Important things to do/see while in Roanoke? (Salem, Franklin: for sale, hotel)

[rednblue]

I read the posts about Roanoke and surrounding areas almost daily and appreciate the time and helpful information given by so many. I'm hoping someone won't mind giving a few suggestions that may have been given in previous posts.

My husband, 17 year old son and I will be visiting the area for a long weekend to get a feel for the area. We want to move next summer if things work out. We'll be arriving this Thursday afternoon and will stay until Sunday. We're going to camp at Smith Mountain Lake for at least part of the time, as we love the outdoors-fishing especially.

We plan to look around at the towns surrounding Roanoke, visit the Farmer's Market in Roanoke and catch some live music in Floyd. I'm aware of the Blues and BBQ event going on in downtown Roanoke and an outdoor jazz thing in Salem and will pick one of these to attend.

Does anyone have any other suggestions of interesting/important things to do and see while we're there? Any great places to eat? Any spectacular views that we shouldn't miss? Any suggestions of some indoor things we might do if it rains? Speaking of rain, does the area get a lot of rain in the summer?

Thanks for any and all input, Judy

[roanoker 4]

If you are visiting the lake area, take a riverboat ride on the Va. Dare for
sightseeing cruise and they also have a dinner cruise. The boat ride gives you a feel for that area. Visit downtown Roanoke's museums(art, transportation, Link train museum). The market area is interesting with lots of shops, outdoor type restaurants. Drive north on the Blue Ridge Pkway to Peaks of Otter Lodge, walk the trails and peaceful surroundings. On weekends, there is a great buffet at the restaurant with views. Also see Natural Bridge and Lexington(civil war central). South of Roanoke on the pkway there is a Chauteau Morrisette Winery and Mabry Mill. If you like old
historic farm houses, there is a beautiful restaurant called The Homeplace near Salem which is open mostly on weekends. You must drive over a mountain to get there but the scenery is worth the trip. If it rains, go to the museums, Valley View Mall, etc. We typically have thunderstorms in the afternoon, so far very little. The Roanoke area has lots of outdoor activities for another trip, plus the City is becoming more diverse as well. When you arrive stop at the Visitor Center(the old passenger train station next to Hotel Roanoke). Have a nice trip!!

[Upstate Dave]

When my wife & I visited last summer, we did the Farmers Market, drove around different neighborhoods, and drove to the Mill Mountain Star, (nice view, too bad the local kids have defaced the lookout a little). Our purpose for driving around the neighborhoods was to get a feel for the housing styles and various amenities like sidewalks, libraries, parks, traffic, trees, etc.

We also stayed at SML S.P. camping in a tent, which wasn't as much fun as other campgrounds. That particular campground is really set up for trailers & RV's. The tent area was not very large or well designed. Nice beach though.

Good luck!

[rednblue]

Roanoker4,

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I thought about a cruise around the lake a while ago and forgot about it, so I'm glad you refreshed my memory. The other suggestions were things I hadn't thought about-we'll be sure to do several of them. Glad to know about the Visitor's Center also. I'm sure it will save us time in the long run. I assume it's in downtown Roanoke.

Upstate Dave,

Thanks for your input. We are also staying at the tent area at Smith Mountain Lake. There was nothing else available when I called. Do you know of any other parks that have better facilities? Most of the campgrounds I've found on line don't seem to have showers and bathrooms-something I'm not willing to do without. Claytor Lake State Park looks nice, but I'm afraid it's too far away from where we want to be.

I noticed that you're from Rochester. I live outside of Erie, Pa, a beautiful place to be for about 4 months out of the year. We get about 100" of lake effect snow a year in the snow belt, where I live. I can't stand the thought of another winter!

Judy

[Stevedawg]

Two Suggestions:

1. Go to the Market Building Downtown and have lunch.

2. Take a little drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike the Appalachian Trail.

[Upstate Dave]

Originally Posted by judy lindberg

Upstate Dave,

Thanks for your input. We are also staying at the tent area at Smith Mountain Lake. There was nothing else available when I called. Do you know of any other parks that have better facilities? Most of the campgrounds I've found on line don't seem to have showers and bathrooms-something I'm not willing to do without. Claytor Lake State Park looks nice, but I'm afraid it's too far away from where we want to be.

I noticed that you're from Rochester. I live outside of Erie, Pa, a beautiful place to be for about 4 months out of the year. We get about 100" of lake effect snow a year in the snow belt, where I live. I can't stand the thought of another winter!

Judy

Winter is so not fun anymore! Lake effect! Gah!

I'm not sure about any other campgrounds nearby... maybe someone else can chime in. The SML campground is OK.... and you may have the area to yourselves, or not. It's just the sites are kinda close to each other. The bathhouse is clean so that's a plus. It did take some time (30 -45 minutes minimum) to get to Roanoke from SML SP, so any other campground wouldn't be any worse off.

[rednblue]

Stevedawg,

Thanks for the tips. Are there any particular restaurants in the Market building you'd recommend? Also, is there a particular place to enter the trail, or are they all equally beautiful?

[seanpecor]

It's a wee farther but I'd recommend the Fairystone Lake State Park campgrounds. They have group tent areas and lakeshore rustic cabins as well (with all the conveniences). The beach is great and some distance out on a concrete deck they have a diving board and huge slide:



I think it's set up a bit better than SML's park, in my opinion. We're in Boones Mill, just south of Roanoke and we're 45-50 minutes from Fairystone and an hour from SML's state park on the Bedford County side. Both parks are about 1 hour from downtown Roanoke.

You're welcome to visit our horse farm while you're sightseeing (Oak Hill Stables of Virginia, a Roanoke Area Horse Farm). Just email me (sean@digitalspinner.com) if you'd like to visit on your way to one of your local destinations. The view from our front patio is quite something! I don't know if it's something you shouldn't miss but hey, you might stop by and decide to buy one of the lots for sale in the new development (Cahas Green) you can plainly see on the webcam in it's early stages



Hope this helps!

Sean

[rednblue]

Thanks Sean. I think I'll call in the morning and see about switching my reservation. Do you have any idea if there's good fishing around there? We're bringing hip boots and would like to be able to fish small rivers & streams.

I always look forward to reading your posts. They're so informative and full of personality. In fact, many of the things we plan to do are a result of some of your suggestions-including visiting Floyd, Rocky Mount, Boone's Mill and Salem and spending some time at the Market Building in Roanoke. I found a neat little restaurant in Floyd and hope to catch some live music there too. I wish we were going to be there for Floydfest-it sounds like something I'd really enjoy. My husband and son seem to think we're driving 8 hours for some fishing, but I've got lots more on the itinerary.

I'd love to see your horse farm, but I'm not sure exactly when we'd be going through. My husband is going to talk with some potential employers in your general area on Friday. I'm not sure about the timing though. Maybe I'll try calling the number on your website if that would be okay. I sure appreciate the offer.

Judy

[seanpecor]

With regard to fishing in the Fairystone area, here are some links:

Fairy Stone State Park

(Pigg River)
Franklin County Parks & Recreation - Waid Park

I don't fish, I wish I could be more help in this regard!

Sean