Roanoke Valley Kid-Tested Fun

Six Day Trips and Spur-of-the-moment History-Related Activities

Jun 11, 2007

VTM Playground Activity Roanoke 2003, ©Georgene A. Bramlage 2007

Kids from preschool to middle school and their parents can find plenty of activities for summer fun in the Roanoke Valley. Here are six kid-tested things to see and do.

Kids from preschool to middle school and their parents can find plenty of activities for four-season fun in the Roanoke Valley. Listed below are six kid-tested things to see and do. They explore area history, in both outdoor and indoor settings.

History - Outdoors

Blue Ridge Parkway: designed as a recreational motor road to connect Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks. Five hundred miles along the Blue Ridge mountains through North Carolina and Virginia. Passes through some of the oldest pre-historic and early European settlement. Good for a short car trip or check ranger-led activities for programs geared to children. Open dawn to dark except in special circumstances. Watch road postings.No admission fee. 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Recorded Park Information: (828) 298-0398; Park Headquarters: (828) 271-4779.

Booker T. Washington National Monument: boyhood home of Booker T. Washington is 25 miles from Roanoke; Washinton was born a slave April 5, 1856, on the farm of James and Elizabeth Burroughs; Trails and picnic area; Visitor Center and Living History Farm explore Washington's boyhood. Open seven days a week, year-round, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. No admission fee. 12130 Booker T. Washington Highway, Hardy, 24101, 540- 721-2094.

Blue Ridge Farm Museum and Institute: documents, interprets, and presents the folk heritage of the Blue Ridge Farm Museum; open to walk-in visitors Saturdays 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays 1 to 5 pm, mid-May through mid-August. Admission is charged. Institute galleries open Sundays 1 to 5 p.m., mid-May through mid-August, free admission. West side of the Ferrum College campus, 10 miles from Route 220 on Route 40; about 45 minutes from Roanoke. E-mail at bri@ferrum.edu, P. O. Box 1000, Ferrum, 24088, 540-365-4416.

History - Indoors

O. Winston Link Museum: located in the restored passenger station in Roanoke's Historic Rail District, celebrates O. Winston Link, his photographs and sound recordings that capture the steam engine which built America; Monday through Saturday - 10am to 5pm, Sunday - 12pm to 5pm, closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Years Day, and Easter; Adult $5.00, Senior $4.50, Child $3.00 (O. Winston Link Museum ticket prices are good for same day admission at the History Museum in the Center in the Square complex). Joint-ticket offer with the Virginia Museum of Transportation - Adult Joint Ticket $10.00, Senior $8.00, Child $6. 101 Shenandoah Avenue, NE, 24016 (across from the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center), 540-982-LINK .

Virginia Museum of Transportation: preserves and interprets transportation heritage of the Commonwealth by collecting, restoring and exhibiting significant transportation artifacts; Monday* - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. * Seasonal Schedule Changes - Closed Mondays, Labor Day through Memorial Day, Closed New Year's Day, President's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. E-mail at info@vtm.org, 303 Norfolk Ave SW, Roanoke, 24016, 540-342-5670.

History Museum of Western Virginia: offers a glimpse of how life was lived in the western part of the VA Commonwealth; “A Crossroads of History,” the Museum’s permanent exhibit, interprets 10,000 years of western Virginia’s heritage. The Historical Society celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007 with special events, exhibits and activities; Museum Hours – Tuesday through Friday 10am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 1pm - 5pm. Admission for non members: $3 for adults, $2 for children (6-17) and seniors (60+); "Free Fridays" – no charge from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, every second Friday, January to November. The Museum and Society offices are at One Market Square, 3rd Floor, Downtown Roanoke, 24011, P.O. Box 1904, Roanoke, 24008, (540-342-5770).

Addendum

Virginia's Explore Park: milepost 115 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke, about half way between the US Route 220 and State Route 24 entrances; exhibits of early western Virginia eras and cultures; Historic areas open from first Wednesday in April through third Sunday in November - Wed-Sat: 10 am-5 pm Sun, noon-5 pm. Admission (16-54): $9, Seniors (55+): $7, Youth (4-15): $5, Three and under, Free. Recreation areas open from dawn to dusk daily, or as posted, no charge to use most recreation areas; P.O. Box 8508, Roanoke, 24014, 540-427-1800. (Closed 2008. Plans are to reopen in the near future. Check links for updated information.)

The copyright of the article Roanoke Valley Kid-Tested Fun in Virginia Travel is owned by Georgene A. Bramlage. Permission to republish Roanoke Valley Kid-Tested Fun must be granted by the author in writing.