Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2020 - 32

VINTAGE VAGABOND

INN AT WILLOW GROVE
TIGER DRIVE-IN

Travel offers the opportunity to move through time as well as through space. The recommendations in this traveler profile take a long look at our
history. Here are a few of the best places in the region to imagine life as it was millennia, centuries and decades ago.

Where to Stay?

Travelers who want to soak up the history of
the Blue Ridge mountains are in luck-the region is full of manor houses and other grand
structures that have been converted into inns,
hotels and bed and breakfasts. One exemplary
example of a well-executed historic conversion is the Inn at Willow Grove in Orange,
Virginia. The property boasts deep roots (the
manor house was constructed in 1778) and an
unpretentious style (cow paintings adorn every room). The hands-on owners offer guests a
warm welcome with complementary Prosecco
and chocolates upon arrival.

What to do?

Travelers who want to stay in an 18th-century
frame of mind should visit King's Mountain
National Military Park in Blacksburg, South
Carolina. The battle was fought in 1780 between a patriot militia and a group of Americans who remained loyal to Britain. Many of
the patriot soldiers belonged to the Overmountain Men, a loose group of soldiers from
west of the Appalachian Mountains who traveled east to take up arms against the redcoats.
Another attraction 2.5 hours away tells a
different kind of 18th-century story. Visitors
to Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee,

BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

North Carolina, get a glimpse into Cherokee
life through the village's living history exhibits, which depict scenes of everyday life and
show how world events affected the Cherokee people. You can also learn about Cherokee art from award-winning artists who
demonstrate their craft.
Travelers looking to rekindle memories
should cruise to Tiger, Georgia, and catch a
movie at the Tiger Drive-In. Just buy your
tickets, find a nice spot on the grass parking
terrace, and tune into the Tiger's low-power
FM station. For visitors traveling from out of
town, the drive-in offers overnight accommodation in two vintage campers: the Flamingle and the Disco Daze.

Four more to consider:

North 27 Antique Mall, Somerset, Kentucky. It's
packed tight with antique furniture, vintage
collectibles,and retro ephemera.
Tavern Lane Antiques, Natural Bridge, Virginia. The owners of the Inn at Forest Oaks
recently opened this upscale antique store in
the basement of their historic manor house.
The Family Drive-In Theater, Stephens
City, Virginia. This Shenandoah Valley staple
has been screening first-run features since
1956.

Twin-City Drive-In, Bristol, Tennessee.
The original screen was built from timber
harvested from the woods behind the theater. After a tornado destroyed it in 1977, the
community helped clean up and rebuild the
screen so quickly that the theater didn't miss
even one weekend of movies.

Where to Eat?

You'll know you're getting close to the Frostop Drive-In in Huntington, West Virginia,
when you see a checkerboard-painted
building with a giant mug of root beer sitting on the roof. Regulars say the drive-in
hasn't changed too much since it opened in
1959. Once part of a nationwide chain, the
restaurant is now one of just a few original
'50s-style diners in the region. If you make it
out that way, be sure to try a root beer-they
make it themselves.
If you're looking for something tucked
away in the mountains, try the soda fountain
at Tinsley-Bible Drug Company in Dandridge,
Tennessee. Founded in 1911, the pharmacy
still draws a healthy crowd of locals for lunch,
thanks in no small part to the regionally famous Bible Burger. After you've finished, take
a stroll around historic downtown Dandridge
and admire the state's second-oldest town.

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Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2020

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