Activities, Recreation Entertainment

NRVA to Z

 Appalachian Trail, 50 miles through Giles County, Angel's Rest Overlook most popular day hike  Aquatic Center, Blacksburg, 6 lap lanes in 25-yard pool, hot tub, saunas, skate park  Aquatic Center, Christiansburg, 3 pools including Olympic size pool, warm water therapy pool, skate park  Arcade games in many places  Blue Ridge Axe Throwing, downtown Blacksburg  Blue Ridge Parkway, Floyd County, one of America’s most scenic drives  Bisset Park, Radford, alongside the New River, abundant bird life  Bowling, Blacksburg and Christiansburg  Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve, Floyd, significant natural ecosystems, rare plants and animals, steep one mile hike  Caboose Park, Blacksburg, hand in hand playground, picnicking  Calfee Park, Pulaski, home field of the Appalachian League’s Pulaski River Turtles  Cascade Falls, Pembroke, incredibly popular 2-mile woodland hike to 66-foot waterfalls  Claytor Lake State Park, Pulaski County, 21-mile long lake, boat rentals, stand up paddleboarding, kayaks, swimming, fishing, picnicking, camping  Climber's Gym, Christiansburg, rock walls and indoor challenges  Covered Bridges, Giles County, Route 700 [parking] and Route 601/Clover Hollow Road [private property, can see and photograph from the road]  Cox's Driving Range, Blacksburg, miniature golf, batting cages, driving ranges

From adrenaline-pumping thrills like whitewater rafting, rock climbing or whizzing along a zip line in the treetops to taking a calm kayak or canoe ride on Little River or the New River, walking trails in town parks, paddleboarding on Claytor Lake or taking in nature shooting photos anywhere, the New River Valley really does have that something-for-everyone kind of recreation list of fun. Here are the basics, and one can easily find specifics like hours, fees and directions on the Internet and County or City of Radford websites.

City of Radford . . . . . . . . . . . visitradford.com

Floyd County . . . . . . . . . . . . . visitfloydva.com

Giles County . . . . virginiasmtnplayground.com

Montgomery County . . . . . . gotomontva.com

Pulaski County . . . . . . . . pulaskivatourism.org

 Dismal Falls, Giles County, not so dismal when you are there, very pretty, hiking, horse camping, people camping  Escape Rooms, Blacksburg, Radford, Mountain Lake Lodge, test your deductive reasoning skills to plot your escape  Falls Ridge Preserve, Elliston, short loop, 60-foot waterfall, wildflowers spring and summer  Floyd Country Store, Floyd, Friday night jamboree, Appalachian old-timey, toe-stompin' music and dancing  Gatewood Park & Reservoir, Pulaski County, 400 acres, hidden gem, newly marked and maintained trail system, 4 miles or more, great campground plus island camping by boat with permit  Glen Alton, Giles County, 304 acres, pristine, rural, scenic, trails, picnicking, bird watching, photography  Golden Hills Disc Golf Course, Christiansburg, professional grade 37-hole disc golf course  Hahn Horticulture Garden and Duck Ponds, Virginia Tech campus, pretty gardens year round, hundreds of plant species  Heritage Park, Blacksburg, 189 acres on edge of town, walking trails, bird watching, play space

 Huckleberry Trail, Blacksburg-Christiansburg link, paved, 8+ miles  IMAX, theatres, bowling and more, First & Main, Blacksburg  Kairos, Giles County, 1,500 acres, ATV and dirt bike trails, yurt lodging, BYOV/bring your own vehicle  Lily's Playground, New River Valley Mall, indoor play space  Mabry Mill, Milepost 176.2, historic mill, one of most photographed sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway  Mary Draper Ingles Trail, Glen Lyn, along the New River, 7 miles, links with West Virginia trail system  McCoy Falls, Blacksburg, hot spot for tubing on the New River  Mill Creek Nature Park, Narrows, 140-acre nature park, waterfalls, hiking and biking trails, stream fishing  Little River, Riner/Floyd, kayak and canoe rentals  Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke, 2,600 acres, hiking, mountain biking, sky slide, zipline, "Dirty Dancing" movie film site  Motor Mile Speedway, Fairlawn, car racing, derbies and thrilling events  New River Junction, Draper, next to New River Trail, bicycle rentals and outfitters, sports shop

 New River Trail, Pulaski County, 58 miles, rails-totrails, pastoral scenes  New River Valley Fairgrounds, Dublin, flea markets, horse shows, county fair, special events  New River Valley Mall, one-half mile indoor perimeter walk, shopping, too. Rebranded as Uptown Christiansburg.  New River Water Trail, Giles County, 37 miles of New River water activities  NRV Super Bowl, Christiansburg, bowling, arcade games, bumper cars, laser tag  Outfitters, fly fishing, rafting, tubing, camping, standup paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, cabin rentals, etc.  Pandapas Pond Recreation Area, Blacksburg, 8-acre pond, kids fishing, boardwalk across part of the pond, picnic tables, creeks, butterfly and heirloom garden, pond life, nature photo ops, walking, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding permitted, BYOH/bring your own horse, Jefferson National Forest trails  Randolph Park, Pulaski, 87 acres, water park, frisbee, volleyball, horseshoes, picnicking  River Sculpture Walking Trail, Pearisburg, one mile walk, 5 permanent sculptures

Movies

I think cinema, movies and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians. - Francis Ford Coppola

 Rocky Knob Recreation Area, Floyd County, Blue Ridge Parkway, visitor's center, picnicking, camping, trails  Skateboard parks, Blacksburg and Christiansburg near aquatic centers  Stiles Falls, Shawsville, 3.2-mile out-and-back trail, moderately challenging  Uptown Christiansburg (formerly New River Valley Mall)  Wildwood Farms General Store, Willis, live music Saturdays, monthly cruise-ins  Wildwood Park, Radford, 50-acre wooded valley, bikeway and walking trails, eclectic nature ecosystems.  Winterfrost Farm, Radford, horseback trail rides.  Wonder Universe, a children's hands-on museum, Uptown Christiansburg (formerly New River Valley Mall)  Zip lines, Buffalo Mountain Ziplines (Floyd County), Treetop Adventures at Mountain Lake Lodge (Giles County) Going to the movies is still wonderful and one of the most perfect vacation diversions. Movie houses have comfy seats, cup holders, state-of-the-art digital productions and always plenty of popcorn!

 B&B Theatres, multiple screens and IMAX, First & Main, Blacksburg  Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg, renovated 1930s movie house, special performances, first-run movies  Pulaski Theater, Pulaski, colorful history since 1911, reopened in 2009, music and films  Regal New River Valley Stadium 14 Movie Theatre, Christiansburg next to NRV Mall,  Scarette’s Plaza Cinema, Fairlawn, affordable family entertainment, newest movies  Star-Lite Drive-in, Christiansburg, a classic for summer nights  The Radford Theatre, downtown Radford, open every day, movies