When I began my senior year at Virginia Tech, I made a to-do list of the things I had yet to do in the Southwest Virginia region. The items on the list ranged from restaurants I hadn’t been to, to recreational areas and hiking trails. This past weekend I accomplished one of the items that I was looking forward to most - visiting the Chateau Morrisette Winery.

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For all you travel lovers, there is a new way to get around the New River Valley and beyond: surfing. Now you may be wondering how that is possible in Southwest Virginia, but thanks to a nonprofit started in New Hampshire back in 1999, CouchSurfing.com allows members to “surf” virtually anywhere.

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Driving down Interstate 81, one is bombarded with signs advertising local wine vineyards. At almost any vineyard, the main perk is attending a wine-tasting, after which it is expected that the customer will purchase their favorite selection of wine. This Southwest Virginia Mecca of vineyards is great for wine lovers in the region, but what about those Southern beer enthusiasts?

This past week a compromise was finally agreed upon in Floyd County between the owners of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery and neighbors opposed to the business. According to an article in the Roanoke Times, neighbors Jean and Paul Lacoste and David Elliot fought for months with the owners, escalating to involvement with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The main concern was over a potentially increased amount of traffic, drunken driving and noise levels in the neighborhood.

In an effort to assuage their neighbors’ fears, owners of the Shooting Creek Farm Brewery have voluntarily agreed to cancel all plans for the brewery’s public tasting room and related events. Instead the company will focus on brewing and selling about 1,000 gallons of beer per month, and hopes to implement a home delivery program available to certain areas in the region.

In my opinion, public taste testing in a microbrewery far from elicits the irresponsible actions of drunk driving and hullabaloo that these neighbors were anticipating. Just like sample tasting at a vineyard, the customers’ intensions are not those of leaving the venue wasted, but rather being able to enjoy the unique flavors of beer at a microbrewery in moderation. If the intensions were to get drunk, they might as well walk to the nearest 7-11 and pick up a case of Natural Light.

Quite far from the watered-down flavor of “Natty Light”, co-owner Brett Nichols describes one of the Shooting Creek brews as “a malty, high-alcohol, hopped-up American-style brown ale,” which he named the Buffalo brew. In contrast, the Rebel brew will be “an amber ale with a hint of rye,” and will display a Confederate soldier on the label to appeal to Southern beer enthusiasts, said Nichols.

I look forward to trying out these first two beers which will be available beginning in March, and hope that eventually the neighbors will come to their senses and allow for the public taste testing room.

-Kristina Ticknor

  http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/190622

Are you in Southwest Virginia?  Do you look for things to do, or are you one of those who want to come to the area and are afraid of the lack of things to do?  Well, fret not. It really depends on where you are in the area and where your interests lie, but regardless of that, there are many things to do!   

For example, if you’re in Floyd County, a good Friday night can mean going to the Blue Ridge Diner (I highly recommend their black bottom pie) and then going to the Floyd Country Store for live music and dancing.  Often there is not only music going on inside the store, but outside on the porch and around the corner as well.  If you’re looking for other music venues, try The Rex Theatre in Galax, the Bristol Country Music Alliance’s Pickin’ Porch in Bristol or the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol in the Fall which is a phenomenally huge traditional music festival! 

Music abounds in the mountains and can be found anywhere from a square dance in Grayson County to a fire department Friday night jam in Smyth County to anywhere along The Crooked Road.

In the area, we are blessed to have a plethora of natural wonders just waiting to be explored.  From Tazewell County’s Burkes Garden, which is known as “God’s Thumbprint,” to the Creeper Trail, Appalachian Trail or Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest point, there are many things to do and see.  The Blue Ridge Parkway and many hiking and biking opportunities offer you the best views for miles around.  It has been rumored that on a clear day, one can see Detroit, Michigan from the summit at Mount Rogers, but you’ll have to look and see for yourself!

In the New River Valley (Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford), you can enjoy a busier scene with shopping and dining options.  Also, you can benefit from having the colleges close by for quality entertainment whether it be concerts, plays, lecture series, etc… 

Going down I-81 gives you the option of dinner and a show at the Wolfhart Haus in Wytheville, several wineries in the region such as Chateau Morissette and the Davis Valley Winery, performances at The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, The Paramount and Theatre Bristol in Bristol and The Barter Theatre in Abingdon– the state theatre of Virginia.  There are many other cultural opportunities such as The Carter Fold in Hiltons and plenty of fine dining experiences to be had between The Martha Washington Inn, The Tavern and The Hardware Company, just to name a few. 

The area is also rich in consignment, second-hand and antique shops.  The areas of Floyd, Abingdon Bristol are particularly rich in these stores.  In the summer months you can attend the Virginia Highlands Arts and Crafts Festival in Abingdon which features a huge antiques market.

I could literally go on all day and suggest things that are not only great food and a good time such as The Dip Dog Stand in Marion, In the Country in Damascus, or Cuz’s Barbeque in Tazewell County, but I would be depriving you of your chance to explore on your own!

–Shai Cullop

Looking for a place to begin or grow your art career?  Searching for the perfect piece of art to finish off the new room you just designed? Well look no further.  The Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd does both of these things and more. 

Tenants rent out the space and can use the space either to work on their art of use the space as a gallery to sell the art.  The center is known as a business incubator, hoping to build artists into something so they can then own their own more commercial space. 

It is a very unique place for artists to grow, learn, mature, as an artist before they go ahead into the unknown.  This center erases that unknown for them and gives them an idea of what it takes to sustain as an artist.  

The Jacksonville Center also allows art lovers to go and buy art in one of their art galleries there at the center.  It can be an excellent resource to find some art that can not be found anywhere else. 

–Clark Saunders

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/nrventertainment/wb/182651