This marker stands on the side of US-11 in front of a motel. It reads, "First Settlement. About…read morefive miles southwest is Dunkard Bottom, where Dr. Walker found a settlement in 1750. The fort there was built about 1756 and was the first fort in Virginia west of New River. The first store and first mill were also there. Error: Note that the first sentence of the marker is incorrect, and should read: About five miles southwest is Dunkard Bottom, where Dr. Walker founded a settlement in 1750." Online, there is more information. The original location is lost now because it was flooded as part of the efforts to bring electricity to the Shenandoah Valley. In 1749 the Moravian missionaries noted that in the region of Dunkards Bottom they found a "kind of white people who wore deer skins, lived by hunting, associated with the Indians and acted like savages." The Dunkards were also pacifists. They were ill suited for life on Virginia's wild frontier. [Review 15536 overall, 1040 of 2021, number 1345 in Virginia.]

A little broken down, but still an interesting local curiosity. If you like a little side of the…read moreroad fun, have a peek

This place is amazing, literally the best place to visit in Roanoke. Despite what some of the…read morereviews say, it is much bigger than expected. Neighborhood is beautiful, right next to the river. You are missing out if you don't make this a priority stop when passing by, near, around, or within a hour of Roanoke.

Lovely little park with a beautiful statue of Mary Draper & several story boards posted which share…read moreher harrowing story. What a strong & brave woman. There are many native plants growing there it's a peaceful place to visit & meander while learning about Ms. Ingles.

A piece of history in my back yard. The docents were great. Take the kids/grandkids.read more

This is a great side trip for anyone in the area sightseeing. Tours are offered from April to…read moreOctober on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but the grounds are open for touring even when the tours are not going on. I haven't made it to a tour yet but I really enjoyed walking around the grounds. Things to see include: the main house, a smoke house, a creamery, the family cemetery, a tobacco barn, the African American cemetery, and the friendship garden. They have been working on the African American cemetery, which needs a lot of help/maintenance. There is also a short woodland trail that goes to a platform within a dense grove of pines. If you can make it out in the fall, this place is absolutely stunning but it's pretty all throughout the year.

Amazing statue and such a fun little treat while driving around the downtown Roanoke area. Parking…read morenearby since it's an a strip mall/ shopping area.

While in the Roanoke, VA area visiting family, Kayla Beth Fields Deacon and I turned it in to a…read moreRoad Trip. We left the hotel and drove about 10 miles over to the downtown area to see the Transformer Mega Giant Optimus Prime He was so excited!!

Sinking Creek Bridge is a 70-foot-long red wooden bridge with a tin roof, built in 1916. It is on…read morepublic land and is accessible to the public. Hard to reach, but accessible. It is a single bow-arched Burr truss spanning the creek and supported on stone abutments. The bridge has weatherboarded walls and a gable roof carried on numerous interior cross-braced rafters. Of course, it is closed to vehicular traffic but there is a park around the area and so you can stop by and walk across. Do it. [Review 19581 overall - 1419 in Virginia - 552 of 2023.]

Sinking Creek Covered Bridge is one of two bridges over Sinking Creek in Newport, VA. Some have…read morereferred to this as Clover Hollow Covered Bridge, but that name is incorrect as verified by BridgeHunter.com and Virginia's Department of Transportation. Sinking Creek Covered Bridge was built in 1916 using a modified version of the Howe Truss technique invented by William Howe in 1840, which became widely used as a building method in the mid to late 1800's. The bridge is one of only six remaining historic covered bridges in Virginia. I've actually had the pleasure to visit two other Virginia bridges: Meem's Bottom & Humpback which are two of my favorite covered bridges in the United States, Humpback being unique for its arched design. The bridge has a 70 foot span and its approach (the raised area leading to the bridge) is paved with memorial bricks displaying the names of contributors. The lawn around the bridge was nicely manicured and included a picnic table and sitting bench near the opening of the bridge. The chosen color of the bridge is a lovely barn red. The creek itself has an interesting story as just a few miles downstream it tends to disappear underground if water flow is low... like during our visit. A strange and unusual natural phenomenon that gives the creek its name. ENJOY!!! STATS LOCATION: over Sinking Creek on Old Clover Hollow Rd in Giles County STATUS: Active, but closed to vehicular traffic HISTORY: bypassed in 1949, then closed to traffic 1964. Renovated in 2000, damaged during tropical storm Gaston in 2004. 2020 / 33

This is the best and most famous thing to do when visiting Roanoke. We went right before sunset and…read moreit ended up being the perfect time. You sit on the hill opposite the star and once the sun goes behind the tall trees, make your way over to the other side and see all of the city light up before you. Granted, it is a small place, but you get a whole view below you. The star is the biggest manmade star so take that as you will. It was nice that you could drive directly up to the parking lot and there were paved sidewalks so anyone could make the walk right up to the star. The parking lot is rather small so be prepared to either wait or have to go back down a little bit to find a place. We were there on a beautiful fall night so it seemed like the entire city was there. People were patient as you took pictures though so there was no trouble at all. Just a little crowded on the observation deck so be prepared.

A majestic object that looks down on the city from a small mountain. The mountain has a series of…read moretrails, with more planned, so there is plenty of opportunity to spend more time than just looking at the star and checking out the overlook. However, even if one is just going to do that, the views are nice.

Sunday, On the way back from Wanda's we stopped at Clover Creek Covered Bridge. It was free to…read morevisit and we are all about free and uncomplicated. The vehicle was parked in the small Pullover spot. Several other families were there enjoying the area. There was 2 picnic tables. Deacon enjoyed exploring around the bridge and area. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Located in front of the Floyd County Courthouse, this monument is dedicated "In memory of our…read morefallen braves, the Confederate soldiers from 1861 to 1865." The monument notes that it was erected by the Floyd Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1904. The poem on one side is "Ode" by Henry Timrod: Stoop, angels, hither from the skies! There is no holier spot of ground, Than where defeated valor lies By mourning beauty crowned. At the foot of the monument, the names of several Civil War battle fields are listed including Fredericksburg, Seven Pines, Bull Run and Manassas. It also lists the Floyd County companies of the Virginia Infantry and Cavalry that fought. It is in good condition and remains, for now, in front of the courthouse. There is some debate in front of the county commission on moving it to a different location. [Review 13760 overall, 1081 of 2020, number 1195 in Virginia.]

While my wife was looking thru Black Dog Salvage, I walked across Memorial Bridge. I read the large…read moreplaques on each end of the bridge, and admired the beautiful view of the Roanoke river. This bridge was opened in 1926. Cool piece of Roanoke history.