Cooperative Living November/December 2014 - 36

IF YOU GO...
Before you take Route 11 through the
New River Valley region, which runs
from the Christiansburg area to Pulaski
and beyond, check out the area online
(www.explorenewrivervalley.com). Then
stop in at local visitors centers, including
the Montgomery County Regional
Tourism Office (775 Roanoke Street,
Suite 2E, 540-394-2120 ext. 4225) in
Christiansburg or the Radford Visitors
Center inside the Glencoe Museum
(600 Unruh Drive, 866-605-6442).
If you like antiquing, then be sure to
visit Antiques on Main (4 West Main
St., 540-381-0539) while in
Christiansburg, and stop in for lunch at
the Mockingbird Café (110 West Main
St., Suite 110, 540-382-3432,
www.mockingbirdcafebakery.com).
After a hearty lunch, hit the bike trail at
New River Trail State Park (276-6996778,
www.dcr.virginia.gov/stateparks/
new-river-trail.shtml), which can be
accessed in Pulaski via the Dora Trail.
If you don't bring your own bike, then
stop in at Pulaski Bikes (20 South
Washington Ave., 540-922-9119,
www.pulaskibikes.com) and rent one.
South of Pulaski, Route 11 joins I-81
for several miles before returning to twolane
highway in Wytheville. Rest your
bike-weary bones in the Main Street
community of Marion at the historic
General Francis Marion Hotel (107
East Main Street, 276-783-4800, gfm
hotel.com/blackrooster/) with its newly
renovated guest rooms and suites within
walking distance of all the downtown's
shopping and dining. The onsite Black
Rooster Restaurant and Lounge will
fill you up with southern-style delicacies
like pork loin medallions simmered in
apple brandy and cider.
A Virginia Historic Landmark founded
in 1778, Abingdon is easily one of my
favorite towns. It's as picturesque as a
postcard with tree-lined streets, bricked
sidewalks, historic buildings all through
the downtown, and many shops, galleries,
and fine restaurants (some serving
farm-to-table cuisine). You can easily
spend a long weekend here and never
run out of things to do. Start your exploration
at the Abingdon Convention
34
and Visitors Bureau (335 Cummings
Street, 276-676-2282, visitabingdon
virginia.com). If you're a cyclist, then
you'll definitely want to ride the Virginia
Creeper Trail (www.vacreepertrail.com),
though there is plenty to do here for arts
and culture enthusiasts as well. Be sure to
take in a show at Barter Theatre (127
West Main Street, 276-628-3991, www.
bartertheatre.com); explore The Arts
Depot (314 Depot Square, 276-6289091,
www.abingdonartsdepot.com),
located in an 1890s freight station and
featuring the studios and wares of dozens
of artists and artisans; visit Heartwood,
Southwest Virginia's Artisan Gallery
(www.myswva.org/heartwood); or take a
road trip on the Countryside Artisan
Trail (www.myswva.org/rtm/trails-andmap/countryside-artisan-trail),
which will
lead you on an exploration of shops and
galleries throughout Washington County
as well as Bristol.
For the best eats in town, I highly recommend
128 Pecan (128 Pecan Street
SE, 276-698-3159, www.128pecan.com),
where I'm sure to eat every time I visit this
town. Menu favorites include crackercrusted
trout and chocolate espresso
bread pudding! The Tavern (222 East
Main Street, 276-628-1118, www.
abingdontavern.com) is something of an
Abingdon institution. It's one of the oldest
buildings west of the Blue Ridge and has
been a tavern since 1779, serving the
likes of Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson.
If you're a cyclist, you'll appreciate
the ease of access to the Virginia
Creeper Trail afforded by area lodgings,
including Creeper's End Lodging
(121 Railroad Street, 276-525-2031,
www.virginiacreepersendlodging
abingdonva.com), which is directly adjacent
to the trailhead. Or you can stay
at the Martha Washington Inn (150
West Main Street, 276-628-3161,
www.marthawashingtoninn.com), which
served as a college starting in 1860 but
became a hotel in 1935. The inn offers
a Creeper Trail Express, which shuttles
you to the bike trail's southern terminus
at White Top Mountain and then picks
you up at the Abingdon trailhead three
hours later. 
The General Francis Marion Hotel on Main
Street in Marion, Va. (top) has newly renovated
guest rooms and suites within walking
distance of the community's downtown
attractions. Something of an Abingdon
institution, the Tavern (middle) is one of the
oldest buildings west of the Blue Ridge and
has been in operation as a tavern since
1779, serving the likes of Henry Clay and
Andrew Jackson. The Martha Washington
Inn, (bottom) another Abingdon landmark,
served as a college starting in 1860 and
became a hotel in 1935.
Cooperative Living/November-December 2014

http://www.virginia.com http://www.explorenewrivervalley.com http://www.vacreepertrail.com http://www.bartertheatre.com http://www.abingdonartsdepot.com http://www.myswva.org/heartwood http://www.mockingbirdcafebakery.com http://www.myswva.org/rtm/trails-and http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stateparks/ http://www.128pecan.com http://www.pulaskibikes.com http://www.abingdontavern.com http://www.hotel.com/blackrooster/ http://www.virginiacreepersendlodging http://www.abingdonva.com http://www.marthawashingtoninn.com

Cooperative Living November/December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2014