ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605210020
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 62 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
PICK A BED and breakfast in the New River Valley for a great and pampered getaway. There are plenty to choose from.
Whether you like rustic mountain views or elegant Victorian parlors, the New River Valley's bed and breakfasts offer a restful and even luxurious night away from home.
One of the valley's best known bed and breakfasts, The Oaks Victorian Inn in downtown Christiansburg, received a four-diamond rating from AAA this spring. The Oaks and The Hotel Roanoke were among only 18 inns and hotels throughout the state to receive this ranking from the national travel organization.
This is not the first honor for The Oaks, a handsome 103-year-old house owned and operated as an inn by Margaret and Tom Ray. Last year it was one of 52 inns nationwide, including three bed and breakfasts in Virginia, to be featured on a public television program.
The Oaks has also been featured in several magazines in the United States and Europe and holds one of the 10 four-crown ratings awarded by the American Bed and Breakfast Association. Country Inns magazine listed The Oaks among its "Top Twelve Inns of the Year" in 1992.
The Oaks, which has been named to the Virginia Landmark Register, was built in 1889 by William Luther Pierce, whose family occupied the home for nearly 90 years. It has been an inn since 1989.
Whether hosting college parents for graduation or a local couple celebrating an anniversary, the local inns provide unique accommodations in both historic and modern houses around the valley.
Some of the bed and breakfasts in the New River Valley include:
* The Oaks Victorian Inn, 311 E. Main St., Christiansburg, 381-1500;
* A Sycamore Tree B&B, Ellett Valley, 381-1597;
nAlleghany Inn, 1123 Grove Ave., Radford, 731-4466;
* Brush Mountain Inn, 3030 Mount Tabor Road, Blacksburg, 951-7530;
* Claytor Lake Homestead Inn, Draper, 980-6777;
* Count Pulaski Bed and Breakfast, 821 N. Jefferson Ave., Pulaski, (800) 980-1163;
* Evergreen Bed and Breakfast Inn, 201 E. Main St., Christiansburg, 382-7372 or (800) 905-7372;
* Hideaway Bed and Breakfast, Exit 105, Radford, 731-3126;
* L'Arche Bed and Breakfast, 301 Wall St., Blacksburg, 951-1808;
* Linda Lorraine's of Pearisburg, 1409 Cabot Drive, Pearisburg, 921-2069;
* Per Diem Bed and Breakfast, 401 Clay St., Blacksburg, 953-2604;
* Twin Porches Bed and Breakfast, 318 Clay St., Blacksburg, 552-0930.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. The Oaks Victorian Inn in downtownby CNBChristiansburg received a four-diamond rating from AAA this spring -
the same rating given The Hotel Roanoke. The Oaks also holds one of
the 10 four-crown ratings awarded by the American Bed and Breakfast
Association, and Country Inns magazine listed it among its "Top
Twelve Inns of the Year" in 1992. color.