Mothman, according to legend, is a black humanoid creature with red eyes and large wings who was first spotted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia back in the late 1960s. The first official Mothman sighting was reported in 1966 by two couples who were chased by the flying monster, and the creature gained national attention after the book The Mothman Prophecies was published, which was eventually made into a movie.

So when you’re visiting West Virginia and a friend invites you to go on a Mothman tour, you say yes. While I in town, my friend Aaron and his family graciously offered to take us on a tour of several Mothman-related locations, culminating with a visit to the official Mothman Museum.

Our tour began with a trip to what is know as the TNT Area, located five miles north of Point Pleasant. Just a short walk from the paved road sit several abandoned concrete bunkers, originally used to store munitions back in World War II. The bunkers, open on a “enter at your own risk” basis, are covered in graffiti and an interesting part of history. They also happen to be where two young couples were hanging out when they first spotted Mothman on November 15, 1966. The four sped back to Point Pleasant at speeds approaching 100mph, claiming the creature kept up with them the entire way.

From there we made our way back to Point Pleasant proper, arriving at the official Mothman Museum just a few minutes later. Aaron and his family covered everyone’s admission to the museum, which was very kind. It was obvious upon entering Point Pleasant that the town has double-downed on the legend of Mothman, with both a museum and a large statue of the famous monster located right off Main Street downtown.

The museum contains just about everything you can think of related to Mothman. The displays begin with newspaper clippings from the 1960s and 70s that document the original sightings of Mothman. There’s a section about the TNT Area, and several mentions of the Men in Black, whom several witness say paid them a visit after reporting sightings of Mothman. There are also Mothman paintings, Mothman dioramas, and even the official Mothman costume which is worn during the annual Mothman festival and parade.

One of the biggest controversies surrounding Mothman is the collapse of Silver Bridge, which crossed the Ohio river and connected Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio. In December of 1967 the bridge collapsed during rush hour, sending dozens of cars crashing into the river and resulting in 46 deaths. It has been reported that Mothman was spotted near the bridge at that time, but opinions are divided as to whether Mothman caused the bridge to collapse or was there to warn people of the impending disaster. Regardless of which side you believe, the real takeaway here is that if you are approaching a bridge and see a large humanoid moth flying overhead, it would be best to find a different route.

After looking at all the memorabilia and movie props on display from the 2002 film, our group went to a Mexican restaurant located just down the street. The delicious food and cold margaritas really hit the spot. I had such a great time at the museum that as a way to say thanks to Aaron and his family I slipped the waitress my credit card toward the end of the meal and told her I would pick up everyone’s meal. A few moments later she returned my card to me with a confused look on her face and informed me that someone else already picked up the tab. At first we thought Mothman had bought us lunch, but it turned out that Petzel and his wife Erin, two of the other visitors who had also come on the tour, had sneakily picked up the bill faster than I could!

Next to the museum in the middle of an intersection is the Mothman statue, a 12-foot-tall metal sculpture that was installed in 2003. There are many traditions surrounding the statue, one of which is to slap its shiny metal butt for good luck.

Our final destination was a local ice cream parlor located right across the street from the restaurant. Luke, Aaron’s son, had the Mothman Sundae and (embarrassingly) beat me in a best-out-of-three Connect Four tournament at the table.

So there you have it, the Legend of Mothman. Thanks to Aaron, Teresa, and Luke for their all their generosity and hospitality. Teresa even hooked each of us up with small gift bags containing a Mothman candle, complete with shiny red eyes attached to the side. Also thanks to Petzel and his wife for lunch and for joining us on the tour, and John for driving a second car. I spent most of the day with one eye toward the sky looking for Mothman and and never caught a glimpse of him, but certainly had a great time seeing all the things at the Mothman Museum and around Point Pleasant.