Appalachian Wireless Arena
Nestled in the gentle mountains of southeastern Kentucky, between Louisville and the Virginia state line, you'll find the city of Pikeville. It's not a big city, sporting a population of just under 7,000. However, Pikeville doesn't let its size stand in the way of big events.
The Appalachian Wireless Arena opened its doors in October 2005. Offering a venue for sporting and entertainment events, the Center has seating for 7,000 - the entire population of Pikeville could fill the seats!
Though it's located in a relatively small town, there's nothing small about the entertainment it offers. Entertainers such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Hank Williams, Jr., Dwight Yoakam and Ricky Skaggs, and Disney Live shows, have performed at the Appalachian Wireless Arena. Sporting events include indoor arena football, soccer matches and even an exhibition by the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Eastern Kentucky Expo hosts not only music concerts, but trade events and business conferences as well. The Expo Center hosts a variety of entertainment venues, from Monster Truck events to Sesame Street Live and the Lipizzaner Stallions.
The Expo Center has served as host for regional high school tournaments and Mid-South Conference College Basketball tournaments.
The Appalachian Wireless Arena's arena will seat 7,000 at maximum capacity. It includes a floor arena area and three levels for seating - event level, main concourse level and upper level.
One of Pikeville's biggest claims to fame is its involvement in a part of the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud. The graves of the McCoy patriarch, Randall McCoy, along with his wife and daughter, are in a hillside cemetery overlooking the town.
In the early 1820s, there was a plan to build a new county seat near the mouth of the Russell Fork River. People living in the area didn't approve of the idea, but reached a compromise when a local farmer named Elijah Adkins donated land on which to locate a new county seat. The town of Pike was born in 1824. The name was later changed to Piketon, and incorporated under that name in 1848. It was then changed to Pikeville in 1859.
Begun in 1973 and completed in 1987, the Pikeville Cut-Through added about 150 acres to the area immediately west of downtown. This alleviated traffic congestion and flooding by rerouting the Levisa Fork River. All this poised Pikeville to flourish and it has.
While you're in town, be sure to experience the White Lightning Zipline at Bob Amos Park to the south of town. You'll find accommodations available all over town within walking distance of the Expo Center. Pikeville Historic Mansion Bed and Breakfast is a great example and only two short blocks away.
The Appalachian Wireless Arena is a popular host for a variety of venues. Locals craving more shows can make the two-hour drive to Charleston, West Virginia, to see live concerts at the Charleston Civic Center.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed one of the largest civil engineering projects found in the Western Hemisphere in the Pikeville Cut-Through, giving rise to the city's nickname, "The City That Moves Mountains."