Communities

Rocky Mount is county seat of Franklin County near scenic Smith Mountain Lake. Located on the historic Carolina Road followed by settlers traveling westward, the town is the eastern gateway of The Crooked Road, Virginia’s heritage music trail. Downtown features a farmers market, antique shops, craft galleries and more.

Named for the narrowing of the New River that flows past it, Narrows was settled around 1778, 30 years after the first migrants from Pennsylvania arrived in Giles County. During the Civil War, Narrows served as a strategic location for Confederate troops defending the Dublin-Bristol rail line. Views from the New River are spectacular, and recreation opportunities abound. Narrows is an Appalachian Trail Town and a bird sanctuary with flocks of wild geese and ducks every year. Upstream is the Narrows Town Park, which offers picnic facilities, playgrounds, and free swimming. A farmer’s market operates Wednesday through Saturday downtown.

Situated in the center of Giles County, the town of Pearisburg is located on a plateau above the New River at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 and State Route 100. Many of Pearisburg’s red brick downtown buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is the oldest functioning courthouse in Southwest Virginia. The Andrew Johnston house, built in 1829, is a local historical museum and research center. It’s an Appalachian Trail Town with the Trail running through the outskirts of town and a place for hikers to spend a day or two of rest during the summer months.

Pembroke is located on a bend of the New River in Giles County. Nearby are two covered bridges and Mountain Lake, the resort made famous in the film “Dirty Dancing.”

Rich Creek is located in Giles County, on the New River.

Independence is the county seat of Grayson County. Its 1908 courthouse is now an Arts Center and performance space, with a jam of old time music each Wednesday evening. As you would expect, the town holds its annual festival on July 4. A Mountain Foliage Festival is held in October, and a wine festival in August. The town was home to Wade Ward, renowned banjo picker.

Located in Grayson County on Route 16, Troutdale sits at the edge of the Mount Rogers National Recreational Area. Pulitzer prize-winning author Sherwood Anderson had a summer home near here in the 1920s and 1930s. The town’s fire department holds a monthly bluegrass concert during the winter, and an Old Time and Bluegrass Music Festival each September.

Jonesville was established in 1794 as the county seat of Lee County. It is the second oldest town west of Roanoke. Jonesville was a small but thriving center of local commerce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but fell into gradual economic decline as the coal boom ebbed in the latter half of the 20th century. Most of Jonesville’s remaining commercial activity is concentrated in the west end. Jonesville Drug, one of the oldest surviving downtown businesses, relocated to the old Chappell’s Dairy site on the west end in 2004. The Dickinson-Milbourn House and Jonesville Methodist Campground are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The biggest town in Lee County, Pennington Gap sits astride the Trail of the Lonesome Pine (Route 58A). Stone Face Rock overlooks the town. The town’s historic Lee Theater and Community Center offers movies and live performances. The Appalachian African-America Cultural Center now occupies the one-room school once reserved for black children, pulling together life stories and heritage as well as providing a glimpse of rural education. Each fall, the town hosts an annual Tobacco Festival, featuring a parade, live entertainment, a 5,000 meter race and a beauty pageant.

The town incorporated in 1914, was officially named in 1907 for coal developer Charles W. Bondurant, and his secretary Ms. St. John. Commercial coal mining in St. Charles began around 1903. It was a center of commerce for the mining camps and communities that surrounded it during the coal boom of the early twentieth century.

At one point St. Charles was home to three theatres: The Virginian, The Rainbow & Turner’s Station. St. Charles is currently like many coal towns that boomed in the earlier 1900s. It now simply stands a reminder of our rich heritage of coal and hard work. Please visit the Coal miners memorial. It is a beautiful place to sit and reflect on the sacrifice that was made by so many men, women and children in the early years of mining.

Home to Virginia Tech, Blacksburg embraces its college town look and feel, and has repeatedly won awards for quality of life. Visit historic Smithfield Plantation, home of Col. William Preston, a surveyor, member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and a Colonel of militia in the American Revolution. Downtown there’s a farmer’s market, historic Lyric Theater and art galleries and craft shops. The Huckleberry Trail, once a railroad, winds six scenic miles between Blacksburg and Christiansburg for running, walking and cycling.

Christiansburg, the county seat of Montgomery County located astride historic Route 11, is the fourth largest town in Virginia. Christiansburg is located on the TransAmerica Bike Route (U.S. Bicycle Route 76), as well as the Huckleberry Trail, a popular six-mile bike/pedestrian path between Christiansburg and downtown Blacksburg. The area surrounding Christiansburg also boasts the 110-acre Mid-County Park, the Montgomery County Coal Mining Heritage Park and Science Center, and the Meadows Golf and Country Club. The Jefferson National Forest, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, Claytor Lake State Park, and the New River are nearby.

Meadows of Dan is located where Route 58 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway, near the headwaters of the Dan River. The community’s motto, posted on the welcome sign, is “A simpler place in time.” Meadows of Dan is located along the Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, and near historic Mabry Mill on the Parkway. Meadows of Dan hosts an annual Folk Fair, in cooperation with the Virginia Peach Festival. Other festivals include Chinquapin Festival Corn Maze and Crafts in the Meadow.

Stuart is where the mountains of Southwest Virginia begin, not far from the spectacular Lovers Leap overlook on Rt. 58. Whether you’re uptown or downtown, the shops and restaurants are welcoming. Festivals honoring strawberries and peaches are held at harvest time each year.

Dublin is located in Pulaski County between Radford and Pulaski, along historic Route 11. Nearby is Claytor Lake with its state park and miles of waterfront for water sports and fishing. Rich grazing lands for cattle surround the town, home to one of the largest livestock markets in Virginia. It is home to New River Community College and the New River Valley Airport. The New River Valley Fair takes place in mid-July at the fairgrounds nearby.

Nestled in the shadow of Draper Mountain, Pulaski is the county seat of Pulaski County. Once a manufacturing and railroad hub, Pulaski’s historic downtown now includes the restored Pulaski Theatre and the restored railway station. A new historic and transportation museum features a model railway replica of the town in the 1950s. The New River Trail allows hikers and cyclists to follow the New River from Pulaski to Galax and Fries in Grayson County.

Cleveland lies along the beautiful and biologically diverse Clinch River in Russell County.

Dubbed the “Redbud Capital of the World” by the Library of Congress, Honaker is located at the foot of Big A Mountain on Route 80, one of Southwest Virginia’s most scenic roads. Once a frontier settlement Honaker achieved its boom town years as home to one of the biggest sawmills in the eastern U.S. and a railroad junction. The town’s museum of local history will be moving soon into the restored bank building downtown. The town features a Redbud Festival each April.

Clinchport is a town located in Scott County, Virginia. Named for it’s location on the Clinch River, Clinchport is offers excellent kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and swimming. The Clinch River highway is a popular biking route with numerous twists and turns. Natural Tunnel State Park is just five miles from Clinchport.

Duffield is situated at the southern edge of the Jefferson National Forest about two miles west of Natural Tunnel State Park in the Appalachian Mountains in Scott County. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first European to see the Natural Tunnel in the 18th century. It is also home to the Wilderness Road Blockhouse, a physical two-story replica of the original Anderson blockhouse used as a stop for frontiersmen traveling west. A railroad was constructed through the natural tunnel in 1893.

Dungannon is the gateway to the world-renowned Clinch River and the hiking and scenery of High Knob. The Scott County Horse Park, on the outskirts of Dungannon, draws visitors to frequent shows and festivals while the Flanary Archaeological Site, on the other side of town, has evidence of Native American occupation dating back 8,000 years. The historic Dungannon Depot hosts community events and meetings. Originally known as Osborne’s Ford, the town was settled by Scotch-Irish and English immigrants who traveled here from North Carolina in search of land.

From its earliest days as the site of a stagecoach inn to its current role as the Gateway to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Chilhowie has always been a community in which travelers are welcome and visitors are made to feel at home. Pottery, brick, lumber, textile, fertilizer, equipment and furniture manufacturing companies have all operated successfully in Chilhowie. Cattle farms are a mainstay of the region’s agricultural economy. Chilhowie became the center of apple production in Southwest Virginia and celebrates its apple heritage each September with an Apple Festival.

Marion, located on the middle fork of the Holston River on historic Route 11, is the county seat of Smyth County. It’s an Appalachian Trail Town offering amenities to hikers while they pass through. The Lincoln Theatre, a meticulously renovated Art-Deco Mayan Revival style performing arts center, is the home of the nationally-syndicated bluegrass music program “Song of the Mountains.” The General Francis Marion Hotel has also been completely restored as a AAA Three-Diamond boutique hotel. The town hosts ArtWalk with local artists and musicians on the second Friday of each month May through December. Hungry Mother State Park is located west of town on scenic Route 16, called “The Back of the Dragon” by motorcyclists who enjoy its sweeping curves and magnificent vistas.

Virginia’s tallest town, Bluefield is the largest town in Tazewell County, with a sister community next door in West Virginia. The town is in the process of moving its entire downtown to higher ground on the south side of Route 460. Evening in the Shade programs are held at the Gazebo downtown throughout the summer. An Annual Autumn Jamboree brings together regional music talent. The Blue Jays, rookie affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, hold games at Bowen Field throughout the summer.

Cedar Bluff once was home to the Clinch Valley Roller Mills, an grist mill complex located on the Clinch River. The town’s historic district winds along the Old Kentucky Turnpike. Prior to the arrival of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, lucrative businesses such as the Cedar Bluff Woolen Mill, Higginbotham and Bane Milling Company, a sawmill, furniture shop, and a blacksmith shop, opened or expanded. Hotel Monticello and the Blue Sulphur Inn welcomed visitors to the area. Cedar Bluff is the birthplace of George C. Peery, Governor of Virginia, elected in 1934.

Abingdon is a center for arts and culture in Southwest Virginia, home to the famous Barter Theatre where theater-goers can still trade “ham for Hamlet.” It’s an Appalachian Trail Town and home of the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail Visitor Center. Restaurants, shops and galleries cluster downtown. Heartwood, located on I-81 just south of town, is a gateway for exploration of Southwest Virginia.

Bed and breakfast inns line Damascus’ quiet main street, which meanders along the Whitetop Laurel River on its way east toward Holston Lake. It’s an Appalachian Trail Town nicknamed “Trail Town USA” and hosts an annual Trail Days festival in mid-May. Rent a cycle in town and travel by van up to Whitetop Station and coast down the Virginia Creeper Trail, a railroad bed of gentle grades and spectacular views. Hike the Appalachian Trail or dive into nearby Mount Rogers National Recreational Area for camping, fishing or cabin rentals.

In the late 1800’s and 1900’s, Appalachia was the center of a booming coal mining culture. The town served as hub for about a dozen coal camps nearby. The town holds two world records. Bee Rock Tunnel, the world’s second-shortest railroad tunnel and The Peake Building, an apartment house with street-level access on all four floors. Each August, a week-long celebration known as Coal/Railroad Days celebrates the history and heritage of the community.

Founded as “Mineral City,” Big Stone Gap became home to mine owners and timber executives who built imposing homes along tree-lined streets. John Fox Jr.’s “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine,” a runaway best seller at the turn of the 20th century, takes to the stage each summer in Virginia’s longest-running outdoor drama. The novels of Adriana Trigiani, who grew up in BSG, are the basis for a movie currently filming here. Big Stone Gap is home to Mountain Empire Community College, which sponsors Home Craft Days festival each October with traditional crafts and music. A summer “Gathering in the Gap” music festival brings old time and bluegrass musicians together for competitions, jams, and performances.

Rural Retreat is located in southern Wythe County on historic Route 11 in a rich agricultural region. Photographer O. Winston Link photographed and recorded Christmas church bells here in 1957. Pharmacist Dr. Charles T. Pepper may have inspired the name of the soft drink “Dr. Pepper.”

Wytheville is the county seat of Wythe County. It’s located at the crossroads of major north-south and east-west trails and roads. Wytheville is home to several history and culture museums including the Hale-Gibboney Rock House Museum, the Thomas J. Boyd Museum, the Heritage Preservation Center, the Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum and the birthplace of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson. A weeklong Chautauqua Festival is held each June, with concerts, arts and crafts, children’s festivities and more.