Roanoke, Virginia, called the "Star City of the South" and "Magic City," is a charming city with beautiful views. A colorfully lit 100-ft star atop Mill Mountain graces the Roanoke Valley. The city sits between Virginia Tech and Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia. The Roanoke Valley had a population of around 315,000 in 2020.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (Roanoke CVB), 101 Shenandoah Avenue NE (follow signs from I-581), ☏ +1 540 342-6025. Open Daily. The official visitor resource of the Roanoke Valley in downtown Roanoke. Its centrally located and easy to get to. Stop and pick up a map, dining guide, event calendar and more.
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. The main transfer points in downtown are along Campbell Ave SW near 1st street. A trolley called The Star Line Trolley runs in downtown along South Jefferson Street between Campbell Ave SW and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital on the other side of the Roanoke River.
In addition to its other attractions, Downtown Roanoke has at least 2 great old restored and lit neon signs perched up on the roofs of buildings. One for Dr. Pepper and the other for H & C Coffee. Center in the Square (Downtown). Roanoke's cultural center and museum on the City Market. Explore Park. Open only for concerts and special occasions, Explore Park features houses and re-enactors from various periods in American history. Hotel Roanoke. The restored historic luxury hotel was given to Virginia Tech by the Norfolk Southern Rwy. A major conference center was added. O. Winston Link Museum, 101 Shenandoah Ave NE. In a former passenger rail station downtown.
Outdoor activities include hiking on the Appalachian Trail, boating, camping, and fishing. Other activities include: Old Salem Day's Virginia Tech Football Roanoke River Greenway - bike trail, also suitable for walking or running 5 Berglund Center. A major convention and exhibit facility with a performance center. Mill Mountain Theater (Downtown). In addition to professional performances, Mill Mountain Theater is also home to Roanoke's No Shame Theater - Friday nights at 11PM. This is open to any performance that is "original, five minutes or less, and doesn’t break anything – people, the space, or laws". Grandin Theatre. Locally owned theatre located in the Grandin Village area.
Roanoke has many nice restaurants, some of the notable ones are listed. Tazaa Restaurant, An amazing Indian Restaurant. Texas Tavern, (Roanoke's Millionares Club), (Downtown). Only seats 10, but also has a walk-up order window. Try the Cheesey Western and a bowl of chile. Renee's Restaurant, Washington Ave. in Vinton. New York Pizza, Hardy Road in Vinton. The Dogwood Restaurant, (downtown Vinton, about 5 minutes from downtown Roanoke), Home style cooked food. Alejandro's, (downtown Roanoke near the market), Tex-Mex cuisine. Bridge Water Marina, Smith Mountain Lake. Restaurants & shops. Fork in the Alley, Crystal Spring Ave. Brick oven pizza and draft beer. Grace's, Grandin Court.
Chateau Morrissette Winery (in the Meadows of Dan on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke). Produces the very popular Blue Dog, an exquisite white wine increasing in popularity.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Sep, Roanoke typically sees ~26°C daytime highs and 11 rainy days.
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