April, 2025. This Welcome Center is located at the Abingdon trailhead for the Virginia Creeper…read moreTrail, the 34.3 mile rail-to-recreation trail, traversing thru Abingdon, VA and Damascus, VA, and ending in Mount Rogers (Whitetop). It meanders through the spectacular Virginia countryside, crossing nearly 50 wooden trestle bridges. (Note that the 18-mile segment from Damascus to Whitetop is currently closed because of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene). In addition to providing trail information and brochures, the Welcome Center features a photo display, sells official Creeper Trail merchandise, a picnic shelter, an old Norfolk and Western steam engine, restrooms, and free parking (when using the trail). It is situated at the trailhead for the Creeper Trail in Abingdon. The Welcome Center is open Fridays-Mondays, April to November, and is closed on Tuesdays-Thursdays. Even when closed, there is useful information on the bulletin boards and well-stocked brochures/maps that are available for free.

The Abingdon Muster Grounds was the site of the muster of the Overmountain Men. This group of…read moreWashington County, Virginia Militiamen, commanded by General William Campbell, crossed the Appalachian Mountains to Kings Mountain in Western South Carolina to battle Tory Militias commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson. The site also marks the beginning of the Overmountain Victory Trail where the Virginians traveled on horse and foot, joined by individuals & militia on the way, through the mountains to the battle destination, The outmanned group defeated Ferguson's troops in a decisive battle on October 7, 1780 that turned the tide of success in the fight for our independence. Today the Muster Grounds has an Interpretive Center that houses a collection of displays & artifacts. It's open on certain days or by appointment. A living history can be experienced on certain days. The Muster Grounds itself can be walked during certain hours. But if you plan to visit, choose a date when you can experience both the Interpretive Center & the Living History. The Living History is extremely well done & something all Revolutionary War history lovers should experience. The peoples of Abingdon and the local DAR chapter bring the muster grounds to life. There are different areas where the work is being done to feed and cloth the men. Reenactors march the field, firing their muskets. Tents are set up to house the men who have gathered to prepare for the march & battle. One can even walk the beginning of the Overmountain Victory Trail. The Abingdon Muster Grounds should definitely be on your list of places to visit in Virginia. You won't regret it.

This 9 acre educational gem is a wonderful little place to learn the history of the Overmountain…read moreMen that marched 330 miles for their fight for freedom. The acreage has a beautiful little path that you can walk and see the countryside. The personnel in the very small museum is very, very informative. Make sure to ask questions.

Restrooms were exceptional clean! No grime on the floors,…read moresparkling commodes and sinks, room was fresh smelling. So nice to see a job well done.

Welcome to Virginia as you cross over from Tennessee on I-81. This rest stop was welcome after my…read morecoffee started to kick in. Bathroom was super clean and the parking was easy. They have a bit of a curve at the entrance to slow people down, which I appreciate. It was still pre-dawn and the place was nicely lit for security. [Review 19570 overall - 1410 in Virginia - 541 of 2023.]

Brand new location. Staff very knowledgeable and helpful. Great materials for visitors. Stop here…read morefirst when visiting the area.

From the owner: State maps and guides, area brochures and maps, public restrooms, travel counselorsread more

We needed some time in the mountains. I had visited here before but mostly for shorter trails. This…read moretime we needed some Appalachian Trail in our lives. We did a couple of short trails but the monster was the Appalachian Trail to Mount Rogers Loop. It's logged at 14.3 miles but we ended up logging around 15.2 miles with various trips off trail to check out. The first part of this trail is fine. You walk through areas where some of the wild ponies hangout. Sometimes you can catch wild cattle too(which we did, but not until we were on our way out). The off trail to Mount Rogers is also fairly easy. If you're coming down from Mount Rogers and taking the loop around the mountain, make sure you have plenty of water and maybe some kind of snack for energy. There is a little section from mile 8-12 that almost put me down. It reminded me of a dehydration episode I had in Montana a few years ago. This time I had all the water I needed, but I'm so glad I had food for energy. There's a little section where you gain so much elevation in such a short amount of time... those types of sections always make my legs want to give up. I powered through with some breaks, but it'd help if that section were at the beginning instead of near the end. If I ever do that loop again, I'll take it counter-clockwise. Grayson Highlands is an amazing place that stands on its own in the area. The AT runs through it, but the ponies and cattle and any other animal you might run into make the place magical. Being at the top is also nice. You can see mountains and landscape for miles. It's also a decent place to camp in my opinion since it's so wide open. It can be a bit windy at the top, though. On our trail, there was a fair bit of downed trees, so be aware that you might have to climb, walk around, or whack your way through portions if any storms have rolled through. Watch the weather because it can change fast, but honestly, just prepare for it. You're going to have a unique experience, whether you have to battle fog early in the morning or once the sun comes out. We also hit a patch of drizzly rain, but it didn't last long. We were able to see it coming and adjust our speed to let it pass. Grayson is a state park, so it doesn't have all the amenities that a national park has, but it does connect to some national forests/parks, and it's a beautiful/well-maintained place. Good job Virginia for keeping this place pristine. I realize that not everyone seeks out the long trails. The good thing about Grayson is that there are various trails. You can find 2-5 mile trails, 5-9 mile trails, 10-15 mile trails, and I think there are 1 or 2 that are even longer! There's something for everyone here.

What an incredible experience! I won't even comment on the pics because they speak for themselves!…read moreThis park has several hiking trails, some more challenging than others, mainly due to all the loose rock and gravel, but it made for a great workout on a gorgeous day! They also host overnight camping and are part of the Appalachian Trail as well. $10 to park isn't bad, but there wasn't an attendant when we first got there. I doubled back after we did the first trail so I wouldn't get fined or anything. We heard parking fills up fast so we got there early, but there were actually still plenty of spots by the time we were ready to leave in the early afternoon (we arrived at like 8am).

April, 2025. Abingdon is a small town (population was only 8,325 in 2023) in the far southwest…read morecorner of Virginia, near the point where Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina meet. We had a quick visit here many years ago, and promised ourselves that we'd come back as it seemed that there was much to be explored in this small town. Abingdon boasts 20+ landmarks, 30+ restaurants, and 34+ miles of trails. USA Today named Abingdon as "Best Small Town Food Scene" (4 years in a row), as well as awarding its small town arts scene. Blue Ridge Outdoors also named it a top 10 small adventure town. On our first half-day in Abingdon, we started by walking down Main Street and around the charming 22-block historic district, checking out the 7' x 15' LOVEwork sign and adjacent fountain by artist Charles Vess, inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. ** This site is across from the Barter Theatre. Still open and thriving, this theatre opened in 1933, proclaiming "with vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh." The price of admission was 35 cents or an equivalent amount of produce. Four out of five theatre goers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products and livestock! ** We then admired the grounds of the Martha Washington Inn and Spa. This hotel, dating back to 1832, combines history, Southern charm with modern elegance. ** The Abingdon Visitor Center is the next "must-stop." Also housed in a historic building, the very friendly and helpful staff member gave us customized suggestions of things to do, and a bagful of brochures to get us there. There's also a small gift shop where we picked up some reasonably-priced t-shirts. There are also nearby photo-op signs, including one depicting a postcard of Abingdon. Also, be on the lookout for the red English telephone booths, which have been turned into information kiosks. ** Next stop was the Abingdon Farmers Market, which is a farmer-run market featuring locally-grown produce, baked goods, as well as arts and crafts. ** we also browsed a few of the local boutiques and antique shops along Main Street, buying a new dress, just because. ** our final stop was the Sweetbay Brewery, a comfortable, laid-back brewery serving excellent craft beers. On many nights, there is a food truck on site and live entertainment. Sweetbay participates in Harvest Hosts, for those RVers who participate in this program. On day 2, we headed to the Virginia Creeper Trail with our bikes. The Creeper is a nationally-acclaimed Rails-to-Trails that extends for 34 miles and over 47 trestle bridges. It's a smooth, hard-packed, shared-use hiking, biking, and equine recreational trail. In the past, the trail started near Whitetop (about 3,500'), went about 18 miles to the midpoint near Damascus (1,900'), and ended in the charming town of Abingdon (2,050') (or vise versa). Unfortunately, Damascus was hard hit by Hurricane Helene, with 18 trestle bridges and many portions of the trail destroyed between Damascus and Whitetop so that portion of the trail is currently closed. We decided to bike the 8.5 mile segment from Abingdon (2,020') to Alvarado Station (the old train stop at 1,750') and back (so, 17 miles total). This "lower" section is considered an easy to moderate stretch through rolling farmland and forests, and over beautiful trestle bridges. As mentioned, our turning point was Alvarado Station, where we enjoyed our picnic lunch on a bench river-side. The stop also had drinks and snacks available for sale, a water refill station, and clean restrooms. We enjoyed our visit to Abingdon, but will need to return yet again as there is still more to explore -- for instance, more mileage on the hiking and biking trails, Abingdon Vineyards, Abingdon Muster Grounds, the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace, and more.

This traffic back up for roadwork is ridiculous! You guys going to figure out how to get people…read moremoving. Took 20 minutes to go two blocks

My wife insists that we can't drive past a Visitor's Center - so, as we entered the historic town…read moreof Jonesborough, our first stop was at the Visitor's Center which also included a small museum The staff in the visitor's center was most helpful and provided a lot of useful information. If you visiting or passing thorugh Jonesborough, you owe it to yourself to stop at the visitor's center.

We stopped at this Visitor Center to get walking tour maps of all of the historic buildings in this…read moretown. There were two ladies that the counter that were helpful in getting us the information we needed. They have a decent sized private parking lot and a free museum inside with artifacts from the area. There's also a gift shop with handmade items and books for sale. Would highly recommend stopping here first before touring Tennessee's oldest town!