Blacksburg, VA Road Trips

If you are coming to Blacksburg, it is hard to miss the campus of Virginia Tech. Most buildings on the campus are made from "Hokie Stone" (limestone) making Tech one of the prettiest college campuses on the East Coast. Highlights include Burruss Hall, Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum. The Pylons above the War Memorial Chapel on the edge of the Drillfield evoke the core values of Virginia Tech and are etched with the names of every Virginia Tech student and graduate who "died defending our nation's freedom," beginning with World War I. Downtown is an easy walk from any part of campus. No visit to Southwest Virginia is complete without an outing on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a great place to picnic for a day, go for a drive, or spend the weekend. Along the parkway are Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, lodges, campgrounds and restaurants. The views from any part of the parkway are stunning; there are lookouts on the side of the road for especially beautiful views. The locally operated winery and restaurant Chateau Morrisette is just outside of Floyd, off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Their dinner food is a bit pricey ($21-34/entree) but the dessert menu is more affordable ($8/dessert). They offer tastings and tours of their winery and their wine can be bought on-site. 1 Smithfield Plantation, 1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd (look for the sign on Duck Pond Drive), ☏ +1 540-231-3947, [email protected]. M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM (closed in the winter). A colonial era plantation that's more impressive on the inside than out.

During the fall, a major part of the weekend is tailgating before the game and cheering on the Hokies in Lane Stadium. Even if you are not a football fan, it's a good idea to check the football schedule in the fall for traffic and lodging reasons. As a bustling college town, there are often university activities at all times of day; inquire at the Squires Student Center. For area events, check Next Three Days. The Appalachian Trail passes within a few miles of the town, and as a result there are ample hiking opportunities around. Closer to town is the Huckleberry Trail, a converted railroad track (paved) that is popular for walking, running and biking. Starting at the Blacksburg Library, it connects to the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg. The majority of the trail has a very gently grade and is marked with mile markers; one way to the mall is about 7 miles. Tubing on the nearby New River is a popular activity in the summer. Tubes cost $10 to rent (for an adult) with the option to rent a tube for your cooler ($5) and provides unlimited rides down the New River all day, as well as a grilling service - all you have to do is bring the food! Parking is $2. (See http://www.newriverjunction.com/tubing/ for more information) Blacksburg is also within an hour's drive from Floyd County with its increasingly renowned artist community and growing number of cultural events, such as the annual FloydFest. FloydFest (FF) is the last weekend in July, starting that Wednesday and continuing through Sunday.

The downtown area caters to a diverse crowd, and there are countless watering holes offering pub fare of varying quality, from the Cellar and the Underground, which provide a more traditional pub aire, to places like Cabo Fish Taco which regularly feature electronic and breakbeat music acts such as the Boogieburg Sound System. If one desires a finer dining experience they might want to check out 622 North, the Black Hen, Boudreaux's, The Cellar, Gillie's, and The Coop, which provide diverse cuisine of excellent quality for just a few extra dollars. Locals are fond of Mike's Grill, a small restaurant offering typical (but excellent) American food- burgers, fries, etc. for a reasonable price; while the college crowd can often be found hanging around places such as the River Mill, Sharkey's or Hokie House. Sheesha, the local Hookah bar, often features live jazz and afrobeat music. Greens offers inexpensive sushi on Mondays and Wednesdays as well as a variety of other food. Gillie's is best known among the locals as the place to eat breakfast or brunch. Although they only serve vegetarian or vegan options, Gillie's is known to serve the best breakfast in town. Favorites are the "122 special" and "Chappie's Choice." Most options come with biscuits that are made-from-scratch at Bollo's just around the corner. The service isn't always the best and the wait is often long (especially later in the morning), but the food is always worth it. Gillie's also serves lunch and dinner.

Go downtown and follow the crowd. Popular with the local college kids are Sharkey's, Hokie House, Top of the Stairs and Rivermill. Hokie House, affectionately known as "Ho-Ho's," serves cheap burgers and has one of the best happy hours in town ($1 singles, $2 doubles and $3 triples; $2 fatties, $2 domestic mugs and $3 imported mugs). Upstairs has pool tables and a separate bar, but also allows smoking so beware. Sharkey's offers a weekly "buy one get one free" on all of their burgers on Monday nights, as well as outdoor seating. Locals and college students would suggest you try their Long Island Iced Teas or the Shark Juice. Top of the Stairs, or "TOTS" as it's called by everyone, is well known for their signature mixed drink "The Rail." Located up some stairs but sprawling outside and in the courtyard, TOTS is a popular spot for both current and former college students. Those wishing to avoid the majority of college students should check out PK's, Bull & Bones, Poor Billy's and the Underground. Neither will be completely lacking in college students, but there will be less than the more popular destinations of Skarkey's, HoHo's and TOTS. If you're not looking for a late night, Beaudreaux's on Main Street has a wonderful selection of drinks (as well as a fantastic selection of Cajun cooking). Because it's not open past 11PM on the weekends, Beaudreaux's will also generally be less populated with undergraduates. Another lesser known spot among the college kids is Abby's Restaurant and Bar on North Main.

The hotels in the Blacksburg area generally seem to go from $100 to $150 per night. Disregard the prices quoted on the internet, they are often not reflective of reality. Contact the hotel directly under the pretense of booking a room to find out the actual rates. Book your rooms well in advance as there are frequent events that cause them to fill up. 1 Comfort Inn Blacksburg Hotel, 3705 South Main Street, ☏ +1 540 951-1500. Close to many area businesses and attractions including the Virginia Tech Campus, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Radford University, Corning, Montgomery Regional Hospital, the VA/MS Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the Warm Hearth Village. Hawthorn Suites Blacksburg/University, 1020 Plantation Road, ☏ +1 540 552-5636. The Hawthorn Suites Blacksburg University is off the 460 Bypass on Prices Fork Road, two miles from downtown Blacksburg and one mile from the Virginia Tech campus. Ramada Limited Blacksburg, 3503 Holiday Lane, ☏ +1 540 951-1330. 2 Hilton Garden Inn Blacksburg, 900 Plantation Rd, ☏ +1 540-552-5005. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Next to the campus of Virginia Tech, the 137-room Hilton Garden Inn Blacksburg hotel caters to corporate and leisure guests. Collegiate Inn of Blacksburg, 900 A Prices Fork Road, ☏ +1 540-552-7001. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Directly across from the Virginia Tech campus. Shopping, banking, recreational and dining locations are within walking distance to the hotel. The hotel is also a short drive to downtown Blacksburg.

Blacksburg is accessible by road, or for the lucky few, by the Virginia Tech airport. It is about 30 miles west of Roanoke. Blacksburg is on US 460, about ten miles north of I-81 (exit 118B). The closest commercial airport is Roanoke Regional (ROA IATA). The closest Greyhound bus station and Amtrak railway station are also in Roanoke. The Smart Way Bus offers direct service from the airport and downtown Roanoke to Blacksburg and the Virginia Tech campus. Virginia Breeze (selling tickets via Megabus) also has a route between Blacksburg and Washington D.C., with multiple stops in between (including Washington Dulles Airport IAD IATA). If you arrive with a private plane, Virginia Tech also has an airport but with no commercial flights.

Through city and university cooperation, Blacksburg has a nice bus system. It is free for everyone.

Possessions are very safe in Blacksburg. Purses, wallets and miscellaneous gear are often carelessly left behind and returned to their owners. The reputation of 'completely safe' has been marred by two separate shootings and one decapitation, but these are relatively rare occurrences.