Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 46
VIRGINIA
It's a Friday afternoon in October,
and I'm motoring across Montgomery County, Virginia.
Coming to Christiansburg, I marvel at the fluffy sugar maples staging
a blaze-orange show on the lawn
outside the Montgomery Museum
and Lewis Miller Regional Arts Center (montgomerymuseum.org).
Or I can blast into Blacksburg to
see the Hokies strut in burnt orange
and Chicago maroon when the Virginia Tech football team takes the
field on game days at Lane Stadium.
For the weekend, I set up a comfortable camp at the Homewood
Suites by Hilton (540-381-1394),
just off I-81 in Christiansburg. Then,
for breakfast, I slip into Shawsville,
following U.S.460 east to Hale's Restaurant (540-268-9809).
Established in 1967, this easygoing eatery serves tasty tomato-andonion omelets plus advice on where
to see the color-changing of the
leaves: Keep east on U.S. 460 and
46 BlueRidgeCountry.com
enter the "Elliston Straightaway,"
says Hale's Restaurant manager Selena St. Clair. "You've got the mountains in front of you and to the side.
It's a two-mile stretch."
While also in Shawsville, check
out Camp Alta Mons, the site of an
old spring resort off Crockett Springs
Road (altamons.org). You can hike a
couple of miles to see the 40-foothigh Stiles Falls. But, beware-you
might also hear of Willie Jack, once
a camp caretaker and now a ghost;
some say he's good, and some say
he's evil!
Following U.S. 460 west to Blacksburg, I head for the Historic Smithfield Plantation (540-382-4647),
built in the 1770s. It was originally
the home of pioneer settler William
Preston and now "history heaven,"
says Smithfield's director, the affable
April Danner.
And when is the best time to visit? Why, autumn, of course!
"There's something special,
magical about fall. I don't know
what it is," Danner says. "But, in
the fall, you just become absorbed
with history."
Rolling to Riner, I lunch on a
roasted beets and baby spinach salad
plus grilled tuna tacos at the White
Barrel Winery (540-382-7619) on
Childress Road. Then I tour nearby
Sinkland Farms (540-382-4647) on
Riner Road, the site of a familyfriendly Pumpkin Festival with a
corn maze and hayride as leaves
turn colorful and crisp.
"We have festivals every weekend
in October," says owner Susan Sink.
"I don't know a heck of a lot about
commercial agriculture, but I know
how to throw a good party."
Back in Christiansburg, I wrap up
my weekend with a delightfully decadent feast of frog legs, gator bites,
fried flounder and Rappahannock
oysters at the Fatback Soul Shack
(540-251-3182) on Roanoke Street.
Outside, you can see neon-esque
portraits of soul legends Sam Cooke
and Otis Redding on the windows
and, on the menu, read the motto,
"It ain't easy, bein' greasy."
http://www.altamons.org
http://www.montgomerymuseum.org
http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017
Features
Romance, Reunions and Family Fun for Summe
Mountain Summer: A Photo Essay
When Asheville Took over the 1970s’ Paper Dress Fad
Bateaux along the James River
On the Appalachian Trail, the Easy Way
BBQ!
Departments
Letters / Worth a Click
Contributors
From the Editor
Mill Creek Stories
Creature Feature
Mountain Report
The Good Walk
Country Roads
Singing in the Garden
Festivals & Events
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Letters / Worth a Click
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Contributors
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - From the Editor
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Mill Creek Stories
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - The Good Walk
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Country Roads
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Romance, Reunions and Family Fun for Summe
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Mountain Summer: A Photo Essay
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - When Asheville Took over the 1970s’ Paper Dress Fad
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Bateaux along the James River
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - On the Appalachian Trail, the Easy Way
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - BBQ!
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Singing in the Garden
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 67
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 68
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 69
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 70
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 71
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 72
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 73
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - 74
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2017 - Cover4
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