Jennifer Garner celebrates her love for West Virginia

Jennifer Garner is a proud West Virginian. The actress was born in Houston, Texas, but spent her childhood and teenage years in West Virginia. To celebrate the state’s 161st birthday, Garner shared an adorable video on Instagram encouraging her followers to visit and showcasing some of the best things to do in the state.

The film shows Garner driving through West Virginia, happy and excited to be home, with Gracie Abrams’ “Close To You” playing in the background. “Happy birthday West Virginia!” she captioned the clip. “Yay West Virginia!”

Garner visited some tourist attractions and her favorite places, including Taylor Books, the baseball stadium, and many natural sights with hills, green spaces, and the state’s beautiful architecture. “One of my favorite places in Charleston, West Virginia!” she says, wearing a blue sweater. “Capitol Market! My mom always says they sell the best hot dogs in Charleston.”

“West Virginia is 161 years young today, my favorite place with my favorite people,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Drive through and explore for a day or two – it’s so beautiful you may never want to leave.”

Garner has long spoken openly about her love for West Virginia

Jennifer Garner has long been open about her love for West Virginia, a place where some of her family members still live. In an interview with Southern Living, Garner revealed that she still visits the place often. “I’m happy anywhere in the state,” she said. “There’s nothing better.”

She has also said that she needs to instill the values ​​she learned from her family and her youth in her children, even if they grow up in Los Angeles. “It’s really important for my kids to see that not everyone lives the life they see in Los Angeles,” she said. “That doesn’t reflect the rest of the world. I want them to grow up with the Southern values ​​that I had — watching people greet you and stopping and smelling the roses. If I could do that half as well as my mom did, I’d be pretty happy.”