Visit Appalachia - Virginia: Crooked Road - VA Heritage Music Trail

Visit Appalachia - our leg of Appalachia features heritage music in SW Virginia.  You can hear the sounds of traditional gospel, bluegrass and mountain music here in Franklin County.  Rocky Mount is the start of The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail.  The first road side kiosk for visitors is one block behind The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast at The Depot.  Franklin County has produced some fine award winning musicians, and is also famed for having more local wing dings and weekly jams than any other community along this music trail.

Bluegrass and biscuits and gravy at Dairy Queen? Sure thing, every Thursday morning on Route 40 West, your Innkeeper can give you directions, it is less that 2 miles from the Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast

Click here to view the printable map from National Geographic of our 253 miles of Crooked Road.  Visit the Crooked Road.org website for more things to see and do along this music trail.  But remember, it is not just about the music, it is about the mountain culture - the people who live in these hills.  If you whisk along from venue to venue and do not take the time to meet the people that make this region unique, then you have missed the experience completely.    Take some time here...slow down and take in the scenery, the music and the people on The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail.


Remember what I always say..."In Franklin County you could toss a rock in any direction and hit a musician!"

VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUEGRASS LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

Photo courtesy of the Franklin News Post

NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL - ROMANTIC GETAWAY AND DINNER

NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL - ROMANTIC GETAWAY AND DINNER - BOOK HERE

Virginia is for B&B Lovers - NEW YEAR'S EVE ROMANTIC GETAWAY AND DINNER:  Celebrate New Year's Eve in Style! Spend an evening together at The Claiborne House B&B. Surprise your sweetheart with fresh flowers and cider and hold hands as you stroll to fantastic Red Clay Restaurant. Package includes tax and the following:

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  Two Night Stay for Two - You choose the room!
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Sparkling cider and fresh fragrant flowers in your room upon arrival
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  $50 gift certificate to Red Clay Restaurant (on our corner)
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Inn-credible brunch mid-morning (Sleep in, snuggle and relax)
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Extended check out til 1pm!     (Rates from $355-$425 for two night package)
  
  
  NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL - ROMANTIC GETAWAY AND DINNER - BOOK HERE
  
  

VIRGINIA IS FOR ROMANCE LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

Merry Christmas from The Claiborne House Innkeepers!

The Christmas Gift of Knowing You

The Christmas season fills our hearts with joy;
Bright, happy days bring special kinds of pleasure.
We're wrapped in the excitement of it all,
The sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes we treasure.Yet when we have some quiet time to think
About our finest blessings all year through,
We focus on our family and our friends,
And appreciate the gift of knowing you!

By Joanna Fuchs

A very Merry Christmas to you. We treasure our guests, each one unique bringing joy to our lives here at The Claiborne House!

We took the above family photo celebrating a cowboy Christmas at Reba Farm Inn in Bedford Virginia. (yes, we rode horses up to this spot and decorated this tree with edible ornaments for the animals)

The scenery there at The Peaks of Otter is breathtaking, even in December! We snapped this photo of the farm dog looking out over the landscape contemplating things down below.

We wish for you a new year ahead such as this - a year to slow down and contemplate, a year to just take it all in, to be calm and listen to that still small voice. Dogs can be wonderful teachers sometimes, when they are not up trying to lick your face!

God bless you and yours - - The Leete Family

Your Innkeepers at The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast

Remember...Life is too short for bad coffee!

VIRGINIA IS FOR COWBOY CHRISTMAS LOVERS

Reba Farm Inn website Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast website

Robin and Linda Williams in Roanoke Feb 4th and save $20 at The Claiborne House!

"Individually their voices can melt cheese and in duet they can do all-purpose welding." ~ Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion

Robin and Linda Williams
Date: Thursday, February 4, 2010
Time: 7:30pm
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Kirk Avenue Music Hall - Roanoke, VA

Tickets/Reservations
Tickets: $15

Website

You'll be completely stunned by the jaw-dropping talent of Robin and Linda Williams. Favorites of fans and promoters alike, they have crisscrossed the continent (and beyond) for more than three decades, performing the tunes they love & a hearty blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country. From The Grand Ole Opry to Austin City Limits, Music City Tonight to Mountain Stage, clubs, festivals and countless other venues, Robin and Linda never cease to wow audiences wherever they go.

They are first-class instrumentalists and superb songwriters, able to, as The Washington Post put it, "sum up a life in a few details with moving completeness." It's why their compositions have been recorded by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom T. Hall, Kathy Mattea, Tim and Mollie O'Brien, George Hamilton IV and The Seldom Scene. Irish singer Mary Black included their haunting "Don't Let Me Come Home a Stranger" on her CD Full Tide.

Visit their website here

Just a 25 minute drive from The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast to downtown Roanoke and Kirk Avenue Music Hall. 22 Kirk Ave. Roanoke, VA 24016 | Phone: 540-589-0546| Email: kirkavenue@gmail.com Directions to Kirk Avenue Music here

Book your tickets now and stay with us at The Claiborne House B&B - any guests attending this concert will receive a $20 off discount on their room rate. Let us know when you book online or give us a call 540-483-4616. This is a BLOG ONLY special - not mentioned anywhere else. :)

VIRGINIA IS FOR MELTING CHEESE LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

Blue Highway 15 Anniv Concert in Roanoke Dec 18 at The Jefferson Center

Blue Highway 15th Anniversary Show - Dec 18, 2009 - Roanoke

7:30 p.m. The Jefferson Center 540-345-2550 - 866-345-2550 $20, $70 VIP

At the 14-year mark, Blue Highway is indisputably one of the most esteemed and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass. The band's eight exceptional albums and compelling live performances give proof to the stellar reviews, Grammy nominations, and numerous awards earned by the band since it first took the stage on December 31, 1994. With a deep bench of virtuosic songwriters, vocalists and instrumentalists, Blue Highway's hallmark is an unwavering commitment to the ensemble, the “democracy of the band” that makes Blue Highway a powerhouse.

Individually, Jason Burleson (banjo, guitar, mandolin), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals), and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals) are masters of their respective roles. Together, in Stafford's words, they are “a democracy in the best sense of the word”: five gifted artists selflessly merging their talents into a seamlessly brilliant group sound. As a result, the band moves from strength to strength, more mature and impressive with each new album.

Blue Highway has five gifted writers in its ranks. Rob and Jason turn out the heart-pounding instrumentals, while Shawn, Tim and Wayne give Blue Highway a depth of songwriting talent unprecedented in sixty years of bluegrass bands.

With eight highly-acclaimed albums to its credit, Blue Highway has garnered two Grammy nominations, a Dove Award, topped the Bluegrass Unlimited radio charts, and won numerous International Bluegrass Music Association awards. Refusing to coast on past glories, Blue Highway continues to push its music to new levels of accomplishment. Artfully balanced between tradition and innovation, it remains in the forefront of contemporary bluegrass music.

Blue Highway’s latest release, Through the Window of a Train, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts and has been critically acclaimed for its stellar musicianship, “an album you’ll listen to for a lifetime”.

“It’s a testament to its immense talents and friendship that after 14 years together and various side projects, Blue Highway keeps creating music that connects and entertains.”

Ken Tucker - Billboard

The Jefferson Center is downtown Roanoke -approx 30 minutes from The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast. JeffCenter.org 541 Luck Avenue, Suite 221, Roanoke, VA 24016 | Box Office: 540.345.2550 | Toll Free: 866.345.2550 | Contact Us | E-mail: info@jeffcenter.org Blue Highway Website

VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUE HIGHWAY LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

Final Shows for the Year at Kirk Avenue Music Hall

KIRK AVENUE MUSIC HALL - LAST SHOWS OF 2009 -- Make your reservations HERE

Adam Steffey and Kym Warner

Tuesday, December 8 $10

http://www.myspace.com/adamsteffey

The Waymores, Alt-Nashville Writers-In-The-Round Artists:Don Henry, Sally Barris and Tom Kimmel

Wednesday, December 9 $16

http://www.myspace.com/thewaymores

Catie Curtis

Thursday, December 10 $20

http://catiecurtis.com/

Rory Block

Friday, December 11 $15

http://www.roryblock.com/

My Radio, The Noises 10, The Everyday Visuals and Sinking Creek

Saturday, December 12 $10 (Students $5)

http://www.myradioband.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thenoises10

http://www.theeverydayvisuals.com/

http://sinkingcreekmusic.com/

The Black Lillies and Folk Soul Revival

Wednesday, December 16 $10

The Black Lillies

Website

Born in the rumbling cab of a stone truck and aged in the oak of Tennessee’s smoky night haunts, The Black Lillies have come to the forefront of the Americana scene in little more than a year. Founded by multi instrumentalist and vocalist Cruz Contreras, co-founder of Robinella and the CCstringband, and singer-guitarist Leah Gardner (Maid Rite String Band), The Black Lillies have created their own unique brand of country, roots, rock and blues via Appalachia. The group, formed in 2008, also includes bassist Taylor Coker, electric guitar and pedal steel whiz Tom Pryor (the everybodyfields), and drummer Jamie Cook (the everybodyfields).

Folk Soul Revival

Website

FOLK SOUL REVIVAL is an upbeat, rootsy acoustic group from the mountains of Appalachia. Their diversity, creativity and passion is evident among those who have witnessed the boys hone their craft onstage. With their distinct vocal approaches, back-porch instrumentation, haunting four-part harmonies and sheer talent, the boys have garnered much success and have attracted a large following.

Reverend Billy C. Wirtz

Saturday, December 19, 2009 Tickets: $15

Tickets/Reservations
Website

Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a comic genius, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification. "I like to think of myself as the Victor Borge of the blues," states the Reverend, but Billy goes way beyond Borge both in scope of subject matter (from politics to social commentary) and, of course, in taste. In fact, no theme is too extreme, taboo, or undignified for the Reverend, so long as it garners a good laugh.

Just a 25 minute drive from The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast to downtown Roanoke and Kirk Avenue Music Hall. 22 Kirk Ave. Roanoke, VA 24016 | Phone: 540-589-0546| Email: kirkavenue@gmail.com Directions to Kirk Avenue Music here

VIRGINIA IS FOR ROOTS MUSIC LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

Paul Thorn and the Santie Claus Story

We were able to enjoy another fantastic performance at The Kirk Avenue Music Hall last night. Opening act was local Franklin County son acoustic Corey Hunley and then the main event with Paul Thorn (I can say main event as he once fought Roberto Duran) and now is a much adored singer songwriter.

The place was packed to the rafters and Paul Thorn told a story as he was walking around town pre-show time and came across a teacher and her trailing line of teensie students. He stopped and said hello and asked them where they were going? They replied they had just been to see Santie Clause.

Paul asked them in his Mississippi accent "Did y'all tell Santa Claus what you want for Christmas?"

They looked at him and said "No. We told Santie Clause thank you and that we love him."

Paul's jaw dropped and he said he had never heard such a thing. He then reminded us all what a valuable lesson that was and that maybe this year, instead of telling Santa what we want, we should all be thankful for all he has done for us so far! Tell him we care about him!

What great food for thought. Having a deep personal Faith in Christ, I pondered what Paul said. I wondered if we use God as a gift giving Santa Claus instead of loving Him for who He is and all that He has done for us?"

This Christmas is a good time to be thankful and tell God you love him, and when we get all caught up in the economy and politics and want to pull our hair out - - remember what the Grinch said:

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr. Seuss

VIRGINIA IS FOR CHRISTMAS LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net

FYI - Kirk Avenue Music Hall is a 25 minute drive from The Claiborne House B&B.

Family Style Cookin' at The Pine Tavern

We live in the mountains. No matter what you have out west, these hills here are still called mountains. In these mountains there is a traditional Blue Ridge Mountain Cuisine. Our guests WANT THIS FOOD! THEY CRAVE THIS FOOD! THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE SOLD ON EVERY STREET CORNER IN BLUE RIDGE COUNTRY! it ain't.

Do you know what mountain folks say about this southern mountain cuisine that our guests so desire? They say "Why we make that at home, why would we go out and pay for that!?" Therein lies the answer to the old age question. The other answer I often get from mountain folk - my neighbors here "Why Sundays we eat fried chicken at Mama's!" therein lies another answer. Sundays are spent with yer Mama! That's why they call it Sunday Chicken!

Now if you happen to find y'self without yer Mama for whatever reason and in our neck of the woods...I have a solution.

There is no place that embodies Blue Ridge Mountain cuisine better than The Pine Tavern in Floyd. Floyd is the one stop-light town that is due West about 30 miles (50 minutes drive) from The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount. Floyd is most famous for its Friday Night Jamboree at the Floyd Country Store.

We often get flatlanders who wish to eat at their destination and travel no further than the car to the restaurant on the corner and back again. In fact, I mean they drive to the corner to the restaurant that is just 3 doors up and back again after being in their cars for hours on the road. (I sure hope our mattresses and hot showers can perform miracles after all that). This is certainly A-OK, whatever floats your boat.

But we do have another breed of guest who longs for country cookin'. They long for fried chicken, pinto beans and hot buttermilk biscuits. If they hear the word "COBBLER" they get all weak in the knees and begin to drool. To these guests I say "You will have to drive." Now given you are on a road trip, or hitting "the blue highways" you should leap at this chance! Right? This is your opportunity to take in some Franklin County scenery - which in my humble opinion, is of course, God's country.

The roads I will send you are where the GPS say "Goodnight John Boy" and pulls the covers up over their head. One is the infamous Shooting Creek Road. (Ask Shellie your Innkeeper why this road is famous and from where it derived its name) From Route 40 (end of our street aka Franklin St to some GPS units) you will head out toward Ferrum along The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail - follow those signs with the big banjo on them. See the Google map below for accurate turn by turn directions. 611 Floyd Hwy N.(Rt. 221 N.) Floyd, Virginia 24091

THE PINE TAVERN

"Family Style" Means

• You share food as you would in your own home.
• Meats are served on platters and vegetables in bowls.
• All vegetables on the menu are included.
• Extra servings of meats and vegetables are included, if so desired.
• You don't share with the non-family style folks!

Family Style Meats

Fried Chicken · Country Ham · Roast Beef

All meals come with Fried Chicken and one other meat for $11; get all three for $12 per person.

Family Style Sides

Real Mashed Potatoes · Dumplings · Green Beans · Pinto Beans · Cole Slaw or Salad · Extra Vegetable or Fruit of the Day · Buttermilk Biscuits (Additional side dish $2 each with non-family style meals)

Family Style Desserts

Homemaqde Fruit or Chocolate Cobbler

Beverages

Tea · Lemonade · Pepsi · Diet Pepsi · Root Beer · Dr. Pepper · Mountain Dew · Ginger Ale · Sierra Mist · ($1.75 each with non-family style meals.)

Any and all of the above items and refills are included with the Family Style meal! We will be happy to box up original order leftovers; an additional charge will be added for refills taken home.

611 Floyd Hwy N.(Rt. 221 N.) Floyd, Virginia 24091 Phone: 540-745-4482 email: info@thepinetavern.com Directions - From the Blue Ridge Parkway, take the exit for Floyd at Milepost 165.2. This becomes Route 8. In the town of Floyd, turn right at the stop light, onto Route 221 North. The Pine Tavern is 1 1/2 miles, on the left. Hours Thurs: 4:30-9:00 Fri. & Sat.: 4:30-9:00 Sun.: 11:00 am-8:00 pm Hallelujah a restaurant open on a Sunday for our guests! Click on the google map to see directions to The Pine Tavern from The Claiborne House B&B.

View Larger Map ...okay so the map says 1 hour, this is NASCAR COUNTRY - Remember Shooting Creek Road? You oughta get there in right under an hour, I say 50 minutes.

VIRGINIA IS FOR DROOLING COBBLER LOVERS

Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net