Roanoke is an up and coming city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, filled with great museums, arts, great restaurants, brew pubs, shopping and tons of outdoor activities.
For years, Asheville, North Carolina has been a favorite city destination in the Blue Ridge Mountain region, noted for its beautiful surroundings, the Biltmore Estate, restaurants, and craft beer scene. I’ve been to Asheville several times, and highly recommend it, as it has just the right balance of progressive crunchiness and downhome ‘mom and pop’.
Another city in the Blue Ridge Mountains that is less likely to be on the radar for most people, but has many of the same attributes as Asheville, and well worth visiting is Roanoke, Virginia, also known as ‘Star City’.
Situated in southwest Virginia, off Interstate 81, and tucked in a valley surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, the growing Roanoke region has a population of 300,000 people. It’s the largest city in the western part of the state, and is about a four hour drive from Washington D.C. Roanoke was established in 1852 and was an important hub for both roads and rail. In fact, the ‘Great Wagon Road’ between Philadelphia and Roanoke was one of the most heavily traveled roads in 18th century America. Roanoke was also the headquarters of the Norfolk & Western Railway up until 1982, when it merged with the Southern Railway, creating Norfolk Southern.
Today, Roanoke is a retail and healthcare hub, and is known for its outdoor activities, including mountain biking, the famous Roanoke Star located atop Mill Mountain, the arts, and its quaint downtown filled with good restaurants, bars, a busy farmers market and several good museums. Roanoke was named one of the ten most bike-friendly areas in the U.S. by USA Today Travel, and the Blue Ridge has been named America’s East Coast Mountain Biking capital.
Will Roanoke become the next Asheville? It’s possible – I believe both the urban and outdoor amenities found there give it potential to eventually catch up to Asheville’s popularity. Below are some of the key points of interest, most of which I have visited on the various trips that I’ve taken to Roanoke.
Downtown Attractions
Roanoke City Market – The historic Roanoke City Market was established in 1882 and is the focal point for downtown Roanoke. The market includes dozens of vendors that offer produce, flowers, plants, meats, cheeses, baked goods and artisan hand crafted items. The City Market building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the center for the broader market district that includes restaurants, bars, shopping and a farmers market. Each entry to the market building welcomes visitors with mosaics, each with a different theme illustrating aspects and history of the market. The market is open year round, 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm.
Taubman Museum of Art – This museum is located in a contemporary building in downtown Roanoke and features over 2,000 works of art within 11 galleries, including 19th and 20th century American art, contemporary art, and decorative arts. The building was designed by Randall Stout, an architect who initially worked under the more famous Frank Gehry, and the building has a similar architectural style to many of Gehry’s buildings. A 77-foot tall glass peak is located in the atrium, which recalls the point of the Roanoke Star, and the undulating roofline, reflects the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Center in the Square – This multi-cultural complex is located downtown, and houses a professional theatre, planetarium, and museums showcasing history, science, and art. The facility opened in 1983 as a way to help revitalize the downtown area. It is housed in a converted feed and seed warehouse built in 1914. The facility includes the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, the Kids Square Children’s museum, the History Museum of Western Virginia, the Roanoke Pinball museum, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, and the Roanoke Starcade game arcade.
Virginia Museum of Transportation – Being a transportation planner, I really enjoyed my visit to this museum. Located just west of downtown, this expansive museum houses a large number of transportation related relics including steam locomotives, modern trains, automobiles and buses, and aviation exhibits. The museum is located within an old freight station, and also includes model trains, a trolley bus, buggies, and Jupiter Rocket, and a gift shop.
Across the street from the museum is the dog friendly Big Lick Brewing Company, a fun place to hang out afterwards. We actually spent a couple hours here on a busy weekend night, sitting in the outdoor patio area with our dog. Big Lick serves a variety of beers and seltzers, and food can be ordered / delivered from nearby restaurants.
Mill Mountain Park
Mill Mountain Park is located just south of downtown, across the Roanoke River. The park contains 568 acres with plenty of trails, a wildflower garden, scenic overlooks, and is home to major attractions, including the Roanoke Star / overlook, and the Mill Mountain Zoo.
The Roanoke Star sits atop Mill Mountain Park facing downtown Roanoke to the north, and is a great place to take in the view of the Roanoke Valley. It contains 2,000 feet of neon tubes, and was initially created in 1949 as a Christmas decoration, with plans to be dismantled the following year. However, the star’s popularity led to its permanent place on the mountain. Visitors can either drive up the steep road or hike up any of the numerous trails.
The Mill Mountain Zoo is located atop Mill Mountain, offering great views. The zoo hosts 85 animals including the endangered red panda and snow leopard, as well as red wolves and black bears. The zoo also contains an interactive aviary and a reptile house. The zoo is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm.
Roanoke River Greenway
The Roanoke River Greenway follows the meandering Roanoke River through the city and its suburbs, and includes over 13 miles of asphalt multi-use trails that traverse through parks, sports complexes, picnic areas, playgrounds, a sculpture park, a skate park, and exercise areas. The Roanoke River Greenway is just one part of the broader Roanoke Valley Greenways which include a multitude of trails throughout the entire valley.
Black Dog Salvage – Adjacent the Greenway is Black Dog Salvage, created in 1999 to provide a home for Southwestern Virginia’s architectural past, including original works from reclaimed materials stored within two warehouses. The larger is a huge 40,000 square foot warehouse containing thousands of relics such as architectural salvage, old house parts, custom upcycled designs, reproduction garden statuary, furniture paint, salvage inspired furniture, and décor. It also includes products from a wide range of merchants and artists who rent space in the warehouse. Black Dog Salvage is a great place to shop for unique gifts, souvenirs, apparel, dog gear, and gourmet market items. Black Dog Salvage was featured on the popular television show Salvage Dawgs on the DIY Network.
Grandin Village
Located about two miles west of downtown, Grandin Village is a historic neighborhood centered at Grandin Road and Memorial Avenue. The neighborhood was primarily constructed during the early 20th century, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. This mixed use urban village has a quaint business district that is home to a number of restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, antique shops, and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. While visiting the neighborhood, I stopped at the Scratch Biscuit Company and savored two huge delicious buttery biscuits, including one filled with fried apples, and another filled with thick ham.
Nearby Roanoke Attractions
Just outside of Roanoke is a plethora of nature comprised of mountains, rivers and waterfalls, accessed by scenic roadways and trails. The beautiful and scenic 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway meanders its way through the Blue Ridge Mountains and is operated by the National Park System. It can be accessed along the southeastern outskirts of Roanoke, from various interchanges. Known as American’s favorite drive, the spectacular beauty along the parkway can be captured all year long, but especially during Autumn, when the leaves show off their vibrant colors.
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are an hour north of Roanoke, and include trails and waterfalls, including one of the largest falls in Virginia, the 80 foot Falling Spring Falls. Thomas Jefferson described the Falling Spring Falls as a “remarkable cascade…falling over a rock about 200 feet to the valley below.”
Other magnificent waterfalls worth exploring include Apple Orchard Falls, Crabtree Falls, Statons Creek Falls, and Otter Lake Falls.
Just north of the forests is the luxurious Omni Homestead Resort and Spa located in Hot Springs, Virginia. This famous resort was originally built in 1766, taking advantage of the nearby mineral springs to improve the health of visitors. It sits on 2,000 acres and has been visited by 23 U.S. presidents, including Thomas Jefferson in 1818. The resort is set in a beautiful setting, and includes a golf course, ski area, tennis courts, spa, seven restaurants and swimming pools. We sat at the outdoor patio area of Jefferson’s Taproom, and had a delicious serving of southern style fried green tomatoes served with pimento cheese, tomato bacon jam and crispy prosciutto.
