Insidersecretstoexploringcentra
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Brought to you by Cabin Creekwood, Your “Truly Restful Getaway” in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Featuring nine unique cabins, From one to 3 bedrooms, Located near Waynesboro, Staunton, Sherando Lake, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information, visit www.cabincreekwood.com or call (540) 943-8552. 2 © All Rights Reserved Favorite Restaurants • Ming Garden--Chinese o The Ming Garden Chinese restaurant is truly an unexpected delight in downtown Waynesboro. You'd never know, from the outside, what a delightful dining experience awaits. Bring your appetite, as this buffet is quite the spread. The Ming Garden is located in Waynesboro at 245 Arch Avenue. 540-942-8800. • Mrs. Rowes Family Restaurant o Located in Staunton, Rowes Family Restaurant has really good southern home cooking In fact, they’ve been named one of the top 7 breakfasts in the South by Southern Living magazine. Breakfast is not all they serve. There is a wide variety of dishes on their lunch and dinner menu, all at reasonable prices. Bread, biscuits, pies, cookies, cinnamon and pecan sticky buns are all baked fresh daily to Mrs. Rowe’s own recipes. 540-886-1833 http://www.mrsrowes.com • Devil’s Backbone Brewery & Restaurant o Built in the style of a Colorado Rockies lodge, the Devil’s Backbone Brewery & Restaurant is one of the higher end restaurants in the area. Menu choices are a little on the pricey side, but this is still a favorite of both locals and visitors. You’ll never go hungry with their portions, and the food is cooked to perfection. All in a unique and pleasant dining atmosphere. Located just 7 miles from Cabin Creekwood on route 664, on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. 434-361- 1001. http://dbbrewingcompany.com/ • Blue Mountain Brewery o Stan & Deb love the menu at the Blue Mountain Brewery. I would describe it as more of a pub-style than the other local breweries. Think lots of amazing burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and some great appetizers like soft pretzels, crab dip, cheese plates, and more. The Blue Mountain Brewery is located in Afton on 151. Plenty of space inside, but if the weather is nice, the outdoor eating area boasts incredible views. http://www.bluemountainbrewery.com • Wild Wolf Brewery o Delicious food, great atmosphere. The Wild Wolf Brewery and restaurant is Peter & Julia’s favorite, in a century old, revitalized Nelson County schoolhouse, located on a ten-acre property featuring a wonderful outdoor eating environment. Meals are created using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Located on route 151, ten miles from Cabin Creekwood. Live music every weekend. https://www.wildwolfbeer.com • Blue Ridge Pig--Barbecue o The Blue Ridge Pig is truly a one-of-a-kind dining experience. The food is succulent, with both pork and beef barbecue slow roasted right on site. You'll appreciate the unique and tiny dining room, with heavy wooden tables and benches. If the weather is nice, take your BBQ outdoors to one of their picnic tables. The biggest drawback from the Blue Ridge Pig is the bathrooms, located next door at the car wash. Located in Nellysford on rte 151 (2198 Rockfish Valley Hwy). 434-361-1170. © All Rights Reserved 3 • Mill Street Grill o Well known for succulent baby-back ribs, the Mill Street Grill has been a local favorite since 1992. In addition to ribs, you'll find hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood, and pasta dishes. The menu also boasts a wide selection of vegetarian pastas and sandwiches, and many dishes can be adapted for Vegan. Located at 1 Mill Street in Staunton, they can be reached at 540-886-0656. www.millstreetgrill.com • The Purple Foot o A pleasant dining experience, the Purple Foot is a lunch-time only restaurant (11- 2) wine and gift shop, started in 1978 and still a great place to have lunch. In addition to the Back Room Restaurant, there is a lovely outdoor patio garden and fountain - "The Garden of Eatin" - to add to your eating pleasure. The menu includes a large variety of deli, croissant and pita bread sandwiches, quiches, crepes, soups, salads, fancy baked potatoes, and special desserts. Beverages include wine and beers. The shop offers a large variety of local and international wines, and unusual gifts from around the world. Located in Waynesboro at 1035 West Broad Street. Telephone 540-942-9463. Hiking Trails • Sherando Lake Area Trails, http://www.fs.fed.us/outernet/r8/gwj/gp/pdf_files/sherando- lake-trails.pdf o Cliff Trail, Lakeside Trail, and Upper Lake Trail These pleasant trails are recommended for short, leisurely walks near the two lakes. The Cliff Trail is moderately steep at times, but offers a number of excellent views of the lake area. o Slacks Trail is 2.6 miles and blue blazed. The trail connects White Rock Gap Trail and Torry Ridge Trail. For the more adventurous, a loop can be made by walking White Rock Gap Trail, Slacks Trail and Torry Ridge Trail, then returning to Sherando Lake on the Blue Loop Trail. POINTS OF INTEREST • The trail passes below Slacks Overlook, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A short path can reach the overlook easily. o The White Rock Falls Trail is 2.5 miles and blazed with yellow markers. The highlight of the trail is an impressive gorge, which has a waterfall and wading pool. A 4.7-mile circuit can be made using portions of the slacks Trail and the White Rock Gap Trail. The name “White Rock” derives from the abundant quartz found in the area. The trail begins opposite the White Rock Gap Trail, across the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then ends on the Blue Ridge parkway, 60 yards from the Slacks Overlook at milepost 20. The shortest way to visit the falls is to park at the parking area at milepost 20, cross the road and walk north about 60 yards. The falls is only about 9/10 mile from this trailhead. o White Rock Gap Trail is 2.5 miles and blazed in orange. The trail begins at the Upper Lake and follows Back Creek to White Rock Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Its gentler grade makes the trail ideal for family day hikes. POINTS OF INTEREST 4 © All Rights Reserved • Back Creek is a stream nature lovers will want to explore. Most other trails in the area follow ridges or slopes far above the water. • Popular mountain biking trail. o The Blue Loop Trail is 2.5 miles and blazed with blue markers. The trail begins in the lakeside picnic area at Sherando Lake. The trail climbs to the top of Torry Ridge and circles Sherando Lake, ending at FDR 91 near the fishermen’s access road. A loop can be made by walking back the access road to the lakeside parking lot. This will add a 0.5 miles to the total distance. POINTS OF INTEREST • Torry Spring provides evidence of the water storage capacity of the forested mountains and is about one-third of the way up the ridge. • Lookout Rock, which offers an inspiring view of Sherando Lake and the surrounding ridges. • A rockslide offers a good view of Sherando Lake. o Torry Ridge Trail is 7.0 miles and yellow blazed. The trail begins about 0.5 mile from the Blue Ridge parkway and can be reached by turning at the Bald Mountain Overlook of the Parkway at milepost 22, following the gravel road approximately 1 mile, then taking the first road to the right to the former fire tower site. Parking is available at this site. The trail follows the crest of Torry Ridge and connects after approximately 3 miles with the Blue Loop Trail above Sherando Lake. The hiker can reach the recreation area following the Blue Loop Trail (west side) 0.6 mile down the mountain to Camping Loop A. The area can also be accessed by the east side of the Blue Loop Trail, which brings the hiker to the parking lot along the main road into Sherando Lake. The Blue Loop Trail should not be confused with the Slacks Trail, which intersects with Torry Ridge Trail approximately one mile from Bald Mountain. The Torry Ridge Trail continues along the crest of the Torry Ridge for another 3 miles to the Mount Torry Furnace on State Route 664. POINTS OF INTEREST • To the left is an excellent view of Mill Creek Drainage and Kelly Mountain. The ridge to the left is Torry Ridge, which the trail will follow. To the right you will see Sherando Lake and the ridges beyond. • Glimpses through the canopy of Kelly Mountain, of the Upper Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Also, there are many good views from the ridge. • The rockslides provide excellent views of Kelly Mountain, Mill Creek Drainage, Big Levels, and Sherando Lake. The slides descend the ridge, some reaching the creek below. Hikers may turn right and take the west side of the Blue Loop Trail down the mountain to Sherando Lake, continue east on the Torry Ridge Trail another mile to the east side of the Blue Loop Trail to descend the mountain to Sherando Lake, or continue along the Torry Ridge Trail to the Mount Torry furnace. • Crabtree Falls o One of the prettiest waterfalls in the state of Virginia, Crabtree Falls is billed as the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi. With a series of five cascades, it is a must-see for anyone visiting this area. The nice thing about this hike is that anyone can enjoy the waterfalls, because the first cascade is © All Rights Reserved 5 handicapped accessible! From the parking area, you'll stroll down a paved trail to the bottom of the lowermost falls.