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The Downtown Roanoke Food & Cultural Tour hosted by Tour Roanoke is one of the best ways to learn about the history and unique flavors of Downtown Roanoke.
It's also the inspiration of a recent post on Real Food Traveler about "Where to Eat in Roanoke, Virginia."
The story was written by Jessica Dixon, who visited the region as part of a June 2018 media tour hosted by Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge.
It's a preview of many of the local restaurants you can experience on the guided tour, including iconic dishes like peanut soup & spoonbread at The Regency Room at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, and a cheesy western at Texas Tavern.
Not only does the tour provide a glimpse of the culinary diversity of Virginia's Blue Ridge, the guide also shares interesting tidbits and facts about the history of the region. Here's an excerpt from the section about Billy's:
"We continued to Billy’s, formerly a saloon and (ahem) short-term stay hotel deceptively named The Ritz in Roanoke’s pre-Prohibition entertainment district. The night before Virginia went dry, locals and visitors spent $100,000 in this and other bars, amounting to over two million dollars today. After some twists and turns, Billy’s reopened in 2012, and they now serve classics such as steak, oysters, and chops in their wood-paneled dining room."
You can read the article in its entirety on the Real Food Traveler website.
The Downtown Roanoke Food & Cultural Tour is one of many guided tours organized by Tour Roanoke, which also features a hop-on hop-off craft brewery tour, Appalachian Shine & Spirits Tour, and much more.
