Wings are the things that bring people from all over the area to Drovers Inn at 1001 Washington Pike in Wellsburg.

When owners Mark and Karen Cooper bought Drovers in 1986, there was no food served at the Inn, Mark Cooper explained.

The couple instituted a five-item menu written on a chalkboard and one of the five items was wings.

"It slowly grew over the years," Cooper said, and Drovers now features a full menu including sandwiches and dinners.

Drovers was originally built in 1848 and completed in 1851 and served as an inn for overnight lodging and a stopping place for drovers who walked along on livestock drives.

About five years ago, the Coopers added a new section on the back to accommodate an additional 30 people. Tavern seating is available in the basement of the inn. A picnic shelter outside seats about 48 people, bringing the total seating available when the shelter can be used to 200.

Wings still are the big attraction at Drover's, which offers various levels of heat ranging from mild, to medium, hot, suicidal, atomic and "hurt me," with honey BBQ or mild garlic sauces available. Any sauce can be ordered Cajun.

Another favorite is the popular bison burger made of 100 percent bison meat.

Fries and toppings also are an area hit as diners can choose from steak fries or seasoned fries and fries with cheese, or chili and cheese or some even come up with their own fry and topping combinations, Cooper related.

Dinner choices include New York Strip steak, broiled orange roughy, breaded fantail shrimp and broasted half chicken.

In addition to the bison burger, diners can choose from meatball, steak, broasted chicken, grilled chicken or fish sandwiches.

Munchies also are a popular choice at Drovers. The munchie menu including chicken fingers and fries, chicken fries, shrimp basket, broasted chicken, broasted potato quarters, provolone sticks, hot pepper cheese balls, onion rings, breaded mushrooms or zucchini sticks, jalapeno poppers, deep fried pickles and deep fried ravioli.

Soups and salads also are available.

Frequent diners at Drovers can take advantage of the Frequent Diner Program. Each menu item comes with a certain number of points assigned to it, Cooper explained. Each time a diner earns 100 points, they are awarded 10 Drovers Dollars.

People who came to Drovers as children or college students now bring their spouses and children to Drovers, Cooper said.

Many people have asked him to consider opening other locations in other places, such as Columbus or Morgantown.

Drovers is open on Wednesday-Saturday from 5-11 p.m. and on Sundays from noon - 7 p.m.

More information and the complete menu can be found at www.droversinn.net.