Tony and I saw signs on the interstate and decided to check the park out. It is located about 2…read moremiles off the exit. The park is lovely and small. The tower is 75 feet tall. The park has honor system where you pay $7 per car for entrance to park and walk around.

the tower is a pleasant diversion from the natural splendor of trail below; a 75' ascent gets a…read moreperson to the public restrooms beside a large parking and picnic tables and grills for cookery lot so if you drove here why not stick around for a while. the lot is patrolled but not actively monitored, the fees are nominal and help keep this and other virginial parks and recreational areas in good repair so just do the right thing and ante up even if no one is looking. the shot tower is so old that I feel young in comparison; I'd like to believe that I'm a bit less musty but it's still wearing it's years much better overall and has a lovely spot near the river known locally as New. the historicity of this place is obvious and well documented and the technology and processes employed here offer insight into the thinkings and ideals of the times. pretty clever they were back then, and industrious too.

Great rest stop and visitor center. Clean bathrooms, well stocked. If you need a snack vending…read moremachines available. Nice resting point. There are plenty of photo ops.

Welcome to Virginia! Virginia is for Lovers! The restrooms were very clean, informative signage…read moreavailable to learn more about the history and heritage of the location. Pet friendly as well. Separate car and truck parking. Nice landscaping. It's well worth the stop!

Beautiful place when I went it was closed but I was able to walk around outside. It doesn't appear…read morethat they are open for tours right now.

Fantastic historical place to eat. Much better menu than nearby establishments and the food is…read moregreat. Prices are more than the nearby venues but this is several cuts above. I also recommend taking the tour of the grounds and house. Great service! They are only open from May through December but is worth the trip!

Not at all easy to get to, this marker is off the interstate but there's only one way to get to it…read moreand one way to get back. A seven mile round trip unless you're heading to/from Pulaski via the ulta scenic route. The marker reads, "Crockett's Cove has been home to the Crockett family for two centuries. It was named for Lt. John Crockett, Sr. (1737-1799), son of Samuel and Esther Thompson Crockett, a Revolutionary War veteran buried in the family cemetery a mile east. His half-brother Lt. Col. Robert Sayers (1754-1826), buried on a hill near him, also served in the war and later became a justice of the peace and a member of the Virginia General Assembly. On 10 May 1864 during the Civil War, just east of the Allen Crockett house here, occurred a cavalry engagement between the brigades of Union Brig. Gen. William W. Averell and Confederate Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones." [Review 20384 overall - 1443 in Virginia - 1362 of 2023.]

This marker is located in front of the Carroll County Courthouse. There is some street parking…read moreavailable and there are parking lots nearby. The marker reads, "This place became the county seat when Carroll County was formed. The first court was held here, 1842; A. W. C. Nowlin was the first judge. The courthouse, built in 1872, was remodeled some years ago. The town was incorporated in 1900 and rechartered in 1940." The town is located at the intersection of US Routes 52 and 221. The famous Blue Ridge Parkway passes about 9 miles to the south. The town's primary claim to fame is its Hillsville Flea Market which has been called the largest American flea market to the east of the Mississippi River. [Review 13831 overall, 1153 of 2020, number 1264 in Virginia.]

Saturday morning in Wytheville and the Wythe County Courthouse was sitting in a thick fog that gave…read morethe whole block a muted and quiet feel. It made the 1902 Classical Revival building look even more stately than usual as I walked the grounds. The courthouse was designed by Frank P. Milburn, the same architect behind a long list of early twentieth-century civic buildings across the south. I've seen dozens of his works. His signature style shows up here in the symmetry, the brick and stone detailing, and the confident proportions that make a small county seat feel a little more important. The courthouse has handled the usual mix of local criminal and civil matters over the decades but nothing that has ever turned into a statewide headline, which fits the quiet vibe of the place especially on a fogged in weekend morning when the offices are closed and you can wander without interruption. I did not spot a Confederate memorial anywhere on the property and that's because the monument was removed in 2020 after a vote by the county board, leaving the grounds feeling a bit more open and less cluttered. Wytheville itself takes its name from George Wythe, the Virginia jurist and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the town has produced a few well known residents including Edith Bolling Wilson who was born just a block away and later became First Lady. [Review 899 of 2026 - 1550 in Virginia - 26080 overall]

Located inside the Ironto rest area, this historical marker points out one of the local features…read moreand after reading, I was on my way swiftly. It reads, "Near here stood Montgomery White Sulphur Springs, popular resort area of 19th century America. During the Civil War the resort was converted into a military hospital staffed by Catholic nuns. Several hundred victims of smallpox including nurses and soldiers are buried nearby. The Southern Historical Society was reorganized here in August, 1873, when Jefferson Davis delivered the principal address." Online, there is more information. "The Virginia-Tennessee Railroad brought guests from Lynchburg to the small station at Big Tunnel (Montgomery). From there, passengers rode cars propelled by gravity down to the resort. The idyllic vacation spot was transformed by the Civil War. From 1862 to 1865, Montgomery White Sulphur Springs operated as a Confederate general hospital under Dr. J. Lewis Woodville, Chief Surgeon. At its peak, Montgomery White accommodated up to 700 sick, wounded, and recovering Confederate soldiers." The resort closed its doors and was reverted to farmland. That area is not open to the public. [Review 13764 overall, 1085 of 2020, number 1199 in Virginia.]

Adjacent to a residential neighborhood and an electrical substation, this marker recalls a school…read morethat sadly no longer exists. It reads, "In 1866, Captain Charles S. Schaeffer, a Freedmen's Bureau agent, organized a school for blacks on the hill just to the southeast. Charles L. Marshall of Tuskeegee Institute became principal of the school in 1896. Under his guidance and with support from Philadelphia Quakers, a library, dormitories, classrooms, shops, and barns were constructed. Both academic and industrial classes were offered at the institute until 1947 when it became a public high school. In 1966, the institute graduated its last class, and its property was sold at public auction." The website for the school is still online and there is an active group working to maintain the former school structure. https://www.christiansburginstitute.com/ [Review 13817 overall, 1138 of 2020, number 1251 in Virginia.]