What’s Special About Wytheville
Wytheville is what I call a cute combo town. The area is home to a quaint historic downtown with beautifully unique shop, restaurants and great outdoor recreation opportunities. You can spend time on hiking, biking and horse trails, visit the local fish hatchery, or hang out at the only walk through butterfly house in south western Virginia. Friendly shop owners and restauranteurs warmly greet guests with handmade items and family recipes as part of their offerings.
If you are looking for a calm area to stay on a roadtrip heading north or south on I-81, this is a great place to plan a short stay. I love the dining options, outdoor offerings in the area and the hospitality of the people. We love stopping here to relax and recharge.
Outdoor Enthusiasts Things To Do In Wytheville
Beagle Ridge
This cute little farm is about 10 miles south of Wytheville VA and is home to Flying Flowers, a walk through native butterfly house. Beagle Ridge is a specialty lavender grower. They grow a variety of lavenders and offer classes and workshops at the farm from May- October. The farm is open by appointment year round so you can always call to setup a time to tour.
Beagle Ridge has herb and flower display gardens to show visitors how they can add lavender to their own yard. Additionally, 4.5 miles of trails take hikers down to the wetland and pond thriving with a wide variety of birds and pond life. These trails meander through the woods up to Buzzards Roost, which provides the best mountain vistas in the area.
Big Walker Lookout
Big Walker Lookout is 100 foot tower you can climb to get absolutely breathtaking views. This is a wonderful place to take photos from a bird’s eye perspective. At Big Walker Mountain there are well maintained hiking, biking, and birding trails. You’ll find plenty of outdoor activities, camping and scenic beauty here for no more than $6/adult and $4/child
Near the tower is the Big Walker Country Store which sells handmade artisan items from the region. Grab some old fashioned fudge, homemade jelly or Virginia-made ice cream to treat yourself after climbing the tower or hiking one of the trails! Weekends, From late spring into mid fall, the country story hosts local musicians, authors and guest artisans to chat with and learn about their creative processes. If you happen to be there during apple harvest season, you can even catch an apple butter making demo.
Wytheville State Fish Hatchery
The Wytheville State Fish Hatchery is located in Max Meadows, Virginia near Fort Chiswell. The hatchery is open to visitors every day from 8 am to 3 pm 365 days per year and is something most of us wouldn’t automatically consider doing. Even so, it’s a cool activity. You can learn about fish breeds in the area, check out how the hatcheries work and even find out the best places to fish based on the stocking schedule.
New River Trail State Park
This principle park and trail is a favorite for locals and visitors alike and is situated outside of Wytheville in Max Meadows. With easy flat walking trails that parallel the New River on an abandoned railroad right of way, it’s perfect for littles and nanas to enjoy the great outdoors.
You can enjoy almost 60 miles of trails, boat and bike rentals near Foster Falls, Shot Tower tours and many planned activities like campfires and educational programs. The trail runs from Max Meadows to Galax so you can make a day of it or a weekend if you want to camp at one of the primitive (no bathrooms/showers) sites. The cost to park at the park is $7/vehicle so this is an inexpensive activity for you and your family.
You can find more information about the New River Trail StatePark on the Virginia State Park website.
Crystal Springs Recreation Area
Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Crystal Springs Recreation Area is three miles from Downtown Wytheville and boasts some very scenic hiking, biking and fishing areas. A couple of trails follow the old wagon road that locals say moonshiners used to move their product undetected. If you spend a little time with the locals, you’ll hear a lot of great stories of bygone eras filled with history, folklore, ghosts and shenanigans which is one of the many reasons we love Wytheville.
Thirteen miles of hiking and mountain biking trails range in difficulty from beginner to advanced. There are a few spots where even advanced bicyclists will need to dismount and walk their bike for a bit. Terrain Park provides confident mountain bikers a challenging place to play on rock gardens, teeter totters (think see saw for bikes), balance beams, log crossings, and other obstacles.
There are other trails to hike including 7 Sisters Trail & Rural Retreat Lake Loop to enjoy in the area. If guided excursions and fishing adventures are more your speed, you can also connect with local guides like Lick Mountain Excursions or Cedar Springs Sportsman Lodge.
History & Culture Buffs Things To Do In Wytheville
Like most of the eastern U.S, there’s a lot of history to soak in when you stroll through Appalachia and Wytheville is a wonderful example of progress in the mountains. You can visit museums, take a walking tour, and enjoy live performances year round. The town hosts festivals throughout the year to celebrate the seasonal offerings of local farms, holidays and heritage.
Museums & Homes
Wytheville Training School & African American Heritage Center
Previously the school was operated from 1882 until 1952 for African American children in the community. You’ll find photos, stories, and memorabilia that tell the Wytheville African American education history. The Wytheville Training School was built on land where the Freedmen’s school had previously existed and looks much like it did when it was originally constructed.
Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum
Reconstructing wigwams based on a layout of an excavation dating to 1215 A.D., Wolf Creek Indian Village provides a good visual of what life was like for American Indians long before Europeans entered the scene. Reminiscent of the Roanoke Island American Indian Town in the Outer Banks of NC, guides demonstrate period appropriate life skills using replica tools and vessels, and hides to create various handmade crafts.
Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum
Open Thursdays and Fridays, visitors enjoyed this small museum that honors First Lady Wilson who grew up in the upstairs part of the building with her huge family. The museum guides are very knowledgeable and seem to really enjoy sharing this history with guests. Museum exhibits include a genealogy showing her descendance from Pocahontas, the timeline of her life, original furniture, family memorabilia and photos.
Octagon Mansion History Museum
Looking for some paranormal spookiness on your trip? This is a great place to enjoy ”Dinner with a ghost” or just enjoy the history packed into this house. Octagon Mansion is wall to wall displays, information and artifacts from a bygone era.
The mansion features John Cushman’s lifetime collection of American history. You can visit on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4pm or by appointment on Wednesday & Thursday. Special tours, events and more information about this property can be found on Octagon Mansion’s Facebook page.
Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre
The first time we visited this place it was simply because of the name. Dhubs has the sense of humor of a 9 year old boy so the name alone meant we had to make reservations. Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre is a German-themed dinner theatre and it is such a good time.
Unlike other dinner and a show venues, the show changes around every 6 weeks. Similarly, the menu changes seasonally and features traditional southern items like bbq, chicken, and all the fixins’. It costs $55 for adults to enjoy dinner and a show ($60 for everyone for the special Christmas show). This is less than we spend to go to dinner and a movie at home! There are discounts for seniors, children, and a children’s menu available as well.
Rose Cottage offers paint nights, group art classes, artisan workshops. Great Lakes To Florida Museum is a quick stop to see come cool exhibits about the history of road tripping down south. Meanwhile, Formato Fine Arts located in downtown is a women-led art gallery dedicated to recognizing and inspiring women artists.
Things To Do In Wytheville: Eat Your Fill
Like anywhere, you have the usual suspects like Shoney’s, Cracker Barrel, Waffle House and Applebees. Additionally, there are a lot of tasty local places to try for a great meal. You can check out Wytheville’s Visitor Guide to get a more complete list of dining options, but we wanted to highlight our favorites.
Skeeter’s World Famous Hotdogs
Firstly, the atmosphere takes you back to soda shop days and we love that. Pink hotdogs, slush puppies and coke in a bottle are all part of the experience. You don’t come here for healthy options, you come here for old school chili dogs and fries all while swinging your legs off the bar stool like a 6 year old.
A chili dog will cost you around $4.00 and you can add some chili cheese fries for an additional $5.50. It’s a fun stop for lunch during the week. Skeeter’s isn’t open on Sunday and closes at 3:00 Monday-Thursday. However, they stay open until 5:30 Friday & Saturday for those early dinner folks.
Chau’s Corner Bakery
Chau’s is an unexpected find that I’ll stop at every time I go through Wytheville from now on. We stopped into this delightful little bakery and ended up grabbing a great bowl of pho. If you are looking for a different kind of pho experience and happen to be near Wytheville, you are in luck! Chau’s is the friendliest and most unique little place to eat in Wytheville.
Dhubs and I both loved the pho with meatballs. It’s hard to compare to other pho because it’s such a unique blend of southern country & asian flavors. All we can tell you is that it was the highlight of our last trip and we’ve considered making the 2.5 hour drive just to get more.
CJ’s Pizza
We find pizza everywhere we go. It’s a staple in our diet because, you know, Dhubs loves it. At CJ’s the variety is perfect, the prices are great and the quality is spot on. Whether you’re looking for a plain cheese pizza, pasta, or a warm sub, they’ve got you covered.
We usually opt for a pizza with Canadian bacon or ham and a french dip sub. Equally good are the the chicken stromboli, fried hot wings and homemade lasagna. This is one of those places my order changes based on what kind of mood I’m in and I’m totally okay with that.
The Log House 1776 Restaurant
Relax, grab and drink and walk around the gardens while you wait on your table in this old log house lit by oil filled lamps. This special dining experience is worth the wait. We try something different every time and have yet to find a menu item that’s lacking.
The fresh ingredients, good portions and unique offerings always make for the best foodie moments and Log House delivers. My favorites include the corn fritters with honey, stuffed pork tenderloin, or chicken verde pecan with a side of broccoli casserole and fried grits. I’m over here drooling just thinking about it.
Dhubs especially prefers a steak and green beans and a baked potato or corn pudding. We never leave without strolling through the bakery to check out the house made pies and cakes. Once we’re stuffed and happy, we head over to the gift shop to find cute country gifts and ornaments to commemorate our trip to Wytheville.
Best Things To Do In Wytheville Wrap Up
Whenever we start out to a new or beloved southern destination, we anticipate the surprisingly good things we’ll find. Wytheville never disappoints. This ever growing community is full of great places to visit while you’re in the south western part of Virginia. The town, the outdoor recreation areas, and the people make this a little gem tucked away in the mountains and we can’t wait to visit again!
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