Whether you're looking for restaurants, shopping, music, or festivals, Roanoke has a little of everything and continues to expand its offerings. It may not have all the attractions of a major tourist destination, but visitors can still find plenty to keep themselves occupied.
Downtown Roanoke
Downtown Roanoke is home to many of the finest restaurants in Roanoke, as well as the historic Roanoke City Market. It is the oldest continuously operating open-air market in the Commonwealth of Virginia and vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods and crafts there seven days a week. Most of Roanoke's museums are in the downtown area as well, including the Taubman Museum of Art and the History and Science Museums of Western Virginia.
Downtown Roanoke also hosts many of the popular area festivals. Festival in the Park is held there in May over the Memorial Day weekend, with several days of crafts, kids' activities and live music. The Local Colors Festival celebrates those of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds through food, music, arts and dance. Dickens of a Christmas happens on Fridays in December, with a parade, a tree lighting, carriage rides and various musical performances and activities.
Restaurants worth a visit include Blue 5, METRO, Macado's, The Quarter, Wasabi, Blues BBQ and Ernie's, among others. Also be sure to visit the Texas Tavern, an 80 year old Roanoke institution with great food for those who don't mind a wait - the restaurant only seats ten people at a time. The area also has a number of boutiques, wine shops and specialty stores.
Grandin Village
The Grandin Village area is a popular neighborhood where many of Roanoke's most beautiful older homes are located and it's also the location of the historic Grandin Theater. The recently refurbished theater shows some mainstream movies, but also features independent and foreign films, the occasional classic on weekdays and once a month at the "Midnight Movie", and "Open Projector Night," which offers a chance for local filmmakers to showcase their talents.
The Roanoke Natural Foods has a great variety of organic and gourmet foods and holds cooking classes for its patrons. Its Happy Belly Deli has sandwiches, desserts, fresh bread and a juice bar with made-to-order smoothies. Restaurants include Grace's Pizza, The Isaacs and Norberto's. Visitors with a sweet tooth will want to check out Viva La Cupcake and Pop's, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that serves ice cream from a local creamery and sodas in over 15 flavors.
Local Landmarks
The Hotel Roanoke is an elegant Tudor-style hotel dating back to 1882. In addition to its luxurious accommodations and fine dining, it's a popular venue for local events and conferences, and is worth a brief visit if not a night's stay. However, the crown jewel of the Roanoke landscape is the Mill Mountain Star, the world's largest manmade standing illuminated star. It shares its perch atop the mountain with the area zoo and provides a view of the city from its observation deck is one that shouldn't be missed.
Tara Wagner - Tara Wagner has studied short fiction and non-fiction writing and worked in human resources and management.
