If you've ever seen a 9-year-old boy holding a water balloon, you know the look. Eyebrows raised, grin wide as a watermelon slice, the kid seated next to me on the plane poked me with his elbow and asked, "Is this your first time to fly into 
Roanoke?"

Instantly, the aircraft lurched forward like it was about to throw up. The kid, laughing now, said, "This is my favorite part!"

Sure enough, the "fasten seatbelt" sign dinged the takeoff of a 60-second thrill ride that stopped as suddenly as it had started. Why? Air passing over the Blue Ridge Mountains causes turbulence as it flows above the air on the other side. My little seat buddy from Virginia apparently already knew about that physics phenomenon, judging from his winsome wink on the calm side of our airborne adventure.

Roanoke, Va. is actually full of delightful surprises.

For starters, the railroad town built at the crossing of the east-west Atlantic, If you've ever seen a 9-year-old boy holding a water balloon, you know the look. Eyebrows raised, grin wide as a watermelon slice, the kid seated next to me on the plane poked me with his elbow and asked, "Is this your first time to fly into Roanoke?"

Instantly, the aircraft lurched forward like it 
was about to throw up. The kid, laughing 
now, said, "This is my favorite part!"

Sure enough, the "fasten seatbelt" sign dinged the takeoff of a 60-second thrill ride that stopped as suddenly as it had started. Why? Air passing over the Blue Ridge Mountains causes turbulence as it flows above the air on the other side. My little seat buddy from Virginia apparently already knew about that physics 
phenomenon, judging from his winsome wink on the calm side of our airborne adventure.

Roanoke, Va. is actually full of delightful surprises.

For starters, the railroad town built at the crossing of the east-west Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad and the north-south Shenandoah Valley Railroad used to be called Big Lick. (Enough said.)

It was here in 1882 that railroad magnate Frederick J. Kimball built Hotel Roanoke - a rambling wooden structure of less than three dozen rooms that eventually became a warm weather destination for out-of-towners who wanted to spend long vacations lounging on deep verandas shaded by fragrant wisteria and cooled by mountain air.

After 107 years, Norfolk Southern Corporation - a direct descendant of Kimball's Norfolk and Western Railroad - decided to concentrate on rail service, not room service. In 1989, they closed the hotel and donated it with strings attached to the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation. Virginia Tech then had four years to assemble financing for the renovation, or the hotel would remit to the railroad for demolition.

Today, the old Hotel Roanoke is the new 331-guest room Hotel Roanoke, restored and remodeled through a multi-million dollar package of public and private financing - including more than $6 million in cash and pledges gathered from collection boxes placed throughout the city.


Last year, The Historic Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center earned The Connie Award, the highest global award presented only to DoubleTree by Hilton properties with the highest overall performance scores. Everything about our stay there a few weeks ago - from front desk service to food service - confirms the standard to which the Hotel Roanoke staff aspires. That's especially comforting if you've ever been disappointed by a stay at a historic hotel more suited for renovations than for accommodations.

Across the tracks from the hotel, downtown Roanoke is anchored by a lively Historic Market District and a newly-opened Market building. Home to one of Virginia's oldest farmers' markets, Roanoke issued licenses to 25 hucksters in 1882. Two years later, the city authorized space for a municipally-owned market.

Today's market space is punctuated with painted bicycle racks and is within easy walking distance of several museums, including Historic Fire Station #1, listed on the National Historic Register as one of the state's oldest firehouses in continuous operation; the Science Museum of Western Virginia, providing interactive exhibits for all ages; the History Museum of Western Virginia, featuring permanent and traveling exhibits about the history of the Commonwealth; Mill Mountain Theatre and the future home of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.

You probably can't run out of things to do in and around Roanoke, especially when it comes to outdoor activities. Hiking, biking, fishing, camping and golf are readily available in a variety of venues along the Appalachian Trail. We just flat ran out of time to do more.

I guess this means I'll be taking that thrill ride again.