Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 43

staircase. Lunch is farm-fresh food,
cooked or pickled in the winter kitchen
and grown locally, often by owner/chef
Chris Disibbio. fortchiswellmansion.com;
276-613-0829
For the drive to Marion, switch from
I-81 to U.S. 11 south at Exit 67 for country views. At Adkins, take Windsor Road
east to Davis Valley Winery, which
recently added a distillery. Try awardwinning wines or a nip of apple-pie
moonshine: 276-686-8855 or davisvalleywinery@hotmail.com. Then comparison shop at Appalachian Mountain
Spirits Stillhouse at 112 E. Main Street,
Marion, where moonshine is crystal
clear. On select Saturday nights, the
Marion distillery offers a 4-hour, handson moonshine-making experience (all
legal), Still Night. To register, call
276-378-0867.
In Marion, you can't miss the fivestory Classical Revival General Francis
Marion Hotel. Named in honor of the
Revolutionary War hero, the hotel looks
much as it did when it opened in 1927
as the most modern hotel in Southwest

Virginia. Guests register at the original
reception desk, ascend the same grand
staircase, and walk on the same terrazzo
tile that writer Sherwood Anderson trod
upon during his frequent visits to the
hotel lounge in the 1930s. Prohibition
likely meant nothing to him; the hotel's
black rooster motif in the card room
was code for "drinks served here."
The hotel itself is a delightful return
to the hospitality of the Roaring
Twenties, where hotel employees pamper guests with ice delivery, room service, and 24-hour coffee. Owners Susie
and Jim Ellis furnished the 36 rooms
with distinctive period furniture and
preserved the dark, old-wood hallways.
The hotel's Black Rooster restaurant,
with its house-smoked trout, makes an
excellent dinner spot.
Next door, the Lincoln Theatre, a
stunning Mayan Revival performance
space, stages concerts, including the
public television bluegrass series "Song
of the Mountains." If you're a fan of
mountain music, schedule your visit to
coincide with the monthly Saturday

night concert. Or check the schedule
(thelincoln.org) for other Saturday concerts, plays, and operas.
Sunday morning, at the Francis
Marion's complimentary breakfast, a souschef stands by to cook eggs to your specifications. Then it's time to explore a
sparkling trout stream four blocks away.
Marion's Riverwalk shadows the Middle
Fork Holston River as it flows to Holston
Hills golf course. If the weather permits,
visit nearby Hungry Mother State Park for
canoeing or paddle-boating.
If you're in an indoor mode, visit
Marion's Appalachian Spirit Gallery on
Main Street, then stop by the town's
1908 schoolhouse. The school, rejuvenated as Henderson School of
Appalachian Arts for musician/guitar
maker Wayne Henderson, offers classes
in art and traditional skills, including
instrument making.
To preregister, call 276-378-5028 or visit
hendersonschool.org.
General Francis Marion Hotel
107 E Main St, Marion, VA
276-783-4800; www.gfmhotel.com 

q Historic Downtown Wytheville...where the LOVE is! r

Play All Day!

World Famous Hotdogs

A First Lady's Birthplace Museum

edithbollingwilson.org
276.223.3484

■

visitwytheville.com
877.347.8307

Stay All Night!

■

facebook.com/Skeeters-World-Famous-Hotdogs
276.228.2611

■

bollingwilsonhotel.com
facebook.com/bollingwilsonhotel
276.223.2333

■

facebook.com/grazeonmain
276.223.2334

July/August 2015 43

http://www.thelincoln.org http://www.fortchiswellmansion.com http://www.hendersonschool.org http://www.gfmhotel.com http://www.bollingwilsonhotel.com http://www.facebook.com/grazeonmain http://www.edithbollingwilson.org http://www.facebook.com/Skeeters-World-Famous-Hotdogs http://www.edithbollingwilson.org http://www.visitwytheville.com http://www.facebook.com/Skeeters-World-Famous-Hotdogs http://www.facebook.com/bollingwilsonhotel

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015

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