Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508150090
SECTION: DISCOVER ROANOKE VALLEY PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You can stay home and miss out.
Or you can get out of the house and enjoy yourself. Explore.
Not that there is anything really wrong with staying home. It can be just as rewarding to work in the garden or drywall the basement as it can be to climb around on the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But there's more to life than picking squash or making a quick run to Lowe's for more drywall compound.
The question is: where to start? That's always the dilemma. Maybe a hike. But what if it's the dead of winter? Then how about skiing? But what if you don't ski?
Well, here is a guide to help you along with some places to visit and some things to do within a reasonable distance of Roanoke, broken down by each season of the year.
Some of the places are obvious. The Mill Mountain Star, for example, which staff writer Betsy Biesenbach nails right on the head in her section on springtime: ``My family thinks the star is tacky. So do I. But it's ours, all ours, and we Roanokers like it that way. So, anytime I have company from out of town, I take them to the star, whether they want to go or not.''
Some of the places are not so obvious, such as columnist Ben Beagle's ``mound'' in Elliston, where he likes to go ``when people go more or less insane about the color of dying leaves.'' It's a view of autumn that only Ben can give you.
This is a region rich in culture, folksy charm, natural beauty, sports and music and history, so don't deprive yourself. Enjoy.
The squash can wait another day.
by CNB