Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge

We're excited to announce that the numbers are IN for the economic impact of tourism in VBR for 2023! ?? Tourism generated over $882 million in direct visitor spending in Virginia's Blue Ridge, marking a 6.6% increase over 2022! ? Check out the breakdown of numbers and messages from our partners in our latest article here: https://lnkd.in/ge6kKgy2 ? We love working to bring visitors to the area and are so grateful for our partners who make our incredible region a welcoming one! Virginia Tourism Corporation | City of Roanoke, VA | Botetourt County | Franklin County, Virginia | Roanoke County, Virginia | City of Salem, Virginia

Our latest episode of Adventures in Virginia's Blue Ridge is live! ?? Get to know chef Quincy Randolph at Food Hut as he and host Jennifer Hayward cook up a favorite local dish, dive into the culinary journey that led him to Roanoke, and discover the growing community hub around Golden Cactus Brewing! ? Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e3kbE2fq ?Shout out to our partners at Roanoke Valley Television who've filmed this series! ?? Virginia Tourism Corporation | City of Roanoke, VA

It's official! ??The National Park Service announced that Milepost 0 to 198 of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, including the portion in the Roanoke Region, has officially reopened and is accessible for visitors, just in time to experience peak fall foliage! ?? We're grateful for the hard work of all those who made this possible! ?The Blue Ridge Parkway makes its way through the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. This scenic drive winds along the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy some of the best mountain views in the world. ?Discover the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway, tips for traveling, and ideas for hiking. lodging, and more here: https://lnkd.in/evYm4N4b Virginia Tourism Corporation

We ?? Octobers in Virginia's Blue Ridge! Check out our roundup of 100 events to experience this month below! With fall colors soon reaching their peak (mid to late October!) and our calendar bursting with fun events, it’s the perfect time to plan a fall getaway to the mountains ? Plan your fall itinerary here: https://lnkd.in/eTvx9XwQ ? Pictured- Roanoke GO Outside Festival, happening October 18-20 at both Downtown Roanoke and Explore Park! Virginia Tourism Corporation | Roanoke Outside Foundation

We're excited to announce the promotion of John Oney, STS to Vice President of Sports and Sales! ?? Get to know him through our fun Q&A below: ? Congratulations, John! Tell us about your favorite activities! ?? My wife Jenn & I love to explore the outdoors as much as we can. Hiking or casual walks through the woods provides time to unwind and recharge. I recently found time to hike VBR’s Triple Crown over the course of a couple days. McAfee, Dragon’s Tooth, and Tinker Cliffs did not disappoint!? ? Of course, most people know I’ve dabbled a bit playing golf in my past, but my newest passion for activity is pickleball!?#IYKYK Ever since I was introduced to the game, I can be found most weekends somewhere in the valley trying my best to keep up with the competition.??? ?Tell us about your new role! ?? I’m excited and honored to be part of the stellar sales team at VBR. As VP of Sports & Sales, I’ll develop and manage our sales strategies for sports recruitment and our growing meetings & convention business. In addition, I’m passionate about working with our partners to identify opportunities for growth in the form of venues and hotels that can transform what tourism looks like in the next 5-10 years. ?How would you spend a free Saturday in VBR? ?? Just about everything I plan has a dessert or something sweet involved. That’s always the way go. I’d definitely kick things off with a couple coffees and light breakfast at one of our many local coffee shops or bakeries, like Sweet Donkey. I’m hoping to check out the new Albemarle Bakery & Coffee House. I hear they have amazing cinnamon buns!?Next, I’d head for the hills for a hike at Mill Mountain and connect over to the Chestnut Ridge Trail, then lunch at Crystal Spring Grocery.?For dinner, I’d probably go with River & Rail or Jaybird Tavern. ?What are you most looking forward to in your new role? ??? I’m excited about our VBR team and the chemistry we have as an organization. The sales team continues to be leaders in what they do and I’m excited to see what’s in store for the future. Hosting sports, meetings, or conventions has a wonderful impact on our communities, local businesses and visitors. We have a wonderful story to tell and the team does an amazing job at this. ?Tell us something unique about yourself! ?? I had the chance to witness Punxsutawney Phil predict if winter continued for another 6 weeks or if spring would arrive early. On February 2, 1994 at 7:28am, Phil indeed saw his shadow, but now I can’t remember if Winter continued for another 6 weeks or if spring arrived early. What I do remember from that day is that a few of us students at Penn State decided to make a drive from Happy Valley to Punxsutawney equipped only with a road atlas to experience this legendary event. Several thousand visitors to a little town that we wouldn’t have visited otherwise. Who knew that an event like that would fuel my passion for tourism all these years later! ?? Thank you, John!

Congratulations to Salem - Virginia's Championship City! The NCAA announced that Salem will be hosting two upcoming NCAA Championships - the 2027 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for Division III football and the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Semifinals in 2028. The Stagg Bowl will be held at Salem Stadium - marking the 27th time the venue has hosted the football championship game. The basketball semifinals will be held at Roanoke College's Cregger Center. The City of Salem will host the events in partnership with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. We look forward to welcoming these teams, their families, and fans to Virginia's Blue Ridge! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4eGuOQk City of Salem, VA Economic Development | Roanoke College | NCAA | Salem Civic Center

Hurricane Helene update: we're grateful for all of the first responders and organizations who have worked so tirelessly these last several days, and we're thinking of our neighbors in SWVA, Tennessee, and the Carolinas ? ?For visitors planning a trip to Virginia's Blue Ridge (Cities of Roanoke and Salem, counties of Roanoke, Botetourt, and Franklin), please note that while the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed, our area is fortunate to have sustained minimal damage. Most of our local businesses are open and ready to welcome visitors. Virginia Tourism Corporation | Botetourt County | Franklin County, Virginia | City of Roanoke, VA | Roanoke County, Virginia | City of Salem, Virginia

Just in! ?? Scenes from Downtown Roanoke and a perfectly metro mountain itinerary: ?Take in the fall foliage and downtown views from the overlook at the Roanoke Star ?Shop unique local finds at The French Farmhouse ?Travel conveniently to and from Roanoke via Amtrak ?Cheers to craft cocktails and Norwegian-inspired dishes at Stock ?Catch the fun train and automobile exhibits at Virginia Museum of Transportation ?Dinner, craft cocktails, and all the vibes at the historic The Liberty Trust's restaurant ?Enjoy a walk, hike, or bike ride along Mill Mountain (or a visit to Mill Mountain Zoo!) Photo credit: Virginia Tourism Corporation | City of Roanoke, VA

Happy #WorldTourismDay!?? We're excited to have our region's beloved McAfee Knob featured on Destination Think's site today! The article highlights the current project that's underway there, the collaborative efforts that have made improvements possible, and the importance of responsible tourism. "Hiking responsibly is important, especially on popular routes, but getting to a trailhead also needs consideration. Virginia’s Blue Ridge is an inspiration for how to reduce your impact and improve your visit and the environment by choosing to use a less popular parking spot." ? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e44cmvgA Virginia Tourism Corporation | Roanoke County, Virginia

We're excited to announce the promotion of David Aldridge, MBA to Vice President of Marketing! ?? Get to know him through our fun Q&A below: ? Congrats, David! Tell us about your favorite hobby or activities? ?? I have a 2 year old and almost 4 year old so nearly all my free time and activities revolve around keeping them entertained, but we like to travel as much as we can and visit unique places around the world. I’m also a huge sports fan and love this time of year because of college football. As a proud University of Georgia graduate – Go Dawgs! ? What is your new role and what will you be doing? ?? I’m privileged to get to be part of our awesome Marketing team at Visit VBR. As the Vice President of Marketing, I’ll be focused on continuing to showcase what makes our region an awesome place for people to check out for a vacation. In my role, I look it as two primary pieces: the creative, storytelling and branding side where we help provide a platform to feature the local businesses, communities, and experiences that make our region unique; and then the analytical side where we evaluate what is effective and where we should be strategic with our marketing efforts by measuring performance and evaluating the economic impact we’re having by bringing visitors to the VBR region. ? How would you spend a Saturday in Virginia’s Blue Ridge? ?? We love taking our kids to Kids Square – the children’s museum in Center in the Square in Downtown Roanoke. There are so many great, interactive exhibits and I love the way they’ve incorporated local businesses into what they’re doing. We’d also head up to the Roanoke Star and walk around Mill Mountain Park, followed by ice cream at the base of the mountain at Blue Cow. If my wife and I get a night out, Sidecar, Olde Salem Brewing, and Starr Hill are some of our favorite local spots to grab a drink. And I’ll give a shoutout to the awesome variety of restaurants on Williamson Road – you could spend a whole weekend trying different places to eat and be amazed at what you’ll find. ? What are you most looking forward to in your new role? ?? I think travel and tourism are integral to the future success of the region and it’s been great to see more people recognizing that in our local community. I get excited when our efforts are able to help support local businesses or make events more successful because visitors are coming to the destination and having these experiences. I think we have many great opportunities ahead of us and there are lots of amazing stories to share that show why VBR is a special place to visit, and I’m honored to get to be part of that. ?Tell us something unique about you! ?? I’ve been to all 7 continents! We went to Antarctica in February 2020 right before the world shut down. Sydney, Australia is my favorite place in the world and there’s no convincing me otherwise. ?? Thank you, David!