Blackberry Morning: A Beautiful & Peaceful Mountain Retreat

Artist-in-Residence: Walt Hewes, a well-known & beloved (62-year old) local artist, is currently residing in the studio apartment in the basement of the house. The apartment has a separate outside entrance, & Walt is a lovely person, unobtrusive & quiet, so he won't be a bother to main house guests at all. He'd be happy to show you his studio & current work, though. He has a friendly mutt, Traveler, who likes all people, big and little, and other dogs, too.

Experience fun outdoor adventures! -- You can often see whitetail deer in the open pastures around the house early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The wild turkeys are elusive, but you can sometimes see them in the pastures or crossing the road. You can hike the Appalachian Trail at the top of our property. It's a 2.5 mile moderate-hike to Kelly Knob overlook. Other nearby hikes are Angel's Rest, Wind Rock and Dragon's Tooth. The Cascades Nat'l Recreation Site waterfall is just 10 miles West -- a great place to picnic and fly-fish for native trout. There are other wild & stocked trout streams nearby, including Big Stony Creek. The New River has canoeing, kayaking & tubing less than 15 miles West. And there's white-water rafting in West Virginia on the New & the Gauley, about two hours away, and you can bungee-jump off the New River Gorge Bridge in WVA, too. There is also skiing at Winter Place and Snowshoe in W.V., one-two hours West. You can go sailing, motor-boating, water-skiing, swimming & picnicking at Claytor Lake, just an hour away. Stop by Mikey's 7th in Newport and pick up a picnic lunch to take with you. And plan a special gourmet dinner at the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston while you're here. Great fun!

Yet, we're just 14.5 miles, 25 minutes across two mountains, to Blacksburg & VATech University, where there are all kinds of things to do that you typically find in a university town. Enjoy VATech sports, graduation & special events. Picnic by the Duck Pond, walk on the paved trails around campus, go to concerts on campus and at the smaller venue of the Lyric Theater downtown (old, restored movie-house). And there is a brand-new Performing Arts Center. There are side-walk cafes like Gillie's & Caba Fish Taco where you can hear local music, & great local restaurants like Bull & Bones and Zeppoli's, as well as favorite chains. There are movie theaters and downtown small-shops & mall shopping. There's a year-round indoor pool at the Blacksburg Recreation Center on our side of Blacksburg, where they also have basketball courts, tennis courts, a skateboard ramp, & a hand-in-hand playground on a large open field with picnic shelters. They have great 4th of July fireworks there, too!