Illustration by Aldo Crusher
Best Bed and Breakfast
Early Inn at The Grove
50 Floyd Ave., Rocky Mount, EarlyInn.com, 540-524-2525
The six-bedroom, 1854 Greek Revival inn sits on 10 acres in the Blue Ridge Valley. New to the boutique hotel is Jubal’s Kitchen, which is open Friday and Saturday evenings and serves comfort food like meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and fried white fish. Guests may also relax in the library, enjoy a cocktail on the patio, or cozy up to the firepit for s’mores.
second place: Trinkle Mansion Bed & Breakfast, Wytheville, TrinkleMansion.com, 276-625-0625
third place: Collins House Inn, Marion, CollinsHouseInn.com, 276-781-0250
Best “Do Not Miss” Tourist Attraction
Mill Mountain and Roanoke Star in Virginia’s Blue Ridge
2198 Mill Mountain Spur, Roanoke, VisitVBR.com, 540-342-6025
First illuminated in November 1949 to serve as a Christmas decoration, the Roanoke Star is formed by 2,000 feet of neon tubing. Visitors can access an overlook at the base of the star on Mill Mountain from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mill Mountain is also home to hiking and biking trails, as well as the Mill Mountain Zoo.
second place: General Francis Marion Hotel, Marion, GFMHotel.com, 276-783-4800
third place: Virginia Creeper Trail, Abingdon, VaCreeperTrail.org
Best Equestrian Event
Russell County Fair and Horse Show
237 Donnie Dean Drive, Castlewood, RussellCountyFair.com, 276-762-2261
Each year Russell County residents compete in equestrian events in classes ranging from Western, English, and Trail to Spotted Country and Plantation Country. The fair also offers an open horse show that includes competitors who reside outside the county. This year’s fair takes place Sept. 2-7.
second place: Washington County Horse Show Classics, Abingdon, WashCoClassics.com, 276-356-8700
Best Fishing Guide Company
Clinch Life Outfitters
3022 Fifth Ave., St. Paul, ClinchLifeOutfitters.com, 276-608-6907
Clinch Life Outfitters offers guided fishing trips in the Clinch River for four-, six-, or eight-hour days with kayak- or bank-fishing options. Three-hour night trips for wading or bank fishing are also available. Trips include gear, bait, and tackle. For live bait, the outfitter carries minnows, night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, and crickets.
second place: Rock On Charters, Roanoke, RockOnCharters.net, 844-347-4682
third place: Smith River Outfitters, Bassett, SmithRiverOutfitter.com, 276-618-1457
Best Golf Course
Chatmoss Country Club
550 Mt. Olivet Road, Martinsville, ChatmossCC.org, 276-638-2484
In addition to the 18-hole J. Ellis Maples course, the club offers a driving range and putting green. The clubhouse—originally part of the late-18th-century Hairston Plantation—also includes a pro shop. Upcoming tournaments at the 6,871-yard, par-72 course include the 59th Chatmoss Invitational July 27-28, the G Pro Golf Tour Aug. 8-10, and the Fall Team Invitational Oct. 19-20.
second place: The Virginian Golf Club, Bristol, TheVirginian.com, 276-645-6950
third place: The Olde Farm Golf Club, Bristol, TheOldeFarm.com, 276-669-1042
Best Gym or Fitness Studio
CrossFit Beartown
383 Technology Park Drive, Lebanon, CrossFitBeartown.com, 423-202-8148
CrossFit Beartown offers 25 time slots throughout the week with seven coaches. Each hour-long class begins with a warm-up, moves into a strength or skill component, and ends with the workout of the day. Classes are aimed to train in 10 fitness domains: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
second place: Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA, Martinsville, MartinsvilleYMCA.com, 276-632-6427
third place: Planet Fitness, Martinsville, PlanetFitness.com, 276-403-4348
Best Historic Site
General Francis Marion Hotel
107 E. Main St., Marion, GFMHotel.com, 276-783-4800
Now one of the top 150 hotels in North America according to National Geographic, the General Francis Marion Hotel was built by Eubank and Caldwell of Roanoke in 1926 in the Classical Revival style. After closing for two years for extensive renovations, the hotel reopened in 2006 and maintains a ’20s ambiance.
second place: Abingdon Muster Grounds, AbingdonMusterGrounds.com, 276-492-2236
third place: Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum, Wytheville, EdithBollingWilson.org, 276-223-3484
Best Horseback Riding Lessons
Sandy River Equestrian Center
457 Ferrell Lane, Axton, SandyRiverEquestrian.com, 276-650-1433
The center offers group and private lessons for all levels, ranging from summer day-camps for children to weekend clinics with professionals. Training is focused on competition—including dressage, show jumping, and cross country—but is also available for basic riding and trail riding. All students are taught correct riding form as well as proper horse grooming, conditioning, and maintenance.
second place: Copper Crest Farm, Wytheville, CopperCrestFarm.com, 276-228-5817
third place: Healing Strides of VA, Boone’s Mill, HealingStridesOfVa.org, 540-334-5825
Best Hotel
Western Front Hotel
3025 Fourth Ave., St. Paul, WesternFrontHotel.com, 276-738-3040
Bearing the nickname of St. Paul—once a rough and tumble coal mining town—the Western Front Hotel opened in February 2018. The boutique hotel offers a hip and chic vibe and is home to chef Travis Milton’s eponymous restaurant, a backyard stage for its summer live music series, and ATV rentals for the nearby trails.
second place: Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Roanoke, HotelRoanoke.com, 540-985-5900
third place: General Francis Marion Hotel, Marion, GFMHotel.com, 276-783-4800
Best Hunting Guide Company
Mountain Sports Ltd.
1021 Commonwealth Ave., Bristol, MtnSportsLtd.com, 276-466-8988
Founded by Bob and Alice Cheers in 1981, Mountain Sports Ltd. is home to guides who are passionate about their services and experts in their field, including sons Bobby and Steve. The shop focuses on waterfowl hunting, but also offers fly fishing in the South Holston River and Watauga River.
Best Marina
Philpott Marina
300 Boat Dock Road, Bassett, HenryCountyVa.gov, 276-340-0485
The only marina on Philpott Lake, Philpott Marina opened in 2014 and provides 42 boat slips available to rent on a yearly basis. In addition to basic boating and recreation needs, the marina offers a campground, a non-ethanol fueling station, and a shop with fishing supplies, ice cream, sandwiches, snacks, and drinks.
second place: Sportsmans Marina, Abingdon, TheSportsmansMarina.com, 276-628-2850
third place: Rock House Marina, Pulaski, RockHouseMarina.com, 540-980-1488
Best Martial Arts School
Blue Ridge Kung Fu Arnis Academy
128 Russell Road, Abingdon, BlueRidgeMartialArtsAcademy.com, 423-727-4474
Originally founded in Damascus in 1993 by grandmaster Chris Lang—who has more than 30 years of martial arts training—the academy moved to Abingdon in 2004. The two most popular classes are the Children’s Sil Lum Kung-Fu, open to those 6 to 12 years of age, and the Emperor’s Long Fist Tai Chi, which includes many students in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.
second place: Stryker Martial Arts Academy, Bristol, StrykerMAA.com, 276-644-9990
third place: Rutter’s Martial Arts, Bassett, Facebook.com/RuttersMartialArts, 276-340-3944
Best Outdoor Adventure
Virginia Creeper Trail
300 Green Spring Road, Abingdon, VaCreeperTrail.org
Originally a railway corridor for Norfolk & Western in the early 1900s, the Virginia Creeper is now a 34.3-mile recreation trail for hiking, biking, and even horseback riding. The trail begins at the top of Whitetop Mountain and descends on a primarily downhill path to the towns of Abingdon and Damascus.
second place: Hungry Mother Adventures, Marion, HungryMotherAdventures.com, 276-791-0743
third place: Clinch Life Outfitters, St. Paul, ClinchLifeOutfitters.com, 276-608-6907
Best Resort
Primland
2000 Busted Rock Road, Meadows of Dan, Primland.com, 866-960-7746
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the resort’s lodge, built in 2009. The resort first opened in the 1990 as a wingshooting lodge, and then added the golf course in 2006. Now the resort serves as a luxury getaway to the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers many activities to immerse yourself in the surrounding nature.
second place: The Martha Washington Inn & Spa, Abingdon, TheMartha.com, 276-628-3161
Best Retirement Community
King’s Grant Retirement Community
350 King’s Way Road, Martinsville, Sunnyside.cc, 800-462-4649
Residents are offered a variety of living choices to suit their needs, styles, and comfort—ranging from garden and patio homes to villas, cottages, and apartments. The community focuses on active and independent lifestyles and provides whole-person wellness programming to ensure residents are healthy and engaged.
second place: Warm Hearth Village, Blacksburg, Retire.org, 540-552-9176
third place: Brandon Oaks, Roanoke, BrandonOaks.net, 540-777-5602
Best Summer Camp
Southwest Virginia 4-H Educational Center
25236 Hillman Hwy., Abingdon, SWVA4HCenter.org, 276-676-6180
The Junior 4-H camp engages children in experiential learning activities such as outdoor sports, including archery, horseback riding, fishing, and riflery; a challenge course with low ropes and zip lines; arts and crafts, including leathercraft and tie dye; campfires; and dancing. The center also collaborates with the Virginia Cooperative Extension staff and programs.
second place: Martinsville-Henry County SPCACritter Camp, Martinsville, SPCAMHC.org, 276-638-7297
third place: Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing, New Castle, Wilderness-Adventure.com, 540-864-6792
Winners were determined by our Best of Virginia Readers’ Survey in January and published in our Best of Virginia 2019 issue.
