{"id":21182,"date":"2024-02-07T18:26:56","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitabingdon.org\/?p=21182"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:01:37","slug":"48-hours-of-adventure-how-to-have-an-unforgettable-weekend-in-southwest-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/blog\/48-hours-of-adventure-how-to-have-an-unforgettable-weekend-in-southwest-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"48 Hours of Adventure: How to Have an Unforgettable Weekend in Southwest Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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48 Hours of Adventure: How to Have an Unforgettable Weekend in Southwest Virginia<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Southwest Virginia is loaded with some of the scenic outdoor landscapes in the entire southeastern United States, and towns like Abingdon, Damascus, and Bristol are leading the charge as perfect gateways to both trailside access and Appalachian charm. Nearby trails such as the Virginia Creeper Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and Iron Mountain Trail are world-class.\u00a0<\/p>

Fly fishing in the region is praised widely as some of the best in the nation. Parks like Grayson Highlands, New River State Park, and Bear Pen Recreation Area offer access to thousands of acres of Appalachian Wilderness. Top notch bouldering is found all throughout Grayson Highlands State Park and its high point Mount Rogers, and high-quality cragging is found at Hidden Valley. Although one weekend isn\u2019t nearly enough to thoroughly soak up all that Southwest Virginia has to offer, the following guide is a good starter to get you acquainted with the region.<\/p>

Featured image provided by\u00a0Virginia State Parks<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where to Get Caffeinated <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Life without coffee is just plain uncivilized. We all need our morning cup (or two) and luckily Southwest Virginia delivers many options for craft coffee roasted and prepared by professional baristas. In Abingdon, you can get your fix at\u00a0The Girl and The Raven<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Wolf Hills Coffee<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Rendezvous International Caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where to Find Nearby Adventure<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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With such a large variety of outdoor recreation available in the region it will be impossible to do everything on a weekend but luckily for you it\u2019ll still be here for your next visit. Cyclists will want to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34-mile rail trail that is extremely mellow and a favorite for family rides. There are plenty of outfitters and shuttle services available in Abingdon and Damascus to take you to the trailhead, where you can enjoy a mostly downhill ride back to Damascus. If you want a challenge, make the round-trip on two wheels, with the second half much easier than the first. The mountain biking crowd will want to go ride the classic backcountry ridge trail,\u00a0Iron Mountain<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

Hikers have tons of options but the classic areas are\u00a0Grayson Highlands State Park<\/a><\/strong>, where elevated balds with rocky outcroppings and wild ponies make up the landscape, as well as Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. Other good hiking destinations include the\u00a0Channels Trail<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0just north of Abingdon and Bristol where the highlight is navigating the labyrinth of house-sized boulders that form corridors and caves on the trail.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Climbers will find the best summer temperatures in the southeast bouldering at Grayson Highlands State Park. More than 500 established boulder problems are found within the park with options still available for first ascents. Sport climbers and trad climbers should head to\u00a0Hidden Valley<\/a><\/strong>, just north of Abingdon, and rope up for single-pitch sandstone routes ranging from 5-easy to 5.13.<\/p>

The Fly Fishing in the region is arguably some of the best in the entire nation. Whitetop Laurel Creek and the North, South, and Middle Fork of the Holston are the crown jewels of the area, but there are many hidden gems in the backcountry of Grayson Highlands State Park for the more adventurous. Check out any of the local outfitters in the region for more information.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where to Unwind<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After a long day playing in the mountains, treat yourself to a good meal and celebrate with a few beers. Luckily, this area has more than just natural beauty\u2014it also hosts a great selection of restaurants and breweries to complement your outdoor excursions.\u00a0Sweetbay Brewing Company<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Abingdon offers a variety of locally crafted beers, live music, and special events.\u00a0Stop in\u00a0Tumbling Creek Cidery Company<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Abingdon to unwind and sample some locally made cider.\u00a0Often on weekends, there is live music as a bonus.<\/p>

Jack\u2019s 128 Pecan<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a small, casual restaurant in downtown Abingdon that offers a high-quality, eclectic menu that will appeal to everyone in your group.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where to Get a Good Night's Rest<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sure camping is always an option but sometimes you want a little more luxury in your life.\u00a0Shavers of\u00a0Abingdon<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Black\u2019s Fort Inn<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0A Tailors Lodging<\/strong><\/a>\u2014all located in Abingdon\u2014are excellent classic, bed-and-breakfast establishments. Expect old Appalachian charm and locally inspired decadence.<\/p>

If you want more of a communal experience, then head to these hiker-friendly hostels and Airbnb’s worth a visit.\u00a0The Hobo Hostel<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a classic hostel, located within walking distance of Wolf Hills Brewing;\u00a0Gather Inn<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0offers private rooms with some communal spaces, on Main Street.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

48 Hours of Adventure: How to Have an Unforgettable Weekend in Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia is loaded with some of the scenic outdoor landscapes in the entire southeastern United States, and towns like Abingdon, Damascus, and Bristol are leading the charge as perfect gateways to both trailside access and Appalachian charm. Nearby trails such as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255,265,252,256],"tags":[91,95,79,77],"class_list":["post-21182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions","category-blog-and-itineraries","category-food-and-drink","category-outdoors","tag-adventure","tag-dining","tag-getaway","tag-itinerary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitabingdonvirginia.com\/stagingprop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}