If you are anywhere near Covington or Hot Springs, Virginia…read more I definitely recommend a stop here. The view and the sound of the falls is fantastic! Just bit of warning: if you don't drive in the mountains. Go slow, sharp turns going up and down the mountain. Plus, be very careful when pulling in or out. There are blind curves on both sides.

This scenic waterfall / overlook is located on Rte. 220 in Alleghany County, about 5 miles north of…read moreCovington. The road is very windy as you approach the overlook area, but the property has had extensive renovations to the overlook and grounds so that visitors can more safely stop and enjoy the view. There are a number of shaded picnic tables at the overlook. One star off as there is no direct access to the falls or trails nearby. I get it though; I'm sure that there is a safety risk.

Great place with great views!…read more Pop "Woodstock Tower" into Google Maps, and it will take you to the right spot (Apple Maps only took me to the trailhead a distance away). This will put you near a little overlook off the dirt road or if you keep going, a small gravel parking lot. Be prepared to drive on dirt and gravel roads for over a mile to get here; you are going the right way! This end of the trail has a clearly marked sign saying it is the Woodstock Tower. From either of those parking lots it's only about ¼ mile walk to get to the tower. The path varies from rocky to flat dirt. Loads of hickory nuts line the path. You could also come from the other end of the trail, which is over a mile away in the other direction. The climb up is steep but manageable (I'd recommend being more careful descending!) with metal steps. Considering she's still standing 90 years after her construction, I'd say the tower is stable. Hats off to the Civilian Conservation Corps for building this lasting landmark! The views from the top are great and worth the short walk and short climb. I met a local man at the top who shoots a lot of videos from up there. He did warn that sometimes there are black bears in the area; I never saw one my whole time, but just keep alert. It was a little cold on the mid-October day we were there and the top of the mountain did mean lots of cross wind, so dress appropriately. Unless you're weird about heights (apologies to my wife; thanks for walking out to it with us, Baby), this is a worthwhile visit. Definitely recommend!

What a pleasant surprise! We drove up the mountain on Christmas Eve and simply enjoyed the views…read more Our goal of finding the tower wasn't easy being that my bf hadn't been up there since he was a kid. Nevertheless we found it :-) I was a bit apprehensive of climbing it at first but took baby steps lol. What a beautiful scenery once you reach the top. Great experience!

I went to Roanoke's main tourist website before traveling to Roanoke. I discovered that the Mill…read moreMountain Star is the top attraction. Like Diamond Head and Waikiki are icon landmarks in Hawaii, and Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York City, Roanoke has the Mill Mountain Star. It was a short 15 minute drive from downtown Roanoke to the Star itself. My friend and I decided to spend a little time here before heading back to downtown Roanoke for dinner. It looked like a beautiful drive and it ended up being one of the most beautiful ones I've done all day in Roanoke. Once we got to the parking area, we found parking and walked to the viewing platform. The overlook was fenced off from people who happened to be looking a little too close and might fall off the cliff. There was informational signage for those who want to learn more about the area and the mill mountain star itself. The views were spectacular looking out into the city of Roanoke and Roanoke valley. It was very beautiful and amazing to see. The mill mountain star is the symbol of the city of Roanoke and it is made out of neon tubing and is 88.5 feet tall. It was initially created as a Christmas symbol but gradually became a symbol of the city of Roanoke. I soaked it all in for maybe 10 minutes and took a selfie with the Mill Mountain Star before we went back to downtown Roanoke for dinner. It was definitely worth going, even if it was just 30 minutes, including the drive times. Definitely Recommended if you're in the area. At least there is restroom facilities here, which is a big plus. The overall experience here at the Mill Mountain Star was breathtaking and indescribable. It was a highlight of my trip to Roanoke, Virginia for sure. The drive up the hill was nice and definitely walkable if you want to, just watch out for cars if you do. There is a long bench directly in front of the structure that you can sit on to rest. On this March 2026 day I was here, my friend and I came across a group of adolescent girls who happened to be sitting on the bench at the time. All 5 of them hanging out together. Thought that was pretty neat and typical. Friends hanging together. After reading those information signage at the Mill Mountain Star, I gazed out into the Roanoke valley and reminded myself that it was absolutely great that I am able to travel. How the history of the Roanoke valley came to be and how the city gradually was formed and is currently thriving. The area is kept clean by the local parks department and there were a few trash cans around for visitors to throw away their garbage. There's also restroom facilities here too for visitors. After leaving downtown Roanoke and driving south towards Rocky Mount, we saw the Star being lit up for the evening. It was great to see it being lit up as a landmark of Roanoke. If you're in the area and want to look at the top attraction of Roanoke, swing on by. Best bet would be to come in the morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds if possible. The Mill Mountain Star is the iconic symbol of the city of Roanoke, Virginia. Its physical address is located in Mill Mountain Park, 2000 JB Fishburn Parkway SE. There was no admission fee required here, which s very nice. Just be respectful to others that are around and keep the area litter free. As far as parking goes, there are maybe 8 parking stalls that are readily available for visitors. You may want to avoid crowds for the best time possible. If you're a fan of public transportation, bus route 41 takes you from the 3rd street station in downtown Roanoke close enough to Mill Mountain. You'd stop off at the Dollar General at Riverland Road EB and Garden City (Hwy 116) but you'd have to walk close to 2 miles from there to get to the parking lot and the Mill Mountain Star. There is also the Mill Mountain Trail head if you don't want to follow the road leading up to the Star. Might be more scenic if you have the time to hike versus driving. And of course, there's always Uber and Lyft if you need them for your convenience. It was one thing that I can knock off my list to visit. It's quite nice to see at night. If you're in the area and want to see the Roanoke Star, come on by. And by the way, There's nothing up here besides restrooms and a parking lot, as far as amenities go. Best thing to do is eat or drink before or after you visit. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+

We stopped here on our travels to Roanoke. We read about it being one of the most visited places in…read moreRoanoke. We followed the directions and arrived before the sun was setting. We were told it is great place to see the sunset. We parked in the small parking area and took the short walk to the observation deck which is just below the star. The view from the observation deck is amazing. There is a display that shows the mountains you can see with names and distance. We read there is another observation deck if you follow one of the trails but we did not explore more. Our only recommendation is to get here early because parking is limited.

As a lover of The Shining, when I discovered there was a hedgemaze in VA, Luray skyrocketed to the…read moretop of my local bucketlist. I also decided that all my friends needed to experience it with me, so I invited all of them. Only a few could come, but we had the most fun. It was perfect. It was also boiling hot, so I was massively grateful for all the misting sprays in the maze. Our group immediately split into two at the very first left or right decision. I was in the group who took almost every wrong turn, even after we recognized that the pink ribbons seemed to mark the correct path. It was hilarious when we made it to the tower and the other half of our group was like, "I see you!!" We met up by the fountain in the middle and tried our best not to jump into the refreshing and cool looking water. We were more than ready to exit the maze at that point. They really should sell cold beverages in the center of the maze. They'd make so much money. We laughed and shouted the rest of the way to the exit, especially when the maze signs seemed to be mocking us. We figured out the secret message and received our prize. We're home now but can't stop telling everyone how much fun we had, doing something we never imagined we would do in life. Go have an adventure! Would recommend

I had a blast doing this, and I'm almost 30. Are there kids? Yes. Was it still fun? Yes…read more I'm a firm believer that you make your own fun and if you go into this wanting to have fun, you will have fun. There are little surprises and secrets and jokes throughout the maze. For 10$ a ticket, I had 10$ worth of fun. We laughed, got lost, and made memories in a cute touristy little maze. It is exactly what it is, and it's cute and fun. People can be so negative! We had a blast.

I was looking for a scenic drive in West Virginia, and this certainly seemed to fit the bill - I…read morehad first read about it in one of those "1000 Things You Must Etc" books, and it wasn't a huge way out of the way from where I was staying in Fayetteville. I made a huge loop by going New River Gorge up to Richwood and across Hwys 39 and 150, then completing the loop by driving back towards Lewisburg and along I-64 by Grandview State Park before closing up in Fayetteville. That loop will take you at least a good 6 hours or so. The funny thing is that I considered most of that lovely drive more scenic than Hwy 150 itself, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of it all. I mean, Hwy 150 has some nice scenery, don't get me wrong, but it was about 6 pullout vistas of the same valley scene, just at different lookout points. Not as much versatility as I saw on the rest of the drive, where you might see old farmhouses, roadside waterfalls, curvy mountain climbs, etc. If pressed for time, I would have cut the Hwy 150 part of it and just taken 39 all the way until it gets to Mill Point and resume south. That was my favorite part of the highway, going through the old town of Richwood, seeing the roadside waterfalls, and stopping to see the Falls Of Hills Creek. It certainly doesn't hurt to see 150 if you have the time, and nobody's asked me to write a "1000 Things You Must Etc" book so I clearly may be breaking from the party line, but if your timeline is tight I am just throwing the idea out. Just know if you do that any road you drive in West Virginia will be lovely, officially designated or not.

In the fall, Carter's Mountain is packed with folks buying pumpkins, apple cider, apple cider…read moredonuts, cider, and wine. On a quiet week day in the spring, we were able to enjoy the steep drive up the mountain and the views that greeted us without lots of people and cars coming and going. You can still buy the cider, donuts, ice cream, and more. You also can relax and shop their very cute country store, which sells locally made jams, syrups, mixes, and other foods. They also have lovely dish towels and many other such gift items. We recommend going both in the fall to be part of the festivities as well as in the spring and summer.

The products, service, and views from Carter Mountain Orchard are definitely worth stopping by for…read moreyear round. This was our second visit, but my first review. We had the amazing apple cider donuts and they are definitely memorable. We bought a dozen and my husband and I split them up evenly (6 each). I did a wine flight with 2 reds and 2 whites. I preferred the reds to the whites I tried. My husband had the cider and it was delicious. The weather was gorgeous to sit outside and take in the beautiful views of the Blue Ridge mts. We also purchased peaches, peach apple cider, dried apples, and other local, fresh products. We will definitely come back to try more wine, cider, and more donuts!

This is a little hidden box of treasures in town. It has art work, small crafts, local…read moreteas/honey/brews, and interesting trinkets. My family and I enjoy walking through the shop and checking everything out.

Main store in town and worth the stop. Large selection of a variety of items. Including coffee/bake…read moregoods. In addition they have a large selection of wines and beers/ciders, many local. Additionally lots of random items one did not know they may need lol Parking is very accesible, dog friendly and friendly staff. Worth it if in the area!

It was fun to stop here and have a nice buffet lunch in the middle of my road trip. I didn't…read morehave a lot of time so the speed of a buffet was a plus for me -and the fact that the food was delicious was a bonus. Service was great - Dylan was my server and he was knowledgeable and attentive, making sure I had everything I needed. Good food, quick and delightful service - great atmosphere .... What's not to like!

I thought this restaurant was so much fun and it felt like I actually took a step back in time. I…read morecould imagine travels and locals alike stopping into this old tavern for a bit to eat or even a pint of suds. Cleaners and better kept than I would have expected of the real era, gladfully so. The Michie Tavern is a come as you are restaurant and is a great stop after visiting Motencello. The wait staff all are dressed in period attire (given the wait staff were all clean and had newer clothing) and were buzzing around the seating area taking orders and refilling drinks. There's a buffet style line where you go for food and you can go back for seconds or even thirds if you choose. The food was good, not great, but it was a fantastic experience.

What is big old bikes were just chilling on top of a hill while we were hiking and looking around…read moreexplore the area. There's two bikes sitting right next to each other and they're pretty cool and easy to fine. Don't try to ride him though it won't feel good on you.

Great Historical Site! We went back in 2017,…read moreSo it's been a minute. We loved it. Ask questions to the guides as they are very knowledgeable!

Wow! Monticello is amazing, and worth a visit for literally anyone and everyone. My husband and I…read morewere in the area for a wedding, and had a few hours to kill before the ceremony. We decided to explore Monticello, and booked the 45 minute Highlights Tour. If you read through the website, they'll let you know that you could spend all day here. They are correct! There are several guided tours of different lengths and prices, and the grounds, gift shop, and self-guided exhibits are expensive too. They mean it when they say you need to be on-site 30 minutes before your tour begins, because it takes time to get up to the house from the visitors center! Lauren was our guide for the Highlights Tour, and she was great. A solid mix of informative and engaging. This quick tour was just enough to get a taste of history, and definitely leaves you wanting more. I especially appreciate the steps they've taken in recent years to educate and address slavery at Monticello, including the addition of the Burial Ground for Enslaved People. Instead of taking the shuttle back to the visitors center, we walked through the garden and it was just lovely. We also passed the gravesite of Thomas Jefferson himself, which is a great spot for reflection. The gift shop had a wide variety of books, home decor, and collectible trinkets, and we found everything to be pretty reasonably priced. Monticello is operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which is a 501c3 non-profit.