Roanoke – Travel guide at Wikivoyage (2024)

Roanoke, Virginia, called the "Star City of the South" and "Magic City," is a charming city with beautiful views. A colorfully lit 100-ft star atop Mill Mountain graces the Roanoke Valley. The city sits between Virginia Tech and Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia. The Roanoke Valley had a population of around 315,000 in 2020.

The city layout of Roanoke does not lend itself well to effective mass transit, and in fact most locals never use mass transit at all.

In addition to its other attractions, Downtown Roanoke has at least 2 great old restored and lit neon signs perched up on the roofs of buildings. One for Dr. Pepper and the other for H & C Coffee.

• Center in the Square (Downtown). Roanoke's cultural center and museum on the City Market.
• Explore Park. Open only for concerts and special occasions, Explore Park features houses and re-enactors from various periods in American history.
• Hotel Roanoke. The restored historic luxury hotel was given to Virginia Tech by the Norfolk Southern Rwy. A major conference center was added.
• O. Winston Link Museum, 101 Shenandoah Ave NE. In a former passenger rail station downtown. Dedicated to the work of railroad photographer O. Winston Link. The Museum and the rail station are both treasures. The rail station has great architectural and terrazzo details. (updated Aug 2019)
• Mabry Mill.
• 1 Mill Mountain Star (Mill Mountain). The star has been lit with neon since it was built in 1949. It gives Roanoke its name of "Star City." There is an overlook accessible directly in front of the star that looks at downtown Roanoke. Follow the signs from downtown to Mill Mountain Park. (updated Jan 2024)
• 2 Mill Mountain Zoo, JP Fishburn Parkway, Mill Mountain Park, ☏ +1 540 343-3241.
• Mini Graceland (SE Roanoke). A collection of miniature Elvis landmarks built by Don Epperly.
• Roanoke Higher Education Center (across from Hotel Roanoke). Part of Virginia Tech. It used to be the headquarters of the Norfolk & Western Railway.
• 3 Taubman Museum of Art, 110 Salem Ave, ☏ +1 540 342-5760. M Tu closed, W-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Formerly called the Art Museum of Western Virginia. The new building opened in November 2008 and is worth a visit in itself. It was designed by Los Angeles' Randall Stout Architects. Randall Stout and others on the team previously worked with Frank Gehry's office in LA. The Museum's primary focus is American art, with particular attention to Appalachian and Southwestern Virginian art. Free.
• 4 Virginia Museum of Transportation, 303 Norfolk Avenue SW (Downtown), ☏ +1 540 342-5670, info@vmt.org. Houses many Norfolk and Western Locomotives which used to run through Roanoke, and also features aviation and automobiles. In addition, the museum features a model train layout plus a live web cam overlooking the rail yard. (updated Aug 2019)

Outdoor activities include hiking on the Appalachian Trail, boating, camping, and fishing. Other activities include:

• Old Salem Day's
• Virginia Tech Football
• Roanoke River Greenway - bike trail, also suitable for walking or running
• 5 Berglund Center. A major convention and exhibit facility with a performance center.
• Mill Mountain Theater (Downtown). In addition to professional performances, Mill Mountain Theater is also home to Roanoke's No Shame Theater - Friday nights at 11PM. This is open to any performance that is "original, five minutes or less, and doesn’t break anything – people, the space, or laws".
• Grandin Theatre. Locally owned theatre located in the Grandin Village area. Shows free cartoons on Friday and Saturday morning and hosts a quarterly "Open Projector Night" that shows locally produced short films.
• Jefferson Center. A former high school that has been restored into a luxurious performance center.

• Roanoke's City Market. The largest continuously running open-air market on the eastern seaboard. Good place to look for fresh produce and herbs in the summer, and gifts and decorations in the winter. In addition, numerous shops & restaurants surround the market area.
• Tanglewood Mall I-581/220S at Franklin Rd., Roanoke.
• Valley View Mall. A major shopping mall in the region featuring 130 stores and 4 anchors serving an estimated market of over 800,000 people, near the Roanoke Regional Airport at I-581 and Hershberger Rd. Be aware that children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to shop after 6PM.
• 1 Black Dog Salvage, 902 13th Street SW, ☏ +1 540 343-6200, info@blackdogsalvage.com. M-Sa 9AM-5PM. Architectural Salvage.

Roanoke has many nice restaurants, some of the notable ones are listed.

• Chateau Morrissette Winery (in the Meadows of Dan on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke). Produces the very popular Blue Dog, an exquisite white wine increasing in popularity.
• AmRhein Wine Cellars, Patterson Drive, Bent Mountain. Another popular winery producing award winning wines. A room is available for tasting and sales. AmRhein Governors Cup award wines are also available at popular retail outlets. Spring, summer and fall wine festivals are available at the winery.

• 6 Booker T Washington National Monument (20mi (32km) southeast of Roanoke), ☏ +1 540 721-2094. Daily 9AM–5PM. The farm where Booker T Washington was born into slavery in 1856. Free entry.

• Appalachian Trail.
• Blue Ridge Parkway.
• Mountain Lake Resort.
• National D-Day Memorial, Bedford.
• Natural Bridge.
• Peaks of Otter Lodge, (Milepost 86 off the Blue Ridge Parkway), Bedford. Hiking trails, overnight lodge with food buffets, Abbott Lake contains catfish, smallmouth bass, golden shiners, sunfish, and blue gill. Virginia State fishing licenses, Bedford County licenses, or short-term permits are required. Sharp Top Mountain - 3mi, Flat Top Mountain - 5.2mi, Harkening Hill - 3.5mi.
• Smith Mountain Lake, . State park & public beach.
  • Bernard's Landing
  • Bridge Water Marina
• Virginia Tech Blacksburg.

Routes through Roanoke

Hagerstown ← Staunton ←	NS	→ Salem → Wytheville
Lynchburg ← Bedford ←	NS	→ Jct N S → Jefferson → Boone
Princeton ← Salem ←	WE	→ Bedford → Lynchburg