Virginia Mini Road Trip 2020

August 1-3, 2020

Virginia Mini Road Trip – Day 1 – We hit the road around 7am this morning. Our first stop was the Humane Society to pick up Benson (cutest puppy ever), and start driving north. Benson was adopted by a gentleman near Washington DC. We agreed to road trip to Lexington,VA to make this very special delivery.

Our first pit stop was near Dandridge, TN – Benson was very interested in the other furry people on the other side of the parking lot. He got water and treats, we got biscuits….everyone was happy. We stopped at the cutest little rest stop just over the VA line, suggested by several people. We actually missed it the first time around and had to swing back around for a photo op.

Once we dropped Benson off with his new Dad in Lexington, VA (Walmart parking lot), we headed to find some grub. We ended up at Pure Eats, and cute little converted service station burger joint in downtown Lexington. After refueling (get it?) we drove through both VMI and Washington & Lee campuses before checking out some of the shops downtown. One shop, Pumpkinseeds, was even featured in the most recent Southern Living magazine! It was a very cute little downtown, but seemed slow without all the school activity. Masks are required indoors in VA, and pretty much everyone is wearing one, so we feel very safe so far.From there we headed back south to Roanoke, VA. We’re spending tonight at a Hampton Inn right in the center of downtown. We checked in and headed out on a walk to explore the downtown area. We popped in to check out the Pinball Museum, hit some shops, and had a couple of flights at the Three Notch’d Brewery outpost. From there we grabbed dessert on the patio at Evie’s Bistro & Bakery, and then drove up to Mill Mountain to catch the sun setting and the BIG star all light up. We even have a great view of it from our hotel room!Tomorrow we’re planning to grab breakfast and check out the farmers market and Black Dog Salvage before heading to the next town. We did decide to spend one extra night in Bristol, VA, so we have time to explore a little more on the way. It feels great to be traveling again!

Virginia Mini Road Trip – Day 2 – Sleeping in sure feels great! After a long and much needed night of rest, we headed out to check out some of the sites we had planned for the morning. Unfortunately COVID threw a wrench in the plans…While the downtown Roanoke farmers market showed open today, it was deserted, and the breakfast place we had picked out, Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea, is not currently serving food. We ended up grabbing our coffee to go and heading across the street to Scrambled to eat on the patio. We also missed the Taubman museum because it doesn’t open till noon on Sundays. Travel is all about staying flexible, but even more so during these strange times!We checked out of the hotel and headed over to the Grandin district of Roanoke and Black Dog Salvage (of DIY network fame) to shop and buy a few souvenirs.From there we drove some beautiful (but windy) roads over to Floyd, VA. We stopped at the Floyd Country Store and split a slice of lemon curd coconut cake (YUM!).Next stop was Wytheville, VA to snap a photo of the big pencil (we love quirky roadside attractions), and hit Seven Sisters Brewery (solid beers). Then on to Abingdon, VA where we stopped in an excellent little art museum – William King Museum, and saw the Barter Theater (the outside at least).Finally, we arrived in Bristol, VA and checked into The Bristol Hotel (brand new and super nice). We walked a block over to the main downtown street (which straddles both states) and walked down the Virginia side and back up Tennessee! After dinner downtown at 620 State, we ended up at the hotel rooftop bar overlooking the iconic Bristol sign to watch the sunset. A packed but great day!Most towns we went through today seemed like ghost towns. Probably a combination of it being Sunday and COVID. The only time we felt somewhat unsafe today was the hotel elevator in Roanoke. They only had one elevator working and the hotel is perched on top of a parking deck, so stairs are out of the question. At some of the busy times, people would just hop in the elevator with you without asking. Most were wearing masks, but still against the posted signs and a little uncomfortable for us.

Virginia Mini Road Trip – Day 3 – Rainy morning in Bristol. I felt very “digital nomad” this morning, working from the hotel room overlooking downtown Bristol. We popped out between conference calls to grab some pastries and coffee from Blackbird Bakery. So, so good! We hit the road a little before 1PM and made a quick stop for a photo op at Bristol Motor Speedway before heading on to Johnson City, TN (sing it with me now…”But he’s a heading west from the Cumberland gap, to Johnson City, Tennessee”). Stopped for lunch in Johnson City at White Duck Taco Shop (one of our favs & attached to Yee Haw Brewing). We hit Pals Sudden Service for a milkshake on the way back to 81, because who can resist a crazy teal building with a hot dog on the front? Headed straight back to Dalton from there. Can you tell our pups missed us? Thanks for following along on our travels!