Roanoke is a great base city for exploring Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains! To make it even better, Smith Mountain Lake is just an hour east of the city. SML is a popular lake getaway with 500+ miles of shoreline. Most folks just visit one or the other, but I found it was a great way to combine a mountain weekend and a chill lake weekend all into one trip together.
McAfee Knob
Roanoke Recommendations:
Blindhouse Beer: A stellar brewery focused on Belgian and French styles where everything is a slow pour. The beers are fantastic and the vibes are great. You can also get Food Hut RKE delivered to your table.
Go for a hike! The Appalachian Trail runs on the west side of the city and the Blue Ridge Parkway is on the east side, providing ample trailheads all close to downtown.
McAfee Knob via Appalachian Trail: This 8.1 mile long trail with 1,811ft of elevation gain leads to one of the most photographed areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It takes just under four hours to complete. The trail is shaded the entire way which is a bonus in the hot summer months. The views are fantastic and the trail is quiet—highly recommend. You can also choose to go up or down the fire road which is flatter and smoother than the AT.
Carvin’s Cove Hay Rock via Appalachian Trail: A 7.9 mile/1,423ft of elevation gain hike to an overlook of Carvin’s Cove. You can also shorten the distance to 5 miles (same elevation gain) to the first lookout to save time. A nice view of the water below.
Take a scenic drive: The Blue Ridge Parkway has some great viewpoints—a lot of them can be overgrown in the summer months but Great Valley is a stellar spot, especially for sunset.
Big Lick Brewing Company: This brewery has a wide variety of beers on tap, a nice patio, and you can get food delivered to your table from nearby restaurants.
A Few Old Goats Brewing: A solid brewery with chill vibes and a nice patio space.
Mill Mountain Park & Star: The famed star overlooking Roanoke lights up at night and there is a great viewpoint over the city and surrounding mountains. Heads up the Google maps location is a little off if you search for the star, search for the park instead.
Barrel Chest Wine and Beer: A bottle shop with self-pour beer and wine taps. They also have a charcuterie selection.
Three Notch’d Brewing: An average brewery with a full food menu.
Olde Salem Brewing: The Roanoke location of this brewery is located in the downtown market and their main taproom is in neighboring Salem. You can get food delivered to your table from nearby restaurants. The beer is mediocre.
Twin Creeks Brewpub: A brewery off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Fables & Feathers Winery
Smith Mountain Lake Recommendations:
Jake’s Place: A restaurant and beer bar on the water with a killer tap list. The food menu is pizza-focused and tasty. Great atmosphere and experience.
Hickory Hill Vineyards: Very tasty wine in a relaxed atmosphere.
Smith Mountain Trail: The lake’s namesake mountain provides a unique vantage point! There is a moderate trail that is 5 miles long with 1,000ft of elevation gain out to a cool viewpoint or you can go all the way up for another view. To reach this viewpoint you’ll turn left at the 2.5 mile point and go downhill to a small ledge with beautiful views. This trail takes just over two hours in totality and is very quiet. You will need an access permit which can be bought online ahead of time.
Fables & Feathers Winery: A nice winery a bit off the beaten path. Tasty wines, friendly service, nice patio overlooking the vines.
Smith Mountain Lake State Park: This is a nice state park that has 7 short, mostly flat trails along with some water access and picnic areas. There is a $7 entrance fee.
Chestnut Ridge Trail: This trail is 1.5 miles long, is mostly flat, and takes about 40 minutes to complete.
Turtle Island Trail: This trail is 1.4 miles long, mostly flat, and takes about 30 minutes to complete.
West Lake Coffee and Café: A decent spot for coffee and breakfast.
Ramulose Ridge Vineyards: Another winery 2 minutes from Hickory Hill. They also offer sangria. Unfortunately it seemed like the bottle I ordered from had been open for far too long, wouldn’t really recommend.
The Bagel & I: Solid bagel sandwich but the bagel itself was stale.
