Did You Know?
The demand for Parkway services has continued to increase while the Parkway’s budget has decreased in recent years.
Milepost 192 – One of three Childress Rock Chuches in Carroll County Photo by Carroll County Tourism
Location
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Carroll County Office of Tourism
Carroll County, Virginia
276.730.3100
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http://www.visitvirginiablueridgemountains.com
Near milepost 199
A wide range of outdoor activities, festivals, music, heritage, and arts and crafts await visitors to Carroll County, located in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Plateau Region. Start your visit at the Blue Ridge Plateau Regional Visitor Center, situated in an authentic log home at exit 14 off Interstate 77 in the Hillsville/Galax area. The visitor center is full of arts and crafts made by the region’s talented artisans and is staffed by friendly and knowledgeable travel counselors. The center is located on the grounds of the Southwestern Virginia Farmer’s Market, home of Virginia’s freshest seasonal produce and goods.
The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, runs through the middle of Carroll County and is also the centerpoint for three of the Road’s major venues – Floyd Country Store on one side, the Rex Theater on the other, and the Blue Ridge Music Center on the Parkway. In addition to the many weekly jam sessions around the County, every weekend visitors can enjoy some of the Crooked Road’s best known artists at Applewood Music Park, Kanawha Valley Arena, or other old-time, bluegrass music festivals, such as Woodlawn’s Picking on the Lot.
Carroll’s local citizens enjoy the many outdoor recreation opportunities available in the area and visitors will, too, including one of the world’s oldest rivers – the New River. Starting in the mountains of North Carolina flowing north into Virginia, the river is fed with cold, clear natural springs and creeks. By the time it reaches Carroll County, the water has become a bold, freshwater river teaming with fish and wildlife as well as a great venue for many kinds of water sports.
The New River in Carroll County is paralleled by the New River Trail State Park for 39 miles. The park is used by equestrian riders, mountain bike riders, hikers, and bird watchers. It is the second most visited park in Virginia and has been designated an official National Recreation Trail by the U. S. Department of the Interior. This is a 57-mile-long state park that also follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way. New River Trail State Park became part of the Rails to Trails Program when it was donated to the Commonwealth of Virginia by Norfolk Southern Railroad and after the railroad discontinued the line and removed the tracks. The park also serves as a link to numerous other outdoor recreational areas, including a town park in Fries, Mt. Rogers National Recreational Area, the Dannelly Fitness Complex in Carroll, and four Department of Game and Inland Fisheries boat launches.
Carroll also boasts many fine trout streams, the most famous being Crooked Creek. Eight miles of this wild very cold water stream is stocked three times a week with brook, brown, and rainbow trout; many citation-size trout are caught yearly. Other trout streams include Snake, Big Reed, Little Reed, Stewart’s, Chestnut, and Greasy creeks, giving Carroll County more than 50 combined miles of trout waters.
Other outdoor recreation venues include the Devil’s Den Nature Preserve, the Beaver Dam Trail, the Crooked Creek Wildlife Preserve, and the Blue Ridge Music Center trails. These outdoor venues are the backbone of Virginia’s only warbler trail system – the Blue Ridge Plateau Mountain Warbler Trail Loop. Most of our North American warblers travel the crest of the Blue Ridge during their annual migration, making Carroll County a hot spot to view these wonderful birds.
Of course Carroll’s most famous attraction is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along the parkway visitors will find scenic vistas of the piedmont area of North Carolina and enjoy many historical landmarks, including the Childress Rock Churches (pictured).
To sum it up, Carroll County is enriched with natural beauty and resources, historic and music venues, talented artisans, a friendly environment, and many places to spend time experiencing “life” in the Blue Ridge Plateau.
