Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [41]
Recreation
Did we mention that Damascus’ other nickname is “Where trails cross”? Besides the AT, the Transcontinental Bicycle Route passes through enroute from Yorktown, Virginia, to Oregon, as does the Virginia Creeper, Historical Daniel Boone, and Iron Mountain trails. The Virginia Creeper Trail runs 34 miles from Abingdon to the North Carolina line.
The Virginia Creeper Trail
Originally an Indian footpath, the railroad claimed the route at the beginning of the 20th century for logging timber-rich forests. It was so steep in places the engines slowed to a crawl, hence the name creeper. Reclaimed as a recreation trail in 1977, it’s a favorite with bikers who ride to the top of Whitetop, then glide 17 miles downhill to Damascus.
There are a number of businesses who outfit and guide visitors. Several specialize in taking hikers to trailheads or driving bikers up Whitetop Mountain, from where they descend 1,700 feet through national forest along the Virginia Creeper Trail. Each business also rents equipment. See Adventure Damascus, 128 W. Laurel Avenue, tel. 888-595-BIKE, www.adventuredamascus.com; Blue Blaze Shuttle Service, 226 W. Laurel Avenue, tel. 800-475-5095, http://blueblaze.naxs.com; Mount Rogers Outfitters, 110 Laurel Ave., tel. 276-475-5416, www.mtrogersoutfitters.com.
For fishing, three trout streams flow off the mountains and through town. Fifty miles of streams and two lakes in the area have both stocked and natural trout. For current conditions and regulations, call Virginia Creeper Fly Shop in Abingdon. (16501 Jeb Stuart Highway, tel. 276-628-3826, http://vcflyshop.naxs.com)
The Virginia Highlands Horse Trail (tel. 276-783-5196) runs through the Mt. Rogers Recreation Area, and Grayson Highlands State Park has horse camping facilities. (tel. 276-579-7092, reservations: 800-933-7275, www.dcr.state.va.us)
If you’d rather experience nature from the car, take the 34-mile Mount Rogers Scenic Byway (US 58) from Damascus to Volney, climbing Whitetop along the way. It’s the highest road in Virginia.
Dining
Eating in Damascus is casual. At Side Track Cyber Café you can check your e-mail while having a sandwich (103 S. Shady Avenue, tel. 276-475-6106). Dot’s Inn is a bar that can get smoky and loud, but the food is great, made to order and quick (338 Douglas Drive, tel. 276-475-3817).
Cowboys is in a gas station/convenience store at the corner of Douglas Drive and Laurel Avenue that serves three meals a day. Their southern country breakfast of biscuits, gravy, pancakes, sausage, bacon – you name it – is wholly satisfying (tel. 276-475-5444). There’s also the Country Kettle at 21894 Jeb Stuart Highway (tel. 276-475-3380) and Sicily’s Pizza, 132 W. Laurel Avenue (tel. 276-475-5753).
Lodging
For its size, Damascus has a surprising number of inns and private homes offering rooms to the thousands of visiting recreationists. Here are a few:
The Apple Tree Bed & Breakfast is a restored 1904 home with beautiful tiger oak floors, a two-suite cottage on a hill and an Apple Blossom Wedding Chapel. The hosts will arrange for a wedding in the chapel, on top of Whitetop or on the AT (115 E. Laurel Avenue, tel. 877-36APPLE, www.appletreebnb.com, $)
The Maples Bed & Breakfast is a 1904 guesthouse with wicker chairs on the front porch to watch the world go by. (203 Laurel Avenue, tel. 276-475-3943, themaplesbedandbreakfast.com, $)
Mountain Laurel Inn is a 1903 Queen Anne Victorian with three guest rooms and a suite. (22750 Jeb Stuart Highway, tel. 276-475-5956, www.mountainlaurelinn.com, $$)
The River House is a fully furnished three-bedroom house on the south fork of the Holston River. (21636 Delmar Road, tel. 276-475-5257, www.riverhouse.homestead.com, $$)
Buchanan Inn at The Green Cove Station is next to an old train station. (41261 Green Cove Road, tel. 877-300-9328, $$) Green Cove Inn is a renovated schoolhouse at the foot of Whitetop Mountain. (41070 Chestnut Mountain Road, tel. 276-388-3479, $$$)