You can get to Charleston, West Virginia by river, by rail, by air, or by one of three interstate highways. Once you arrive, however, you may find that West Virginia's capital city is best explored on foot. A few of my favorite Charleston walks are also markers of significant times in the city's history.

     "Joy is a taste before it's anything else," the poet Mary Oliver tells us. Charleston's history also begins with a taste: salt. Natural brine springs just to the east of what is now Charleston attracted animals, hunters, and settlers to the Kanawha Valley along a path that would become the James River and Kanawha Turnpike. Commercial salt wells were located in the area even before the town of Charleston was officially established in 1794, and no fewer than 57 such wells flourished during the next seven decades. For many years, in fact, Charleston was no more than a quiet suburb in which wealthy salt barons could escape the pollution their industry caused in nearby Kanawha Salines (present-day Malden).

     Flatbottom boats floated the salt along the wide Kanawha River to western markets, sometimes all the way to New Orleans. Nowadays tugboats push coal barges along the same waterway. You can walk alongside - if you run, you can almost keep up with them - on either the upper or lower sidewalk beside Kanawha Boulevard. There are some five miles of riverside walkway, an automobile-free ribbon of pavement for runners, walkers, and bicyclists. In early spring, flowering fruit trees and thousands of daffodils decorate the sloping riverbank. (If the slope appears almost unnaturally regular, that's because it is. The construction of Kanawha Boulevard in 1939-40 was considered one of the most ambitious waterfront projects of its time.)

      Sprawling Spring Hill Cemetery overlooks downtown Charleston from the north. With many large, old trees that are especially majestic in autumn, it is a beautiful place for a contemplative stroll; among the things one might contemplate is the town's Civil War history. On September 13, 1862, this hillside, then known as Cox's Hill, provided a perch from which much of the local citizenry watched the Battle of Charleston. Under the protective fluttering of a white flag fashioned from a lady's undergarment hoisted atop a martin nesting box, they watched Union General Joseph A.J. Lightburn's troops retreat toward the north while Confederate General W.W. Loring's forces moved in "to rescue the people from the despotism of the counterfeit state government imposed on you by northern bayonets." The so-called rescue was brief; Union troops quietly re-entered Charleston about six weeks later and remained for the duration of the war, by which time the town was part of a new state.

     On the other side of the Kanawha River is an often-overlooked public green space and my personal favorite of all Charleston walks, the old carriage trail constructed by Governor William MacCorkle to approach Sunrise, the stone mansion he built in 1905. Less than a mile in length, the gravel path (now closed to vehicles) climbs via several switchbacks through a surprisingly diverse forest that includes tulip poplar, oak, beech, buckeye, walnut, magnolia, paulownia, pawpaw, and many varieties of wildflowers. Near the bottom of the hill is a stone marker erected in memory of two women whose skeletal remains were found during the construction of the carriage road. Although the story has never been verified, MacCorkle believed that the two were Civil War spies who had been caught and executed. Further along is a small shrine dedicated to the memory of MacCorkle's daughter, Elizabeth. In all seasons, the carriage trail is blessed with the wistful grace of an abandoned garden.

     At the top of the trail, the governor's old home and its companion mansion, Torquilstone, now serve as Sunrise Museum, a favorite destination for residents and visitors of all ages. Torquilstone, on the south side of Myrtle Road, houses permanent and changing art exhibits, while the Sunrise mansion holds a lively, hands-on science center and planetarium.

     The MacCorkle mansions were built during a half-century building boom, from roughly 1890 to roughly 1940, that largely defined the eclectic architectural character of what is now Charleston's Historic Village District. When you make the short stroll along Capitol Street from Kanawha Boulevard to Washington Street, tip your head back - some of the city's best features are graceful architectural details far above eye level. Notable examples include the fanciful facade of the 1911 Union Building, where Capitol Street meets Kanawha Boulevard; the composite capitals and cornices on the 1915 Security Building (formerly Kanawha National Bank) at 102 Capitol Street; the sculptures above the arched entrance of the old Kanawha Banking and Trust Company at 107 Capitol Street; and the corner turret and conical cap of the 1891 Scott Building at the corner of Capitol and Fife streets. Also worth a look is the 1915 Masonic Temple at 820 Virginia Street, a delightfully ornate structure bedecked with dozens of intricate pinnacles and arches.

     Within the past few years, many of these historic buildings have been carefully restored to begin new lives as restaurants, bookstores, retail shops, condominiums, and professional offices. And if joy is a taste before it's anything else, Charleston's Village District will not disappoint: cappuccino, fresh-baked scones, homemade ice cream, baklava, and warm bagels are in plentiful supply. For more good eating, continue on Capitol Street to Capitol Market, at the intersection of Capitol and Smith streets. The city's bright new indoor/outdoor market has taken over three acres formerly occupied by a freight rail station built in 1905. In addition to a seasonal farmers market, you'll find a coffee bar, fish market, wine shop, butcher shop, cheese shop, bakeries, and specialty food shops.

     Not all of the impressive architecture is old. One of Charleston's newest structures, the massive federal courthouse completed in 1998, is also one of the most enjoyable to visit. Large public spaces on several floors include terrazzo floors with inset tiles of West Virginia's Blenko glass. The most dramatic feature of the courthouse is a 2,000-square-foot stained-glass installation by artist David Wilson. It is best viewed from inside the building, and well worth the walk through the metal detector at the building's front entrance on Virginia Street. The quilt-like pattern of mouth-blown antique glass changes with the time of day, season, and weather. And if the weather is inclement, one can still stroll in comfort: directly behind the courthouse is Town Center, one of the largest enclosed downtown shopping malls in the country.

     Another good walk in Charleston? Simply head east along Virginia or Quarrier Street until you reach West Virginia's capitol complex. Much of the area between Capitol Street and the state's capitol building is embraced by Charleston's East End Historical District, a quiet neighborhood of well-kept older homes in a variety of styles.

     From almost any spot in the East End, the most striking view is of the gold-leafed dome of West Virginia's capitol building, rising to 293 feet. Cass Gilbert designed the huge marble and stone structure, which was begun in 1924 and completed eight years later, two years before the architect's death. Tours are conducted every day except Sunday, but if you do not take a guided tour, be sure to look at the 4,000-pound chandelier in the rotunda, the gallery of governors' portraits along the east-west hallway, and the hand-carved replicas of West Virginia's state seal in the Senate meeting room and House of Delegates chamber.

     A complete tour of the capitol complex will also take you to the Governor's Mansion and to the Cultural Center, with its libraries and museums. If you visit on a Sunday afternoon, you may be lucky enough to join the live audience in the State Theater for Mountain Stage, the weekly music radio show produced by West Virginia Public Radio for Public Radio International. Stroll around the outdoor areas of the capitol complex to see a number of other artworks, including sculptor Joe Mullins' meditative Veterans Memorial.

     Two other good walking places are easily accessible by car. Kanawha State Forest, a few miles to the south of Charleston, offers 25 miles of trails, along with picnicking, swimming, horseback riding, camping, and seasonal hunting and fishing in specified areas. Coonskin Park, at the northern edge of town, has a short but very pretty hiking trail.

     When your feet are tired, a great place to sit down is Watt Powell Park, where you can watch the city's resident baseball team, the Charleston Alley Cats, a single-A farm club for the Kansas City Royals. The cheers of the fans mingle with the sounds of trains passing on the track nearby. Or you could catch a ride on the P.A. Denny, Charleston's own sternwheeler, which has been plying the Kanawha for almost 70 years.

     As for Malden, the industrial town that once dwarfed (and subsequently built) Charleston, it has not forgotten its salty origins, but is now a quaint and quiet village. Just a few miles east of Charleston, Malden boasts several historical and cultural attractions, including the historic African Zion Baptist Church, a replica of the Booker T. Washington homeplace, the 30-year-old quilting cooperative Cabin Creek Quilts, and - are you still wearing those comfortable shoes? - a walking tour of the historic town that will take you to the landing from which millions of bushels of salt were shipped.