driving through virginia...need suggestions along the 81 (Roanoke, Harrisonburg: home, school)

[foxywench]

im planning an april road trip to tn thats going to bring me through virginia along the 81.

and i need food stops.

ive alreayd got my camp sites picked out (ill be primitive/dispersed camping)

im planning on making a stop in harrisonburg which is about half way between our first overnight in PA and our second overnight in the Paint Bank area for a lunch break/stretch legs.

so where should we stop for lunch in the harrisonburg area? is there anything that we need to make time to see while in harrisonburg?

in terms of food were looking for a diner type something something, cheap prices, local flavor, easy to get to...
i have a limited diet, fried is not doable for me...
and we can go to wendies anywhere so no classic fast food spots...

i was looking at the harrisonburg tourist website and this far am liking the looks of:
cluckers snack shack
jess quick lunch
pennybackers
but we are open to any local diners ect too.

we will be camping that night at steel bridge campground (rt 18) so would also need a grocery stop easy on/off the highway (either in harrisonburg or closer to the campground) to pick up stuff for dinner and breakfast the next morning.
and if anyones familiar with steel bridge campground, any input there would be great too. (again we are expecting PRIMITIVE camping) lol

the next day of our trip will be taking us into roanoke, ive been given a formal invitation from mill mountain zoo (i worked as a zoo keeper and one of my old collegues works for mill mountain now)
after a morning at the zoo were planning on grabbing lunch in roanoke and stopping by the city market to pick up stuff to make dinner.

so need again cheap "local" options for a lunch stop plus any suggestions from the city market.

that night we will be spending at north creek campground and from thier info i see they do have firepit grills, which is what prompted the idea of picking up some yummies from the city market or dinner.
any thoughts?

our next day takes us out of va into TN.

at the end of the trip we will be heading back through virginia along the same route...
ive been told that i need to make a trip through floyd, it adds an extra hour to the drive but aparently is beautiful...anywhere in floyd worth a lunch stop (and a grocery store?)

our last night in VA on the way home im plannong on camping at cave mountain lake campgrounds in the natural bridge station area...
any thoughts on this camp ground.

im particularly interested in if the site is well treed, i like private campsites and my tend is a hammock tent so i need 2 trees to hang it from lol.

im so excited about this...
itll be me and my sister and while im an experienced camper this will be my first road trip., trying to do this as cheap as possible while getting in as much of the beautiful veiws and "local culture" as possible.
this is also a scouting trip for my move next year and the western side of virginia along with eastern TN are both on my "list" of places to escape to. so...

thanks in advance for any input.

[46Barb]

I was going to suggest maybe making some snacks, sandwiches, etc. and take them along in a cooler so you can just stop at a nice rest stop and enjoy a picnic lunch. This would help save some money and you'll know what you're eating.

[Scott94]

If you have time, I would definitely try to take a drive through Floyd, it's a really beautiful place. For a lunch stop in Floyd, I would recommend the 'Blue Ridge Restaurant'. It has great home style cooking and is pretty much right in the middle of town. Every time we are up that way, we stop there. And for your grocery shopping, there is a Food Lion that is just a few blocks away from there.

Good luck and have fun on your trip!

[roanoker 4]

I noticed you were stopping at north creek campgound. That is about as primitive as I have ever seen. A lot of hunters hang out there during hunting season because that area of the mountain is a bear hang-out. When we camped there 2 bears came up to the camp overnight. If you see one just don't startle them! If you come into Roanoke at the city market area I don't know how cheaply food will be. There are some nice restaurants there which have lunch specials, especially Alejandros. I guess April may be too early for many
campground openings. Enjoy your trip!

[TN Lily]

Jess' Lunch in Harrisonburg is known for its hotdogs. They are grilled. It is a place with lots of fried foods.
If you want to avoid fried foods, avoid this place.

Try The Little Grill in Harrisonburg. It has vegan, vegetarian and meat options.
When we left Harrisonburg to move to central VA, this is one of the places I miss.

[zugor]

Hi FW

I can agree that you might want to check out Floyd at some point. There is a rather nice campground in Floyd that opens April 15th, a Friday if you are traveling in the mid to later part of the month.

Daddy Rabbit's Campground - Blue Ridge Directory

Google maps puts the trip from the zoo to the campground (2105 Union School Rd, Floyd, 24091) via the Blue Ridge Parkway (a beautiful route) at 1 hr 17 minutes, about 50 miles. That would enable you to continue in your general direction of heading toward TN, rather than back up I-81 to the North Creek campground.

Sending you a dm with a bit more info and a few ideas.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by TN Lily

Jess' Lunch in Harrisonburg is known for its hotdogs. They are grilled. It is a place with lots of fried foods.
If you want to avoid fried foods, avoid this place.

Try The Little Grill in Harrisonburg. It has vegan, vegetarian and meat options.
When we left Harrisonburg to move to central VA, this is one of the places I miss.

I'm a JMU Graduate, and I can assure you that "The Burgh" is a great city, and Jess' Quick Lunch is in a league of it's own. Just take 33W towards the Court Square. Spanky's is great sandwiches, not sure they survived, though.