Favorite Outdoor Activities in South / Central Virginia

Bethany Montgomery
Feb 15, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Jan 12

There are so many fun and beautiful things to do in Virginia. From hiking trails to amazing food there are tons of activities to fit whatever your heart desires. Matt and I have done a lot of exploring over the last several years and below is a list of some of our favorite activities.

Hiking

There are so many beautiful hiking trails across Virginia. One of our favorite trails for the views is the Cascades Falls trail (moderate - 4 miles). For a really good workout, we like to hike McAfee's Knob (moderate to difficult - 8 miles).

Walking Trails

Along with beautiful hiking trails, there are also tons of cool walking trails. There are the trails along the Roanoke / Salem Greenway, Blacksburg Greenway, Huckleberry Trail in Christiansburg, and many more. The tunnel below was in Lynchburg, VA at Blackwater Creek.

Restaurants

Where to even begin? There are so many good food options that I will be doing a separate post. For this specific post we are talking about outdoor activities so I will dedicate this section to all the fabulous outdoor eateries in the area.

Explore Park Brough Tavern - Located in Roanoke Virginia, this is our top pick. They have a very unique tavern-style restaurant tucked away in the walking trails of the Explore Park. If you eat inside, ask to sit in the downstairs area (it's super cool). If you eat outside, which is what we prefer, you can bring your furry friend and sit around the fire pit. You order your food and pay through an app so it makes the experience super easy. One downside is they have very limited hours during the off-season.

Dogtown Roadhouse - Located in Floyd Virginia. This place has really good pizza and live music. Their outdoor seating allows for you to enjoy the nice weather and bring your furry friend.

Rising Solo Brewery - Located in Blacksburg Virginia this is a farm-to-table restaurant and brewery. There are plenty of outdoor seating and beautiful views.

Beales Brewery - Located in Bedford Virginia this place was named after the legend of Beales Treasure that most Bedford residents know about and some have attempted to even find. This place has great food and beverages with a cool outdoor seating area.

Floating the River

This is one of our favorite things to do on a hot summer day. We purchased some heavy-duty floats from the local hardware store, packed a cooler, and plopped ourselves into the Roanoke River. There are lots of areas to float, but the Roanoke River is free and not super rough. A word of caution, there are some rocky places so you don't want to go when the river is super low. Of course, there are other places that offer floating from the Explore Park to the James River Junction for a cost.

Camping

With nature all around there are many places to camp out. Whether you prefer primitive camping, Glamping, or yurts this area has it all.

Fishing

We usually fish at the family farm, but there are plenty of great fishing holes in the area. The Roanoke River, Smith Mountain Lake, and Claytor Lake are a few.

Biking

Most of the trails mentioned above you can also ride your bike on so if biking is your thing there are plenty of trails in the area to take a ride.

Music

Our favorite music venue in the area is Dr. Pepper Park. There are also plenty of restaurants and breweries that also offer live music. Elmwood Park in Downtown Roanoke, Daleville Towncenter, and Rocky Mountain Train Station are a few that normally have events.