About Us

Welcome Center History

The Elkins Depot Welcome Center is located within the historic Western Maryland Railroad depot in downtown Elkins, WV. This non-profit, volunteer-based organization was founded in 2006 and serves visitors and community members in Elkins and Randolph County. The Welcome Center celebrated its 14-year anniversary in 2020, with over 496,000 visitors having walked through the Welcome Center doors since 2006. Aside from providing visitors with information on train rides, theaters, museums, recreational activities, shopping and historical sites, the Welcome Center hosts the Ramps & Rail Festival annually on the last Saturday of April.

In 2018, the Elkins-Randolph County Tourism Convention and Visitors Bureau, which falls under the Elkins Depot Welcome Center, was established. Both the Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB and the Elkins Depot Welcome Center strive to provide visitors with a welcoming experience to our city, county, and region. Visit elkinsrandolphwv.com for more information on Randolph County. In 2019, as a recognition of our excellence in the tourism industry, we became an accredited CVB through the West Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

Built in 1908 by the Western Maryland Railway Company, this depot is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival style train station, with a broad hip roof, large overhangs, and timber brackets. The depot played a pivotal role in Elkins as a hub for booming coal and lumber industries. Today, this historic railroad depot is home to the Elkins Depot Welcome Center and the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad.

Mission Statement

To promote Elkins, Randolph County, and the surrounding area with the purpose of increasing economic vitality for local retail establishments, restaurants, services, lodging, and entities related to tourism recreation while offering excellent service to our visitors through the Welcome Center’s well-trained staff and volunteers.

Operations 

The Elkins Depot Welcome Center, CVB Inc. dba Elkins-Randolph County Tourism Convention and Visitors Bureau is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. The CVB is governed by a 15-member board of directors, made up of funding partners from various sectors of the county’s tourism industry. Funding comes from the City of Elkins and Randolph County hotel/motel tax. Daily operations of the CVB and Welcome Center are managed by 3 full-time staff and more than a dozen volunteers.