways. Check it out, have some fun with the mystery side of things and just enjoy it for what it is: a unique attraction.

This is clearly a very popular attraction. The wait to get in was 45 minutes... and they were about sold out for the day. I highly recommend buying tickets ahead of time.

If you’re looking for something astounding and overwhelming, with lots of bells and whistles, this probably isn’t the place for you. If you’re looking for a campy roadside stop that’s reminiscent of 70s-ish roadside attractions and souvenirs of yesteryear, then you’ll enjoy The Mystery Hole. Adults looking to be professionally entertained should probably move along; but adults with kids should definitely swing through and enjoy The Mystery Hole for what it is: optical illusions, silly humor, and the things of the simple life of yesteryear. You won’t find flash or bang, but you will find lighthearted fun and humor, and decent illusions! Everyone there was super welcoming and nice, and the guy who gave the tour made it fun! It was a total of $18 for me and my 9 year old granddaughter to go through the 15-20 minute tour, which might seem a little much…but as soon as we were coming out of the hole and she looked at me and said, “I want to do it again!”, it made it worth every penny…so we went through it a second time! Enjoy it for what it is and you won’t be disappointed!

UPDATE 9/25: They opened up, but I'm guessing only for season. Yes, it's a kitchie little side road attraction. No, the tour didn't last long. Is it smoking mirrors... Yes. However with all that said, I am so glad I was able to go. I highly recommend this fun little tourist trap! 2025: I only gave it to one star because it's still not open. I would really love to be able to go to this place as it looks so cool & most of the prior reviews of people who are actually able to go were good.

The tour was so fun! Our guide knew just how to work the crowd. There are a lot of souvenirs and cool things to take home from your adventure! The hours are limited, we weren't able to attend last year, but they seemed better staffed today!

I have been to The Mystery Hole about ten times. Many of those trips were when I was anywhere from 6 years old to 12 years old. I loved it then and I love it now. So did all three of our young boys at our last visit. The Mystery Hole is an odd and unique roadside attraction that has survived for over fifty years.....with hardly any changes. So when you visit, take it for exactly what it is, what it has been, and what it will always be. Take this advice and you will not be disappointed.

It's exactly what you'd expect in the middle of nowhere in the mountain. We never entered but that's because it was cash only. I think the sign said anywhere from $10-15 for adult entry per person and appeared to not have an ATM on site. I would love to try to go again so I can actually see this mysterious water, but travelers beware of needing cash though!

This place is great! I love how they don’t allow phones. It keeps it a mystery and honestly adds to the fun! Highly recommend going! They accept cards, but bring the card, not your phones tap to pay. I strongly disagree with the bad reviews. These people were so nice and the guide was funny.

Many people have said the same thing, but if you go, just go ahead and leave your phone in the car and enjoy the show. Smoke and mirrors? Yup. Sideshow vibe? Check. Campy, silly, harmless fun? Also true. The outside does have a lovely view of the gorge and looks exactly as a roadside attraction should! Absolutely worth the price of admission!

We decided to stop here on our way to the beach, we were making stops along the way to our halfway point. We started along the river and made it to this spot on our way to Hawk's Nest overlook. You cannot take your phone or camera inside with you. It was an old school style roadside attraction with some characters to say the least. You purchase tickets and wait for your tour guide. It was wacky and unique and not sure what other words to say... Definitely a one and done but everyone should experience it

The only people giving this place bad reviews are the ones who don't know how to have fun! If you're a fun hearted person, this is a must stop. It has a great view of the gorge, as well.

An absolute tourist trap? YES! But worth it? Also, yes! Don't bother bringing anything in (ie phones, bags, purses) just leave them in your car or in one of the lockers they priced. Trust me, you don't want anything that is loose. For less than $10 per person, it's worth the "trap". They do a fine job of building up suspense and creating humor. It's not high quality, but for 15 mins and $10-its worth it to just be able to say you've done it. Make sure you double check their opening days/time. My only issue with the entire attraction was the abundance of confederate flag paraphernalia, including actual flags themselves. In 2022, this is just unacceptable and the items should be removed immediately.

It's worth a visit. It has a weird funny twist. If your easily offended don't stop. They are open and honest people. Yes it's cheesy, but but fun. I saw a comment about being rude, yes many rude people have visited and they warn you ahead of time to be nice or leave. Critics should stay away too! I've been there 6 times taking family and friends, different backgrounds and they thought it was worth the stop. I say give it a go!

I went to the mystery hole in 2011 and I, not my friends have stopped thinking or talking about it since. it is quintessential Appalachian tourism, small business based on local lore. we are headed there again next weekend and I can't wait!

WARNING!! DONT DO IT!! The only mystery is how they remain open. This place is a complete scam & every advertisement is completely false. They don't allow photography because it would ruin their business by showing the truth that this is a complete sham & a dump!! This is nothing more than a home made poorly made back yard fun house put together with discarded garbage. There's a poorly painted 3d funhouse without 3d glasses .. one fun house mirror..3 creepy ass women mannequins ..LOTS of trash and old taxidermy animals. This is the majority of the "hole" and most has absolutely nothing to do with anything and finally you enter the "mystery room" It's just a room with hanging balls, log & a extremely extremely nasty duck-tapped two seater couch they try to make u sit on.. the room is very small and just built to make you feel off center nothing special.. Full tour for 2 was $20 and lasted roughly 5-10 minutes. The staff/owners have signs everywhere that are extremely rude, off putting and unwelcoming. I gave benefit thinking someone did something stupid to cause such signage to be necessary but NO the rules are to protect their roadside scam. Me and my spouse were extremely pissed about this ripoff and now we're on our way to our hotel to scrub our skin off with Lysol and hand sanitizer!!

It's a fun distraction when you're on a trip. The gift shop lacks variety, but we still managed to spend a lot of money there. It wasn't as cool and weird as I as hoping for.

This hole is so mysterious! It's not really that mysterious but what can you expect on the side of a West Virginia road for $7. It is a good time though. I went in with no idea what to expect and I was impressed. Honestly I did not understand how all of it worked right away. They did a good job with it. I recommend it if you have kids with you as you could definitely convince them that it was extremely mysterious. It is also air conditioned inside the mystery hole.

My husband and I just visited Memorial Day during our sightseeing in Hawks Nest. This place is a fun nostalgic throw back. We enjoyed it and had a fun time watching the kids reaction to the mystery.

It's mysterious. Follow the rules, (no cameras, small kids) or don't buy a ticket. Seriously- just relax and enjoy the show, if you are looking for an elaborate attraction this is not it, but slightly off the beaten path and fun, yes. Just relax and enjoy the show.

This is by far the worst "kids friendly" attraction i've ever experienced. Not only was our guide extremely mean and rude, but the place itself is repugnant. Inside is very dirty, warn, tiny, outright repulsive. Do not waste you're hard earned money for something so belittling.

I would give a negative 5 if I could. I was very disappointed with the staff. A puppy ran up to us and they told us to let it go so it could get run over. They were very hateful. I would never go back or recommend it.

Great fun. Not many road side attractions left, this one definitely has the "it" factor.

The couple that owns this place has been running the Mystery Hole since 1998. The previous owner passed on the secret to them before he passed away. The tour lasts a short 10 minutes but we thought it was worth the drive. You enter a room where the Law of Gravity doesn't seem to explain everything. Your feet are planted on the ground but you're pulled sideways?? Hard to explain. You have to experience it yourself. Admission is $6.

Awesome funny little place, a bit out in the windy woods, excellent tour, wonderful guide made it really worth the while! Cute gift shop, sadly they weren't offering the in-tour photos like I'd seen others post. No biggie! Lots of cool views outside!

Automatic 4 stars for the name alone - but they earned that fifth one themselves. In the midst of all the scenic grandeur surrounding the New River Gorge, you have this old-school tourist trap completely at odds with its surroundings. And I think it's that that makes this place even more ridiculous and fun. You'll be there for less than 30 minutes. A guide will escort you through the structure that is the Mystery Hole, which will have a few oohs & ahhs moments, a quick surprise or two, and then the moment when you learn that everything you learned in school is wrong. All I can say for the latter is, make sure your pants pockets are empty before embarking on the tour. No photos or recording devices are allowed on the tour, nor are you supposed to describe what you've seen. And you'll want to follow that, because not only are you supposed to, but think about it - this place defies several principal concepts of life as it is - you don't want to stir those spirits up, kid.

Don't waste your hard earned cash on this place. The gentleman (which you cannot call him this, by any stretch, more like an angry little insignificant man that is bitter about his wasted life, that he takes it out on women and children) was inappropriately verbally aggressively towards my sister, that we actually thought he was joking. What made this little man go on a power trip with so much southern charm.. she told him she couldn't stand where he wanted as we had a large group filled with several large men all over the 6'4" that took up a lot of room and were stepping on my sister, my mom and myself while trying to do what the little man said. My sister was trying to be courteous to our mother who had just recently just had foot surgery and her husband who was in a walking cast. There was no balance issues just a space issue. Being that this person is a tiny little man he probably didn't realize that big men take up space and continued to be rude to my sister when she was trying to explain the issue to the man. Than my nephew being a normal teenager forgot to take his cell phone out of his pocket. The entire 10 minutes of being part of this little mans "show". He was in front of the little man the entire time, he never once gave him a hard time and was generally interested in what the rude little man was saying and showing to our group. As soon as the man thought that no one was paying attention to my nephew he started belittle my nephew for having a cell phone on him, he never once had the phone out. Matter of a fact my nephew was genuinely confused when this man started to belittle him about his phone as he had forgotten he had it. Than when we complained to the women in the front she was also extremely rude, stating that we it was our fault that the man was rude because we shouldn't be on a tour with balance issues. Rather than practicing her listening skills this women shut us out as she was to busy waiting to argue and point out that the rules were broken. (It's against the rules to have poor balance to participate at this waste of time.) Once again not a balance but space issue. We also had 2 small children with us that he completely ignored, this is what this place is for, children! This joke of a place is extremely small and has no point, it's like walking into a teenagers room from the 70's.

Terribly disrespectful tour guide. He called me a dumba** behind my back and straight to my fiance's face two times and refused us entry after we had bought tickets. All over me accidentally bringing a cell phone. I was on my way to put it back in my vehicle when it happened. I will never come back here again. That man was extremely rude to a couple just trying to have an entertaining experience...

Unexpected visit. We were driving in the mountains and notice around the corner a VW bug stuck in a building. You have to stop and take a look. Great for families.

Unfortunately I felt that this was a waste of $7.00. The tour is only about 10 minutes long and in one room that is built slanted to provide the illusion of strange gravity and induce a feeling of vertigo. The kids in our group really loved it but we expected a lot more tricks and there is nothing interactive at all.

The mystery is real! Enjoyable stop, glorious waste of $7. Highly recommended. Beware though, the vertigo warning is real. I'd add that if you're someone who suffers from motion sickness to be wary. It's a terrific way to break up a drive in the country, and an enjoyable reminder of days past when places like this were all over.

The guy who runs this place is a complete jerk. Before going on our tour, two of the guys in our group were asked to take their phones to the car. So while they ran back to the car to put their phones away, he called for all tickets and would not wait for them to return, a two minute ask. Slightly creepy to isolate the females in the group and refuse to wait on the men that he just asked to leave. He said if we weren't ready to go without them we could just go get a refund - not even wait for the next tour that would start in 15 minutes. We simply weren't allowed in. Do not go here. Not worth the time or the money and the people are so rude. Specifically the man who runs it who was so abrasive in pressuring us - very aggressive. If this business was anywhere else in the world, it would be out of business.

The tour guide called me fat because I had my phone in my pocket. But regardless of that, it's objectively a waste of time and money. All the "tricks" could be performed by anyone with a kindergarten education.

Classic American roadside attraction. Cheesy, tacky, corny, authentic and as a result utterly brilliant. Take it for what it's worth, a couple of minutes distraction for a few bucks. BTW the secret is most certainly witchcraft.

My family of 4 went to the Mystery Hole. I thought it was kitschy and cute, but the rest of the family thought it was just meh. They would have preferred to spend our time elsewhere. I would not say you shouldn't go because there are loads of fun photo opportunities outside. However recognize unless you love cheesiness, it may not be for you.

Tour guide was especially rude. They wanted us to take our cell phones back to our car in the middle of a rain storm, and wouldn't let my wife in kids past the entry to get out of the storm even though we had already paid. Very unprofessional and unpleasant person. Can't believe a tourist attraction can stay in business with that kind of attitude, especially a cheesy roadside one. They lost my 60 bucks.

I don't usually post bad reviews as I realize this is someone's livelihood BUT this was a very terrible experience! Bad customer service, extremely rude staff! So bad that we got a refund and left! Spent our money elsewhere and actually had the time of our lives. Save your money and go to Ace Adventures and spend the WHOLE day having fun instead of 15 minutes of cheesiness and getting degraded!

So we've already established the fact I was a chubby kid. Not so much fat, just squishy and fun. It wasn't until I was a teen did I discover sports as exercise but before that I was all about discovery in my imagination. I guess this is the origins of my fascination with UFOs, aliens, Tom Cruise and anything else that pertains to the unexplained. I think I want to be one of those people who live in the house that looks like a dog or a space ship. I want people to frown and crinkle their noses by the smell of petroli oil emanating out of my dog eye windows as they and their drone friends walk by. Whatever the case may be, I live in a "regular" home and own a dog as a pet and not to live inside. I think one of the beauty's about living where I do is that you're pretty much an hour from anything... in this case about 3 hours but the drive is so easy that time passes fast. Wanting to enjoy a sunny fall weekend we set out to WV to enjoy bridge day at the New River Gorge but while there I set my sights on discovery of the weird.... Mystery Hole. For some the name triggers some bizarre college flashbacks but for me it triggers serotonin production. It's hard to describe what you will see and feel once inside the mystery hole but all I can say is it's breathtaking and magical and sure to amaze. See for yourself the things that go against what you thought was textbook fact. Sometimes the best things in life are not what you expect. Grubs~