What To Do

State Park, Parks, and Gardens

State Park

Smith Mountain Lake State Park
1235 State Park Road
Huddleston, VA 24104
540-297-6066
Web: www.dcr.state.va.us | www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/smi.shtml

What to do:  Go for a walk or ride bikes along the quiet roads.  There are several small playgrounds and numerous places to sneak a peak at the lake.  Fishing and boating are also available.  Admission is required, but there is no attendant and the fee, $3 on weekdays and $4 on weekends, is paid in envelopes.  Bring single bills.

Best Roads to Ride:  Park near the swimming beach and ride up to Interpretive Trail and back.  For a challenge, ride up Overnight Road, which has larger hills.  Stay on the roads, as the trails are not meant for bikes.  If you have a child learning to ride, the paved parking lot near the swimming beach might be the place to make the move off training wheels.

Parks and Gardens

Smith Mountain Lake Community Park
Franklin County
Parkway Avenue
Smith Mountain Lake
www.franklincountyva.org/parks/sml_park.htm
When finished, this 37 acre park will have picnic shelters, hiking trails, biking trails, beach area and ADA accessible fishing area. This park will be phased in. The first phase will be the initial access to the 37 acres and shoreline stabilization. Phases two and three will include all the amenities.

Falling Creek Park: Visitors are offered a variety of leisure opportunities in Bedford County's centrally located Falling Creek Park. The 250 acre park offers a rural setting with picnic shelters, playground equipment, a fitness trail, various outdoor game courts and over 7 miles of marked trails that offer walkers, hikers, mountain bikers, runners and others, opportunities to enjoy the out of doors. The trails take users through a variety of habitats, all offering opportunities for sighting the wide variety of birds and other wildlife that frequent the park. Visitors along the bluebird trail are practically guaranteed a sighting of bluebirds and tree swallows during the spring and summer months. For more information call 540-586-7682.

Liberty Lake Park: Liberty Lake Park is comprised of 60 acres and features three developed playgrounds, a stocked fishing lake, fishing docks, three ball fields, three lighted tennis courts, state-of-the-art skateboard pod, fenced basketball courts, a roller-skating and walking loop, five picnic shelters, two concessions stands, vending machines, racquetball court and a nature trails facility featuring a paved handicapped accessible trail. Public restrooms and large open play areas are available. The Community Center is located here where many classes and programs are conducted. Liberty Lake Park is located on Hwy 122 South (Burks Hill Road).

Poplar Park: The 1.5-acre park on Grand Arbre Drive is home to the largest Yellow Poplar tree in the United States and the largest tree in Virginia. The park features picnic tables and benches.

Orange Street Park: This 2-acre ball field located on Orange Street is home for girls softball.

Greenwood Park: Located at the intersection of Greenwood Street and Quarles Street, this 3-acre park provides picnic tables, basketball courts, playground equipment and an open play area.

Reynolds Park: This 5.5-acre park on East Main Street features walking trails, gazebos and gardens.

City Lake: Located on Lake Drive, this 4-acre park features a small lake for fishing, quiet woods and picnic tables.

City Park: Located in the center of the City on Main Street, City Park provides benches for relaxation and pleasant viewing of the Historic District. Many downtown events are held here.

Edmund Street Park: This 6.5-acre park features playground equipment, picnic tables, tennis and basketball courts, gardens, horseshoes, a picnic shelter and large open play area.

The Wharton Garden: The Wharton Garden is adjacent to the Bedford Central Library and the Wharton House. Encompassing two historic structures, it consists of perennial and shrub borders, annual beds, a gazebo, brick walks and terraces and a mature boxwood maze.

Upcoming Events

  • May 17 - Restoration Talk and Tour - 3:00pm to 4:00pm - In honor of National Historic Preservation month, Director of Restoration Travis McDonald will present a slide talk and tour explaining why Jefferson's design of his retreat, Poplar Forest, was a radically modern work of architecture in America for its time. Jefferson's work was a "melting pot" of architectural prototypes but also very personal. The current restoration work on the wing of service rooms is one of the most Jeffersonian parts of the architecture and one that was innovative and unusual in American architecture. Standard admission charge, which also includes a separate tour of the house either before or after the restoration tour. - Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, 1548 Bateman Bridge Road, Route 661, Forest - 434-525-1806 - www.poplarforest.org

  • May 24 - Moonlight Serenade - 7:00pm - See the Memorial at dusk on this special Memorial Day weekend. The Jefferson Choral Society will perform an evening concert of 1940s music from 8:00pm to 9:00pm. Performer Keith Campbell will kick off the concert at 7pm. The Memorial will remain open until 10:00pm. - National D-Day Memorial, Bedford - 540-586-3329 - www.dday.org

  • May 31 - 3rd Annual BBQ at Sedalia - Barbeque connoisseurs will gather at the 3rd annual BBQ festival to celebrate the art and secrets of slow-cooked pork barbeque. Tastin' starts at High noon! BBQ Teams will likely begin cooking Friday night and continue into the early hours of Saturday morning. The 4-person teams typically have playful names, but are serious about tasty and tender pork barbeque. - The Sedalia Center, 1108 Sedalia School Road, Big Island - $ - 434-299-5080 - www.sedaliacenter.org

 

These events and more can be found in our event calendar.

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