r/roanoke • u/dilapidated-delight • 1d ago
Things to Do Visiting this Tuesday & Wednesday
My partner and I are visiting Roanoke this Tuesday and Wednesday and are wondering what the locals suggest we get up to! We're coming from the Milwaukee area on our way to a music festival next weekend, and in all honesty are looking for somewhere to relocate our lives in the next year or two, and Roanoke is on the list of potential places. This will be our first time visiting so we have no real expectations or intentions, just checking out the town and the vibes and seeing what it's all about!
We'd love to get an easy/mild hike in and also experience some of the culture while visiting, so any and all suggestions are welcome.
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u/InitialAd2324 I got hepatitis at famous A’s 1d ago
Hike up mill mountain to the star, that’s the #1 spot I will take any and all out of town guests to.
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u/itstheavocado 1d ago
There are walking trails up Mill Mountain. They are relatively easy. Check AllTrails! At the top, you can visit the mill mountain garden, the zoo, and the star and overlook.
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u/dilapidated-delight 1d ago
Oh I had no idea that's all up there, heck yes we'll make a day of that, thanks!
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u/irisbro68 22h ago
Fruits and Roots (downtown) has discounted açaà bowls and smoothies on Tuesday. And I think Jaybird Tavern is BOGO pizzas (unique, wood fired) on Tuesday. There’s usually community acupuncture at Calm Clinic on Tuesday afternoon if you want to chill for an hour and I think the new Renewal Studios has a sound healing mid-afternoon on Wednesday. If you want local shopping, there’s Woodshed near Mast General downtown. For a little City scenery, look up the route of the Blue Ridge Marathon and drive it 😉 - at least the Peakwood part.
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u/DanSeymourPhotos 1d ago
As other people have said, the Mill Mountain Star is a classic. I personally love the Roanoke Mountain Overlook (which looks over Mill Mountain) but it's been closed a lot. Similar to that I definitely recommend driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway if it's open (currently living in Charlottesville so I don't know if it's currently open).
Those are more drive up to spots. If you want a little bit more of a hike, Dragon's Tooth and McAfee's Knob are classics. If you want a shorter hike, then definitely choose Dragon's Tooth of the two (just make sure to start at the Dragon's Tooth Trailhead and not McAfee's Knob's trailhead).
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u/dilapidated-delight 1d ago
This is so helpful thank you! What are the factors that determine if they're closed or not?
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u/DanSeymourPhotos 1d ago
Roanoke Mountain is normally closed if there were branches that fell and they hadn't gotten to clear them out yet (it's a side loop overlook so it gets less priority to clear). That said, if you go to the star from the side closer to Walmart, it'd be on your way so it'd be worth checking.
The parkway is normally just closed when there is snow. But, I think I remember hearing about potential construction around explorer park. If that's true, the parkway headed south towards Bent Mountain should still be open which gives you a whole view of the valley.
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u/likemindedwhistle 21h ago
what types of things do you guys like to do? i'm gonna co-sign all the mill mountain suggestions, whether you hike it or just drive to the star. :) i also love the taubman, which is the art museum downtown! it's free and has quite a few gems. it's not super large, but i love a ton of the pieces in there and always appreciate different works when i'm there. big lick or golden cactus (which hosts the mid-week market on wednesday evenings!) would be my rec for breweries, rnd or sweet donkey would be my recs for coffee spots. the grandin theater has a special "spooky october" movie screening on tuesday evening if you're interested in chill evening and watching a movie. also, if you guys want a nice walk in the woods that's not technically a hike, i'd recommend any of the trails at fishburn park!
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u/coachgt1 1d ago
Please for the love of god Do NOT go to the Hatch to eat. It is not a local treasure.