Vacation in Virginia

 Thursday, May 17, 2018

Yesterday I mentioned an Interstate Park on the Kentucky/Virginia border called "The Breaks." After spending some time there, you could venture into Virginia for some exploration. Damascus, Abingdon, Bristol, and Marion are all calling your name. And here's a taste of what awaits you in that southwestern portion of Virginia.

• The Crooked Road = 330 miles of highway in southwestern Virginia. All along this path you'll find lots of musical treats if you'll stop along the way and look around.
• Damascus is where you can rent a bicycle, shuttle to the top of Whitetop Mountain, and cruise down the 34-mile "Creeper Trail." This sounds like something that needs to go on my "to do" list. I like it when gravity helps me out on a bike ride.
• Bristol, Virginia is the home of the "Birthplace of Country Music Museum," a Smithsonian Affiliate. The city has the distinction of being split between Virginia and Tennessee. And a little known fact about Bristol is that Wallace King Nave, my father, was the first baby born in King Hospital in Bristol, Virginia although his family lived in Bristol, Tennessee. (You won't find a plaque anywhere about that, I'm sure.)
• The Carter Family Fold is located about 40 miles from Bristol. Plan to be there on a Saturday night to enjoy some authentic Bluegrass Music and good cooking.
• Abingdon, Virginia is home to the "Heartwood-Artisan Gateway to Southwest Virginia," "Abingdon Farmers Market," "Wolf Hills Brewery," "The Arts Depot," "Barter Theater," and "The Martha Hotel."
• In Marion, Virginia you can take a moonshine class at the "Mercantile Store/Appalachian Mountain Spirits." Or check out the "Lincoln Theater" on the first Saturday of the month to see where Roy Rogers and Trigger appeared back in the day and to hear some more Bluegrass music.
• "Hungry Mother State Park," also in Marion, was built in 1936 and has lots of outdoor activities.

All of these activities are just across the border from Kentucky into Virginia and would make for a memorable vacation to be sure. If you go to any of these places, let me know what you think!


From Whitetop Mountain (photo from YouTube)

Southwestern Virginia: Abingdon, Bristol, Damascus, Marion, and Whitetop Mountain are conveniently located along I-81.