Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you'll witness elders connecting to deep cultural roots and a new generation of musicians
keeping that heritage alive and evolving.
FLOYD
Tiny, cute-as-a-postcard Floyd is nothing more than an intersection between Hwys 8 and
221, but life explodes on Friday nights at the
Floyd Country Store
( 540-745-4563;
www.floydcountrystore.com
; 206 S Locust St; 11am-5pm Tue-Thu, to 11pm Fri, to 5pm Sat,
noon-5pm Sun)
. Every Friday starting at 6:30pm, $5 gets you four bluegrass bands in four
hours and the chance to watch happy crowds jam along to regional heritage. No smokin',
no drinkin', but there's plenty of dancin' (of the jig-and-tap style) and good cheer. On
weekends, there's lots of live music happening nearby.
Built in 2007 with ecofriendly materials and furnishings,
Hotel Floyd
(
540-745-6080;
www.hotelfloyd.com
; 120 Wilson St; r $85-145; )
is one of the
most 'green' hotels in Virginia, and is a model of sustainability. Each of the 14 unique
rooms were decorated by local artisans. Eight miles west of Floyd,
Miracle Farm B&B
(
540-789-2214;
www.miraclefarmbnb.com
;
179 Ida Rose Lane; r $125-155;
)
has lovely
ecofriendly cabins amid lush scenery.
When you're all jigged out, head for
Oddfella's
( 540-745-3463; 110 N Locust St; lunch
mains $7-14, dinner $8-21; 11am-2:30pm Wed-Sat, 5-9pm Thu-Sun, 10am-3pm Sun; )
, which has a woodsy, organic mostly Tex-Mex menu, and satisfying locally produced
microbrews from the Shooting Creek Brewery.
Above the Harvest Moon health-food store,
Natasha's Market Cafe
( 540-745-2450;
227 N Locust St; lunch/dinner mains from $8/16; 11am-3pm Tue-Sat, 5:30-9pm Thu-Sat)
is a
bright and cheery spot serving organic local produce.
GALAX
Galax claims to be the world capital of mountain music, although it feels like anywhere-
else-ville outside of the immediate downtown area, which is on the National Register of
Historic Places. The main attraction is the
Rex Theater
( 276-236-0329;
www.rextheatergalax.com
; 113 E Grayson St)
, a musty, red-curtained belle of yore. Frequent
bluegrass acts cross its stage, but the easiest one to catch is the free Friday-night live
WBRF 98.1 show, which pulls in crowds from across the mountains.
St; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat)
is the Stradivarius of the mountains, a master craftsman sought
out by fiddle and mandolin aficionados from across the world. The
Old Fiddler's Con-
