Life Outside Fall 2017 - 38

arrive at one of the many overlooks, and hop out to
catch the sunset. If you happen to be in Lexington
in the fall or winter, you may get to experience one
of the most vibrant sunsets of your life-maybe it's
the way the sun filters through the haze of the Blue
Ridge mountains, or maybe it's just the clear, fresh
air, but something about sunsets in Lexington are
almost magical.
And, if you're still looking for more outside,
consider the various trails off the parkway and the
Appalachian Trail, which parallels to roadway for
several miles in the area.

LEXINGTON & THE ROCKBRIDGE AREA TOURISM / STEVE SHIRES

Restaurants

AWHEEL
The Blue Ridge Parkway is just
one of the roadways in the
county with great bicycling.

the alpaca farm in CrimpHaven (crimphaven.com), or
stop by the Virginia Safari Park (virginiasafaripark.
com).
While you're in the animal-lover mood, there's
a beautiful place to go trail riding at Windhorse
Farm on Galloping Lane (lexingtonvirginia.com/
directory/attractions/wind-horse-farm). The owner
of the farm has 450 acres of farmland and trails in
the Shenandoah Valley, and offers reasonable prices
by appointment. She works with all levels of riders,
from no experience to advanced, and offers riding
lessons as well as guided trail rides.
For those more interested in touring the town,
contact the Lexington Carriage Company to schedule
a private carriage ride through the historic streets
of Lexington. (lexcarriage.com/).

Blue Ridge Parkway
To reflect on your day, roll your windows down
and take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway
(blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=760). Lexington
boasts one of the prettiest stretches of the scenic
drive. Wind around mountain middles until you

38

Fall 2017 \\ LifeOutside Magazine

If you're looking for some food more substantial
than fruit to satisfy your active lifestyle, visit one of
the many restaurants in town. Like the hikes in the
area, all the restaurants are worth trying, and most
vary in atmosphere.
* The Palms has a casual, Friday-night-football feel,
and its mouthwatering burgers are prepared in many
ways (thepalmslexington.com/).
* For those who feel like getting fancy after a grimy
day outside, make a reservation at the Southern
Inn-it's the place in town to take someone when
you're ready to go steady, so you may be entertained
by nervous couples on their first big date. Try the
Southern Fried Chicken (southerninn.com/).
* The Bistro on Main and Haywood's rival in
preparing the best salmon, but Haywood's does have
live piano most evenings (thegeorges.com/haywoods/).
* Macado's is similar to The Palms, but is a little
more casual with a little more fried food, and Taps
is a nice place to order drinks and a few appetizers
(thegeorges.com/taps/).
* There are also some more casual dinner options,
such as Mano Taqueria on Nelson St., and Matsumoto
Sushi. Most of the restaurants are on Main St., but
several are on Nelson St., which branches off of Main.
For dessert there are at least two great options
-gelato at Pronto (also on Main St.), or homemade
ice cream served in homemade waffle cones at Sweet
Things, on W. Washington St. You'll burn off any extra
calories on tomorrow's adventure.

Drive-in Theater and Star Gazing
Roll into Hull's Drive-In after dark (hullsdrivein.
com). Climb onto your car's rooftop and enjoy a
combination of a feel-good movie and the night
sky of stars. Since Lexington is such a small town,
there aren't many bright lights left on at night, and
you can see several extra layers of stars.
When it's time to head home, fill up your car
at the gas station by Pure Eats, and grab a box of
homemade donuts for the drive home (pure-eats.
com). They are one-of-a-kind and will help you
savor and save the memories of your Lexington/
Rockbridge adventures.

Q
http://www.thepalmslexington.com/ http://www.southerninn.com/ http://www.thegeorges.com/haywoods/ http://www.thegeorges.com/taps/ http://www.crimphaven.com http://www.lexingtonvirginia.com/ http://www.lexcarriage.com/ http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=760
Life Outside Fall 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Life Outside Fall 2017
