Attractions

Pandapas Pond is a man-made recreation area in southwest Virginia. It was built in the 1940’s by damming up Poverty Creek. Back then, it was a private recreation area for employees of a local company. Since then, the property was sold to the National Forest Service, and they maintain it as a public recreation area. There are numerous trails that give opportunities for wildlife and wildflower viewing, hiking, jogging, horseback riding and mountain biking. There are a wide variety of trails, ranging from accessible and stroller-friendly walks around the pond to black diamond mountain bike rides.
Pandapas Pond Website Virginia Birding and Wildlife at Pandapas

The “AT” as it is called by hikers is much more than a path through the woods. It is a national scenic trail, part of the same national park system that includes Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Great Smoky Mountains. The official name is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Unlike those famous parks, the AT is not a concentrated preserve with campgrounds and paths within its boundaries. As the longest, skinniest part of the National Park System, the AT stretches over 14 different states and passes through more than 60 federal, state, and local parks and forests. Hundreds of roads cross it. In some parts, the Trail’s corridor is only a few hundred feet wide.
From the Appalachian Trail website

About 150,000 visitors a year visit the Cascades. Without question, Cascade Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Virginia and possibly on the entire East Coast. Little Stony Creek falls over a vertical cliff in several different streams. Several streams cascade a couple of times on the way down, while others fall the whole distance of the Falls. The 69-foot Falls crash into a large pool surrounded by 200 foot cliff walls from which large ice formations hang in the winter. The scene is both breathtaking and peaceful as the Falls combine both power and beauty. The Falls are also fairly easy to view, with wooden stairs and platforms on one side of the pool allowing visitors to get very close to the Falls as well as allowing photographers many different angles for pictures.
GIles County Website

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, Virginia Tech is a comprehensive, innovative research university with the largest full-time student population in Virginia. Through a combination of its three missions of learning, discovery and engagement, Virginia Tech continuously strives to accomplish the charge of its motto, Ut Prosim (That I may Serve).

Downtown Blacksburg and the surrounding areas have been host to local bands, visiting artists, and music festivals. Check out gruvur.com or BlacksburgLiveMusic to find out who’s playing nearby.

Set in the middle of a 2,600 acre nature preserve and surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains, rustic and historic Mountain Lake Lodge is the ultimate retreat. Breathe in crisp, fresh air, dine on gourmet fare, and build family memories with fun indoor and outdoor activities. We offer a variety of accommodations, from rustic cabins and cozy cottages to lodging in our historic Main Stone Lodge. Expansive meeting and event venues set the stage for romantic weddings and relaxing business events. Arrive to an unhurried pace and enjoy adventure and comfort in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Mountain Lake Lodge offers a number of themed events each year, including those surrounding Dirty Dancing, (which was filmed largely in Giles County).

On the eve of the American Revolution, the Virginia backcountry was a place of colliding cultures, clashing ideals, and physical dangers. Wolves howled at night, panthers roamed the forest. Europeans and native Shawnee and Cherokee vied for the same fertile farmlands, often erupting into murderous violence. It was here, at the Eastern continental divide – the literal edge of the European / American civilization -that leader of westward expansion and Revolutionary War patriot William Preston established Smithfield Plantation. Today, William Preston’s Smithfield uses the complex histories of the region’s indigenous peoples, the Preston Family, and the enslaved community the Preston family owned to uphold the values of Courage, Leadership, and Education. Smithfield’s purpose is to use these values to gain perspective from the past, insight into the present, and inspiration for the future. Historic Smithfield is on the National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia Landmarks Register, and is a Preservation Virginia Property.

With over 287,934 acres of national forest land adorned by southwest Virginia’s scenic mountains and clear streams, the New River Valley Ranger District offers recreational experiences that inspire a wide range of interests and activities. Check out the US Forest Service website for more information and directions to hiking trails, scenic drives, and other water activities.