We had a wonderful afternoon tubing on the river. Paul is a wonderful host who is attuned to the…read moreriver, its history and modern day stories. The route itself is the right mix of easy rapids and languid stretches, surrounded by unspoiled mountains and shoreline. If you're lucky, Paul might very well treat you to a song he wrote about the river. What a character and what an experience!

It's true even if it's cliché. Spending time in the great outdoors can really change your…read moreperspective and give you a hopefulness that things will be alright. We decided to check out Paul's place because it was fairly close and he was so friendly on the phone when I called for more specific info. It's definitely a laid back and rustic environment but I was all in. Paul takes care of his customers and he was very adamant in teaching us the rules of the river before letting us launch. I had $60 in cash and he would only take $40 even thought the price was listed as $50. It's a great deal for you to kayak, paddle board and tube on the gorgeous river. We had it basically to ourselves that day and it was a revelation. The only thing I'd say is there needs to be upgrades to the life jackets. Most of them were child sized. However, all of the other equipment was well maintained. Please go and support this business!

Pit stop on our trip out west! We were traveling out I-81 South and decided to break up the trip…read morewith a stop at Claytor Lake. Researching online, I found Mountain 2 Island and ended up booking a 10:30am Tiki Tour boat ride of the lake. It ended up being a private tour with just me & my boyfriend. Jimmy was our captain, and he was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We had a great tour of the lake and a nice lunch at the Tiki Hut afterwards! Highly recommend this company...they also do boat, kayak and paddleboard rentals as well.

We found Mountain 2 Island Paddleboarding through Claytor Lake State Park (exit 101 off I-81)and…read morechecked out their website. They offer lessons and paddleboard rentals. Lessons are cheaper when you bring more people with you. When we gave them a call no one answered, but someone called right back. The man was extremely nice and answered all of my questions. They were also pretty flexible with reservations days and times which I thought was great. Mtn2Island is next to the Claytor Lake State Park visitor center. You have to pay the $5 dollar Park entrance fee (for park maintenance people, totally worth it!) Transactions were completed through Square using iPads (love that). They fitted us for a paddle, gave us a lifejacket (he said VA law requires you have one with you), and then we got to it. They had the paddleboards down by the dock, and the Mtn2Island people put them in the water for us. The instructor, Issac, was very calm and extremely patient while my younger sister (who is in her 30s by the way) was in hysterics about getting in the water. Another young lady, Rachel, came down to help coax her into giving it a try. It took them about 30 minutes to get her to get in the water, but she did. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be and I don't recommend doing squats the day before because my legs were killing me after, but it was a lot of fun and I would do it again. The waves from the nearby boat made it difficult for me to keep my balance and about that time my sister fell in (she was wearing her life jacket and was totally fine), but she got back on her board and we made it back to the docks.

This paved trail advertises itself by being visible from the highway leading in to Blacksburg. It…read morestarts near the university but runs several miles into the rolling hills and countryside. There are a couple of road crossings but it goes under the highway. The views are robust, the terrain amenable to multiple modes of transportation, and the biggest drawback here is that in some areas it's a bit narrow for bikers passing walkers. To me it is reminiscent of some quasi-urban trails in Kentucky.

This is a awesome place to go walking, biking, and running. There is lots of nature and is still…read morevery clean. But I feel like as I'm walking down the trail that there is snakes right beside me. ‍

While vacationing in Pembroke, VA we discovered an unusual creek that I simply had to yelp about…read more What makes a simple ordinary creek yelp worthy you ask? Well, it disappears! At the time of our visit, we had no idea of this phenomenon. As we drove to our Air B&B location, we simply thought the creek along the way had dried up from lack of rainfall and didn't give it another thought. Later, after exploring the area we learned that the two covered bridges we visited were actually on the SAME RIVER as the dried up one near our accommodations. How could that be? The dried creek bed is located approx. 5 miles downstream from the covered bridges, and less than a mile from where it reappears and actually flows into the larger New River. ~ CONFUSED? We were too until we discovered this area of Virginia is rich in what is called KARST TOPOGRAPHY. To avoid complicated scientific terms, just simply picture one of those multi-level bridges you see in cities like New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and even Portland. Imagine an opening in the top layer causing all the traffic to flow to the lower level. However, when the bottom layer is full, the excess traffic is forced back up to the upper layer (hypothetically speaking). When there is sufficient water flow, you would never know the water is actually leeching underground to a cave-like drainage system. The water would fill the underground system to the point where all of the excess water stays above ground in the rivers basin. But when the water flow is lower and there is not enough water to fill the cavity, the water disappears underground (not visible on the surface) only to reappear as if from a spring near New River into which it flows. ~~~ Most people would probably find this sort of information nerdy and underwhelming, but I found it to be absolutely fascinating. I only wish I had taken pictures of the dried creek bed, but at the time of our visit, I had no idea of what was actually occurring. Our host home told us the creek was full just two weeks prior from heavy rainfall. Not to mention we saw with our own eyes a significant amount of water in the creek below the bridges just a few miles away. I swear, you are never too old to learn something new. 2020 / 32

I found my stop with a picnic shelter to eat my dinner! Motor Mile Park was constructed on the site…read moreof the old Bethel Elementary School and built with donations from the Shelor Motor Group. The park has a tournament-style facility with dugouts and a multi-purpose practice field. As I ate my dinner, there was the ping of a baseball being hit off an aluminum bat as a little league team was doing some training and practice. The park also has a large picnic shelter with grill that is next to a very nice playground that has a mulch base. Not much shade there but there are a couple of benches for the adults. [Review 15540 overall, 1044 of 2021, number 1349 in Virginia.]

These folks were very accommodating and helpful with my new Specialized e-bike. I highly recommend…read moretheir service.

Unprofessional, I came in twice to get a tune up. The first time the owner said he couldn't provide…read morea quote and to come back another day. I came back another day and he sat on his phone for 45 min on a personal call in the middle of normal business hours.

I am a novice biker - the staff was super helpful in explaining the different options of bike…read moremodels and pros / cons of each based on what type of riding I was planning to do. No sales pressure - just tons of information. Helmets available to borrow for taking bikes on a test ride before purchasing. Great variety of accessories. Staff also was very helpful in thinking through options for bike racks so we can get our bikes to the trails! Highly recommend. Glad to have this shop near my town :) (I find it quite lame that there is a 1 star review for this shop that was posted from someone out of state who admittedly has never been to the shop - ummm...what?)

I want to say Trek Bicycle Shop in Blacksburg is the BEST bicycle shop in the history of bicycle…read moreshops! I bought my Trek Verve ebike there and it's an extraordinary bike. They have provided the most amazing service on that bike and also my Canondale road bike. A special shout out to Grayson who has taken care of me repeatedly and has even performed some repairs without even charging me. Do yourself a favor and buy and service every bike you ever own at Trek Bicycle Shop in Blacksburg.. Raymond Ginn

My brother and I played a round of golf at the Pete Dye River Course last summer on a shorter road…read moretrip we took. We both loved the course! We had an afternoon tee time at 2:30 and just about had the course to ourselves. It took us until the 15th hole to catch groups in front of us and we never saw anyone playing behind us. Their twilight rates made the course relatively inexpensive. As far as the actual course goes, it's absolutely beautiful. The scenery is amazing as you play many holes right along New River. It was peaceful and relaxing to hear the sound of the moving water. The course played so well. Some holes were a little tough, but I'd expect no different since it's a Pete Dye design (RIP). This course had been on my state-by-state golf course bucket list for a long time so I was glad to have gotten to check it off. I could see myself going on a trip to go play there again down the road!

This is a fantastic track. The views from the clubhouse are gorgeous. Either side overlooks both…read morenines which are way down below on the riverbed. One of the flatter courses I've ever been to as well. The routing is very well done and the river can come into play quickly on a few holes. Not many trees except on the edges of the property. Pete Dye uses mounding (eyebrows) on the far side of his fairway bunkers to play tricks with you visually. I actually liked it. From above they seem like little dabs of paint on a beautiful canvas. If you are at the far side of one, it's easy to get out but you can also roll against that raised face and have to go out sideways. Honestly sometimes playing down the wrong hole is the easier way to get to your green. All the holes are memorable but take the time to climb some stairs to get to some of the raised tee boxes for the championship tees, they have the best views. As with most Pete Dye tracks, the greens have shaved sides where you golf ball can end up far below the level of the green so be careful. Middle of the green isn't a bad place to be. Up above (maybe 80+ feet above the course?) you have the clubhouse. The pro shop was decently stocked but the person working there seemed more annoyed by any questions I had about the merchandise and pricing. The starter, however, was excellent. The practice green gives you a good sense of what you will face on the course. There is also a practice chipping green/bunker area and a small driving range. There seemed to be a learning center on the far side as well. I played as a single on a summer Sunday afternoon and got around in 2 hour and 20 minutes. Had to play through two groups but that's making good time. Next time I hope to walk this course. The only brutal part would be the long climb back up the hill. I definitely hope to be back.