
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 5, 1995                   TAG: 9502080028
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HEY, MA . . . COMPANY'S HERE!

You know how this goes: Your cousin Lou's coming to visit for a long weekend, bringing the whole family, and you want to show them the town. So where do you take them?

OK, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mill Mountain Star are givens. Just about everybody gets a kick out of those. But then where?

You could try the City Market, except the kids say they're bored with shopping and culture and stuff. They say they wouldn't mind a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Problem is, great-aunt Thelma's coming along, too, and she's not up for the strain.

And then there's the hassle of reconciling the unreconcilable: Your yuppie cousin Bertram, the one who went to grad school and is now making a fortune selling microchips, would rather go out to the new Salem ballpark. Baseball, he says, is the thinking man's sport.

But what about your brother-in-law Bubba, the one who dropped out of school and now is barely scraping by? His idea of a good time when he comes to town is a Saturday night at the Franklin County Speedway. To heck with all this peace and quiet, Bubba says. Bubba wants some NOISE.

So what can you do that the whole family would enjoy?

Thankfully, one tourist attraction in Roanoke offers something for everyone. A place where you can take your visitors and be certain they'll all be fascinated, no matter what their age or income or education.

We'll even give you a hint.

Think of the initials "EP."

And no, we don't mean Explore Park.

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog ...

Why, it's Miniature Graceland, of course.

Keywords:
ROANOKE VALLEY POLL

by CNB