Roanoke Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Roanoke[1], Virginia, called the "Star City of the South" and "Magic City," is a charming city with beautiful views. A colorfully lighted 100 ft. Star atop Mill Mountain graces the Roanoke Valley. The city is situated between Virginia Tech and Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia. The Roanoke Valley has a population of around 300,000.
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Get in
There is no train passenger service to Roanoke, but there is Greyhound service. There is an airport with service to Washington, Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and some other eastern seaboard cities. The airport is about 10 minutes from downtown and right next to the major city mall - Valley View Mall.
Roanoke is at exit 146 on I-81, about 40 minutes north-east of Blacksburg, 40 minutes south of Lexington. It is about 4 hours drive from Washington and 3 hours from Richmond
Get around
The city layout of Roanoke does not lend itself well to effective mass transit, and in fact most locals never use mass transit at all. The city does operate a fairly extensive bus system, Valley Metro, that serves most commonly-visited points in the valley. Valley Metro began operating a new bus service in 2004 called The Smart Way, which connects Blacksburg and the New River Valley with Roanoke.
The town of Blacksburg - a small college town not far from Roanoke - operates a far more effective mass transit system, Blacksburg Transit. Many students at Virginia Tech do not own a vehicle of their own and rely on the "BT" for their daily commute.
See
- Center in the Square [2] - Downtown. Roanoke's cultural center and musueum on the City Market.
- Explore Park[3]
- Hotel Roanoke [4] - The restored historic luxury hotel was given to Virginia Tech by the Norfolk Southern Rwy. A major conference center was added.
- Jefferson Center [5] - A restored luxurious historic peformance center.
- Mabry Mill
- Mill Mountain Star
- Mill Mountain Theater [6] - Downtown. In addition to professional performances, Mill Mountain Theater is also home to Roanoke's No Shame Theater - Friday nights at 11:00 PM.
- Mill Mountain Zoo[7]
- Roanoke Higher Education Center [8] - Across from Hotel Roanoke,the center is part of Virginia Tech. It was formerly the headquarters of the Norfolk & Western Railway.
- Roanoke Civic Center [9] - A major convention and exhibit facility with a performance center.
Do
- Boating
- Camping
- Clubs
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Holiday parades
- Movies
- Old Salem Day's
- Restaurants
- Fourth of July Fireworks
- Festivals
- Shopping
- Scenic drives
- Theater
- Virginia Tech Football
Buy
- Roanoke's City Market Shops & restaurants are featured in downtown Roanoke's city market.
- Tanglewood Mall I-581/220S at Franklin Rd., Roanoke.
- Valley View Mall A major shopping mall in the region featuring 130 stores and 4 anchors serving an estimated market of over 800,000 people, near the Roanoke Regional Airport at I-581 and Hershberger Rd., Roanoke.
Eat
Roanoke has many nice restaurants, some of the noteable ones are listed.
Budget
- CICI's Pizza Buffet Towers Mall
- Famous Anthony's
- K & W Cafeteria
- The Roanoker
Mid-Range
- Bridge Water Marina Restaurants & shops on Smith Mountain Lake.
- Grace's Pizza in Grandin Court, Roanoke.
- Home Place Restaurant[10] Catawba
- Mac & Bob's Salem.
- Mac & Maggies
- Macado's[11]
- Montano's Gourmet
- Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
- Billy's Ritz
Splurge
- 419 Club
- Bernard's Landing Smith Mountain Lake
- Carlo's Brazilian International Cuisine
- Frankie Rowlands
- Hotel Roanoke
Drink
The very popular Blue Dog is an exquistie white wine from the area's Chateau Morrissette Winery in the Meadows of Dan, on the Blud Ridge Parkway near Roanoke. Sold locally, Blue Dog Wine has an increasing market in the south eastern region.
Sleep
Budget
- Econolodge
Mid-Range
- AmeriSuites Near Valley View Mall.
- Comfort Suites Inn at Ridgewood Farm Across from Lewis Gale Hospital.
- Holiday Inn Tanglewood
Splurge
- Peaks of Otter Lodge Blue Ridge Parkway.
- Hotel Roanoke Historic luxury hotel & conferance center.
- Wyndham Hotel 2801 Hershberger Rd., Roanoke. Luxury hotel. Near the Airport.
- AmeriSuites - Valley View Mall [12] 5040 Valley View Boulevard, Roanoke.
Get out
- Appalachian Trail[13]
- Bernard's Landing - Smith Mountain Lake
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Bridge Water Marina - Smith Mountain Lake.
- Chateau Morrisette Winery[14]
- Mountain Lake Resort
- National D-Day Memorial Bedford.
- Natural Bridge
- Peaks of Otter Nearby lodge.
- Smith Mountain Lake[15] State Park & Public Beach.
- Virginia Tech Blacksburg.
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