What to do In and Around Roanoke, Virginia

We met my family in Roanoke, Virginia for a weekend trip in mid-October. It was beautiful! Given our short amount of time, we made sure to hit the big ticket items.

A Little History

Fortunately for us, the first big ticket item was our accommodation for the weekend. Built in 1882, Hotel Roanoke is on the National Registry of Historic Places. This tutor-style hotel was built by railroad magnate, Fredrick J. Kimball, to be the centerpiece of the town and a place of respite in between train switches. In the early 1990s, the hotel was sold to the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation. A multi million dollar public and privately funded renovation took place on Hotel Roanoke. An antique filled lobby and original Czech-made chandeliers are a nod to the past while a high tech conference center and modern amenities bring the hotel to current day.

The Regency Room was also restored as part of the renovation. We had a delightful dinner. There was laughter, live music, dancing, the best server, and wonderful food, including the famous peanut soup.

Road Trip: Floyd, Mabry Mill, and Blue Ridge Parkway

We took a road trip the next day to visit surrounding towns. Our first stop was Floyd, Virginia, which is situated along the Blue Ridge Plateau. Floyd is a stop on the heritage music trail (The Crooked Road) with their Friday night jamboree at the Floyd Country Store. While we did not get to experience the famous jamboree, we did hear some very good live music while shopping around the store. (There is also a restaurant and an attached Ice Cream Parlor.) Floyd also boasted several cute shops, an outdoor market, and a record store.

Off of the Blue Ridge Parkway (the first and longest rural parkway in America), Mabry Mill is a popular stop for good reason. While I am certain it is beautiful in all seasons (rhododendron grow wild along the road!), I would guess that autumn is its true time to shine. There were family photos being taken along with a lot of iPhone snaps throughout the property.

At the turn of the century (1905), the Mabry’s started to build a gristmill (where corn is ground) with the help of Newton Hilton. A few years later, they added a sawmill and then a blacksmith shop. Around 1920, the Mabry’s built a house on the property. While no longer there, the Matthews house (donated in 1956) gives visitors an idea of a 19th century home.

While we were there to see the mill, there apparently is also a restaurant and gift shop on the property that would be fun for next time.

We found the below plaque while wandering around Mabry Mill. The short story is this: Through the “Buy a Bomber” campaign that funded World War II efforts, “students from Grand Rapids, Michigan sold over $300,000 in United States War Bonds and War Stamps to buy the plane….” They named it The Spirit of South High. Eighteen months later, it crashed in a field near Mabry Mill in 1944. Fortunately, all crew members survived the crash.

We took the Blue Ridge Parkway back to hotel and then R and I ventured into downtown Roanoke for a happy hour drink at Three Notched Brewing Company before dinner with the rest of the family at The Regency Room.

Downtown Roanoke

Downtown Roanoke is a sweet, manageable city. There are several breweries and restaurants. We were able to take a covered walkway over the train tracks from our hotel to the downtown area. The beer at Three Notched Brewing Company was very good. We also had brunch at Scrambled the next day and would recommend this restaurant as well. When we were walking around Roanoke, many of the stores were closed so we just window shopped. It was really cute!

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

R and I were solo the following day with our flight leaving at 8:10pm. Hiking the Appalachian Trail and specifically hiking to McAfee Knob quickly rose to the top of our list. The parking lot was a quick 15 minute drive from our hotel. Many websites warned of the small parking lot but we lucked out and got a spot. The beginning of our hike led us through a lovely forest with leaves changing to their autumn glow. The ground was a bit uneven and hiking boots would have definitely been a good idea. We had read that round trip to McAfee Knob and back would take about 4-6 hours. Naturally, we set out to do it in less. It did, however, take us about 3 and a half hours.