This year visitors will find a few added bonuses when traveling to Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains while exploring new attractions opening in 2016.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge is a great choice when considering a mountain vacation destination any time of year. Experience a true Blue Ridge Day with a variety of entertainment and outdoor adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With new outdoor recreation offerings, attractions and a variety of things to do, this mountainous destination is perfect for a just-for-fun getaway!

The Roanoke Pinball Museum located in the heart of downtown Roanoke and in Center in the Square is retro entertainment at its best. Groups of all ages can enjoy playing pinball with over 30 machines raging in date from 1930 – 1990. Learn the stories behind the machines and play them, too. High scores will be etched onto the ‘high scores’ board and come with serious bragging rights - but don’t stop there. Continue the retro throwback streak to the The Candy Store, a “sweet-lover’s paradise” that plans to relocate in Center in the Square in March. Head over to the Taubman Museum of Art where original pieces of artwork by America’s beloved artist, Norman Rockwell, will hang throughout the museum’s brand new 3,400 sq. ft. special exhibition gallery opening to the public March – June 2016.

Looking for some sports entertainment? Get ready and gear up for an action-packed night in the newly renovated Berglund Center; Western Virginia's premiere events facility. Hockey fans will find themselves hanging in suspense on the edge of newly renovated seats as the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs make a 2016 season premier as the first professional ice hockey team to return to Roanoke in ten years. Rally the team up at one of the many craft breweries along the Virginia’s Blue Ridge Beerway. For live entertainment in a newly renovated tasting room, head over to Parkway Brewing Co. in Salem or check out the Craft Beer Tour by Tour Roanoke.

Just south of Roanoke experience the culture of Franklin County, Virginia. Smith Mountain Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes in Virginia, is celebrating 50 years in 2016 with plenty of events for the whole family. Purchase moonshine from the recently opened Twin Creeks Distillery and Franklin County Distillery. Both distilleries have perfected a legal blend of ‘shine that embodies the county’s rich past as “the moonshine capital of the world” right in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Nearby, visit Booker T. Washington National Museum to see the new permanent exhibit "Born Here, Freed Here" interpreting the life of famous African American educator Booker T. Washington and emphasizing the early childhood years (1856 - 1865) as an enslaved youth on a Virginia tobacco plantation.

No matter the season or occasion, Virginia truly is for Mountain Lovers. For more visitor information on attractions or to book your stay visit www.VisitVABlueRidge.com.