The Roanoker - January/February 2015 - 29

The wood-bound course is challenging for beginners,
but the atmosphere is laid back and supportive - a
perfect place to enjoy time with family members while
trying out a new sport.

FOR FAMILIES WHO WANT A NATIONALLY
RENOWNED VACATION WITHOUT GOING
TOO FAR: NATIONAL D-DAY MEMORIAL,
PEAKS OF OTTER, SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
- WEEKEND
Enjoy a getaway vacation within an hour of Roanoke by planning a weekend in Bedford County. If
that sounds odd, consider that people from around
the world make the pilgrimage to the county for the
National D-Day Memorial (dday.org; 540-587-3619),
Smith Mountain Lake (visitsmithmountainlake.com)
and the Peaks of Otter (peaksofotter.com; 540-5861081).
Book a stay at the Peaks of Otter lodge or a cabin
or campsite at Smith Mountain Lake State Park (dcr.
virginia.gov/state-parks/smith-mountain-lake.shtml;
540-721-1639) and use that as base camp for a weekend of hiking, boating and paying tribute to World
War II veterans for their sacrifice.
At the lake, try The Landing (thelandingsml.com;
540-721-3028) for a gourmet meal, or if you're in Bedford, try a cheesecake at Olde Liberty Station (oldelibertystation.com; 540-587-9377), a restored railroad
station house.

FOR FAMILIES WHO LIKE TO DANCE AND
BUY LOCAL: FLOYD HARVEST - DAY
Floyd can be pretty packed in the summer and during
leaf-looking season in fall, for good reason. It's one
of the best times to visit, as the Blue Ridge Plateau
explodes in shades of crimson, orange and yellow.
The Floyd Farmers Market (sustainfloyd.org/farmersmarket/) winds down, but you can still catch pumpkin-carving contests and apple cider pressings. You
really don't need an excuse to visit the Floyd Country
Store's Friday night jamboree (floydcountrystore.com;
540-745-4563) - a decades-long institution that still
draws flat-footers from around the world - but you
can always schedule around a trip to buy a pumpkin,
turkey or Christmas tree from one of the county's
many farms.
You can find plenty of locally sourced menu items
at the country store, but for a change try Mickey G's
(mickeygsbistro.com; 540-745-2208), an Italian restaurant that carries the usual assortment of pizza and
sandwiches, but also a varying selection of gourmet
specialties as well.
THE

R OANOKER.COM

FOR FAMILIES WHO CRAVE A MIX OF
ACTIVITY AND LOCAL HISTORY: SALEM
HISTORY - DAY

Other fun family

Satisfy your craving for history, exercise and beer all in
one afternoon with a visit to Salem. First, visit the Salem
Museum and Historical Society (salemmuseum.org; 540389-6760) in the Williams-Brown House that sits next to
Longwood Park (itself a great place for the kids to play).
Then go take a walk along Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail
(traillink.com/trail/hanging-rock-battlefield-trail.aspx),
which offers a mix of local and national history.
Wrap up your day with a visit to Parkway Brewing
Company (parkwaybrewing.com; 540-314-8234). Grab
a locally brewed beer and perhaps a meal from Bruno's
GastroTruck (brunosgastrotruck.com), which makes
regular visits to the brewery's parking lot.

(inset), and, from top,

destinations include the
Mill Mountain overlook
Smith Mountain Lake,
downtown Roanoke and a
Bedford County excursion
including the D-Day
Memorial.

FOR THE FAMILY THAT WANTS TO GET OUT IN
THE WOODS WITHOUT LEAVING ROANOKE
CITY LIMITS: TRAILS OF MILL MOUNTAIN -
AFTERNOON
Everyone's driven to Mill Mountain's summit to see the
star. But have you hiked to the top? True to Roanoke,
there are plenty of ways to get to A from B, but for variety's sake try something of a mix of trails (maps: mountainjunkies.net/Roanoke_Area_Trails_files/MillMtn_
Map_New.pdf). You could start from the parking lot by
Garden City Boulevard, head up the Star Trail, take a
right on Monument Trail, then head up the old road,
take a right in the switchback at Big Sunny, take a left
at the Riser Trail and then return down the Star Trail.
That route should help you build an appetite for a
meal at Abbott's Restaurant (540-427-9808), located just
around the corner in Garden City.

FOR THE FAMILY WHO UNDERSTANDS
THAT 'RUBBING IS RACING': MOTOR MILE
SPEEDWAY - EVENING
Simply put, it's a crime to live in southwestern Virginia
and not attend a racing event at some point. Roanoke is
within striking range of the Bristol Motor Speedway and
Martinsville Speedway, each of which hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup races annually. You can see the other
side of the racing spectrum at Franklin County Speedway
in Calloway. Or you can split the difference at Motor Mile
Speedway (motormilespeedway.com; 540-639-1700) in
Radford, a NASCAR-approved, 0.416 -mile asphalt racing oval that offers the best of both worlds. General admission tickets are $10 (and kids under 12 get in free).
Grab a bite to eat, and a locally brewed beer, at the
River Company (therivercompanyrestaurant.com; 540633-3940) before the race. I
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

http://www.salemmuseum.org http://www.traillink.com/trail/hanging-rock-battlefield-trail.aspx http://www.parkwaybrewing.com http://www.dday.org http://www.brunosgastrotruck.com http://www.visitsmithmountainlake.com http://www.peaksofotter.com http://dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/smith-mountain-lake.shtml http://dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/smith-mountain-lake.shtml http://www.thelandingsml.com http://www.mountainjunkies.net/Roanoke_Area_Trails_files/MillMtn_Map_New.pdf http://www.mountainjunkies.net/Roanoke_Area_Trails_files/MillMtn_Map_New.pdf http://www.oldelibertystation.com http://www.mountainjunkies.net/Roanoke_Area_Trails_files/MillMtn_Map_New.pdf http://www.oldelibertystation.com http://www.sustainfloyd.org/farmers-market http://www.sustainfloyd.org/farmers-market http://www.floydcountrystore.com http://www.motormilespeedway.com http://www.mickeygsbistro.com http://www.therivercompanyrestaurant.com http://www.THEROANOKER.COM

The Roanoker - January/February 2015

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