If you’re short on Independence Day plans, head to Grayson County, Virginia and enjoy a 5K fun run, a bottle boat regatta, a watermelon eating contests, and, of course, amazing fireworks to top off the night. The fun begins July 3rd and last through July 4th. There will be music, entertainment and food, so the whole family can have a great time!
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Events, Food, Grayson County, Music, Virginia
April is a great time to enjoy the beautiful spring through hikes or family picnics, especially in Virginia. If you’re looking for a beautiful park with great history, visit Hungry Mother State Park in southwestern Virginia. Along with beautiful scenery, the park has swimming, camping, cabin rentals, boat rentals and a conference center. It also has a great history; legend has it that when Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, a woman named Molly and her small child were among the survivors. They wandered through the wild eating berries, but Molly was too weak and collapsed, while her child continued down the creek to find help. The only words her child could say were “Hungry Mother”, and that is how the state park got its name. Don’t be stuck inside all spring. Visit Virginia and explore the Hungry Mother State Park for yourself. For more information, visit the website.
Posted in Hiking, Historic Site, History, Outdoor Adventure, Photo Opportunity, Smyth County, Virginia
For nine years, during the second weekend in June, the Galax Leaf and String Festival has served to highlight the best Virginia has to offer. This festival was originally created as a traditional music event, but the community continued to evolve into a showcase for other events as well. Now, the festival is a celebration of arts, music and literature as more activities are offered for everyone. If you’re looking for something to do during the second weekend of June, don’t miss out on this amazing festival. Bring your family and enjoy! For more information, visit the festival’s website.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Attractions, Food, Galax, History, Music, Virginia
Looking for an exciting way to help out a community? Visit the Wine, Bid and Boogie Art Auction in Germanton, North Carolina. Slip on your dancing shoes, tip up your glass and buy some great art in order to raise money for the Stokes County Arts Council. Musical entertainment is provided as well as a wine tasting from Germanton Winery and a live and silent auction of beautiful and unique artwork. The event usually takes place sometime in June. Grab your friends and family and head to the Wine, Bid and Boogie event to have a great night.
Posted in Attractions, Events, Food, Music, Stokes County
Whether you enjoy drinking wine with every meal and know all the types or you just want to try something different than what you’re used to at home, the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival has a little something for everyone. With crafts, live music, and of course, wine tastings, this will be one festival that you won’t forget easily. In addition to wine, there will also be non-alcoholic beverages and food available for purchase, so children are more than welcome as well. Tickets in advance are $16 and tickets at the gate are $20. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 21, from 11 am to 6 pm and bring your family to the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival. For more information, visit the wine website.
Posted in Attractions, Food, Music, North Carolina, Vineyard, Winery, Yadkin County
North Carolina really knows its music and bluegrass. Mount Airy, North Carolina is home to the Old Time Dance, an event where country bands come to entertain visitors and teach them some dance steps. This event is a monthly event and in March, it takes place on the 6th at 7:00 pm at the Old Time Music Heritage Hall. This is a fun event that everyone can enjoy, so bring your friends and family and head to the Old Time Music Heritage Hall in March! For a full schedule of events in North Carolina, visit this website.
If you enjoy listening to new music and attending festivals, then don’t miss out on Merlefest in Wilkes County, North Carolina. This festival was founded in 1988 in Memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College. The festival combines traditional and country with new country, a term Doc Watson called “traditional-plus”. Doc Watson himself described traditional plus as “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play”. Don’t miss out on a great time and a unique experience! Visit the Merlefest website for a complete list of bands.
Posted in Attractions, Food, History, Music, North Carolina, Wilkes County
Serenity Stables is located in the quaint city of Shoals, North Carolina and is only a short horseback ride away from the Yadkin River Section of the Pilot Mountain State Park. Serenity Stables also offers a campground, which is equipped with picnic tables, fire pits, electricity, outhouses and stalls for your best friend. A log cabin is also available if you would rather be away from the hot summer heat. For more information, head on over to their website.
Posted in Equestrian, North Carolina, Outdoor Adventure
The Stokes County Art Council provides several different art activities to members of the community. If you’re looking for something fun and artistic for your children to participate in during the summer, look no further than the Summer Art Camps that the Stokes County Art Council offers. All of the camps are held at Mount Olive Elementary School and with so many different camps to choose from, your kids will be busy all summer! Some of the categories include a visual arts camp, where children will create visual art with recycle and reusable materials and a living storybook theatre camp, where children will put on a play. Each camp runs for one week. For more information, visit the Stokes’ County Art Council website.
The Virginian Restaurant is one of the south’s most famous eateries and has been opened since the mid 1900’s. With a flavorful menu and daily drink specials, it is easy to see how it came to be such a big deal in the south. The Virginian serves appetizers such as BBQ chicken nachos and something they call Stumble Down Macaroni, which includes macaroni and pepper jack cheese topped with a homemade cheddar potato cake. Delicious! The menu consists of entrees such as crab cake and New York strip. To get a look at the delicious selection the Virginian provides, visit its website.
