There is something special about old-fashioned downtowns. The buildings, shops and eateries reflect the very best of the community and its people. When you visit the Roanoke Valley, you'll discover several charming and pedestrian-friendly downtowns, including vibrant downtown Roanoke with its museums, galleries and eclectic shopping. Cruise over to Salem for great restaurants, antique shops and stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Classic small town charm and hospitality is always on display in the beautiful downtown districts of Rocky Mount, Fincastle, Buchanan and Vinton. If you just can't get enough of authentic Blue Ridge towns, take your time and explore the entire Roanoke Valley.Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Plan a Perfect Blue Ridge Day
Classic Blue Ridge Downtowns
There is something special about old-fashioned downtowns. The buildings, shops and eateries reflect the very best of the community and its people. When you visit the Roanoke Valley, you'll discover several charming and pedestrian-friendly downtowns, including vibrant downtown Roanoke with its museums, galleries and eclectic shopping. Cruise over to Salem for great restaurants, antique shops and stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Classic small town charm and hospitality is always on display in the beautiful downtown districts of Rocky Mount, Fincastle, Buchanan and Vinton. If you just can't get enough of authentic Blue Ridge towns, take your time and explore the entire Roanoke Valley.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Fair go the Aussies are here!
We had the pleasure of welcoming some fellow Aussies from down under to The Claiborne House!
These lovely guests are here visiting small town America from Western Australia where they have a cattle and sheep farm.
Tony was able to dine with them this morning. Having them here was like having a great big hug from home!
These lovely guests are here visiting small town America from Western Australia where they have a cattle and sheep farm.
Tony was able to dine with them this morning. Having them here was like having a great big hug from home!
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| Rodney and Pauline with Tony chin wagging |
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| Not often am I able to have Vegemite on the guest breakfast table! |
Monday, August 29, 2011
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know...
THAT THE CLAIBORNE HOUSE ROCKS!
We were privileged to have Bill Hunt join us on the porch for an impromptu jam session here at The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast. Bill works for NASA and grew up locally here in Penhook and is a graduate of Franklin County High School.
Why do I tell y'all this? Shoot for the stars! As Confucius says:
If you are a musician or would just like to sit in on a jam session Bill recommends the Crooked Road Cafe (a new venue) out in Ferrum at 345 Timberline Rd, near the Post Office. 2-5 p.m. every Saturday. No charge and food and drinks are available. (For those staying with us here at The Claiborne House, this is about 8 minutes out Route 40 West)
We have more weekly jams than any other locale along this music trail! See the calendar here.
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUEGRASS LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
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| Pickin' on the porch at The Claiborne House B&B |
Why do I tell y'all this? Shoot for the stars! As Confucius says:
“If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.”
Click here to view some of the music events here in Franklin County VA. We are at the start of The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail (begins just one block behind the Inn). If you are a musician or would just like to sit in on a jam session Bill recommends the Crooked Road Cafe (a new venue) out in Ferrum at 345 Timberline Rd, near the Post Office. 2-5 p.m. every Saturday. No charge and food and drinks are available. (For those staying with us here at The Claiborne House, this is about 8 minutes out Route 40 West)
We have more weekly jams than any other locale along this music trail! See the calendar here.
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUEGRASS LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121.We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Stump the Innkeeper Contest!
As you may know, with great dismay we had to cut down our beautiful, brilliant 99 year old Sugar Maple out front of The Claiborne House B&B. Now we are left with a big ol' stump!
Local author Becky Mushko came by with some of her books for our guests and we stood out front and discussed the big ol' stump. We had planned on a stump grinder (is that anything like an organ grinder, if so where's the monkey?) but we do like the stump, I mean the tree was very old and the stump is pretty cool!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
John Hiatt in Roanoke Sept 9, 2011
THE LEGEND JOHN HIATT VISITS THE JEFF IN ROANOKE THIS SEPTEMBER!
JOHN HIATT & THE COMBO WITH BIG HEAD TODD
Mountain Spirits Arts Festival is October 1st!
The first Mountain Spirits Arts Festival will be held here in Rocky Mount, Virginia on October 1, 2011 at the end of our street!
This will be a real treat as regional authors, artisans, musicians, agro-tourism, food and more will be on display for you to innjoy.
Learn more about this mountain festival on the blog here and more from their Facebook page here.
Stay with us at The Claiborne House and walk to the end of the block to this festival, there will also be a Farm Day festival the same day at our Farmer's Market - a block or two down from this. We recommend dining at Edible Vibe Cafe (on our corner) for some fantastic fresh cuisine from Jazz Chef John Schopp.
Visit the Franklin County website for information on our area. Yeah yeah we are the moonshine capital of the world...some of that will be featured at the festival, real moonshine, mountain likker? Not so sure, come out and find out.
VIRGINIA IS FOR MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL LOVERS
This will be a real treat as regional authors, artisans, musicians, agro-tourism, food and more will be on display for you to innjoy.
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| Photo of Franklin County, Virginia (Callaway near Phoebe Needles) |
- Some cookbooks will be available at the Mountain Spirits Arts Festival. Two down-home cookbooks that have recipes as well as stories behind the recipes are New River: bonnets, apple butter, and moonshine (The Making of a Fat Little Boy) by Charles Lytton and Mom's Family Pieby Peggy Ann Shifflett.
- Libby Bondurant will have Grazing Along the Crooked Road at the festival. This cookbook has been very popular in the region.
- Becky Mushko will be there with some of her books, such as her latest "Stuck" which is a middle school novel, perfect for Mother-Daughter book clubs or to send as a gift to the grandkids! (Read an excerpt here).
Stay with us at The Claiborne House and walk to the end of the block to this festival, there will also be a Farm Day festival the same day at our Farmer's Market - a block or two down from this. We recommend dining at Edible Vibe Cafe (on our corner) for some fantastic fresh cuisine from Jazz Chef John Schopp.
Visit the Franklin County website for information on our area. Yeah yeah we are the moonshine capital of the world...some of that will be featured at the festival, real moonshine, mountain likker? Not so sure, come out and find out.
VIRGINIA IS FOR MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121.We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
*Information is provided for your reference and travel planning, we are not responsible for hours or operation or changes to scheduling for third parties. Please visit the links above for more info to confirm.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Inspiring Women of Rocky Mount
Franklin News Post shared the story of two amazing women in our community
Memories, Milestones, Momentum
Retired teachers honored at Warren Street Festival
"Saunders, 96, still lives at her home on Patterson Street in Rocky Mount, cooks and cares for herself.
Memories, Milestones, Momentum
Retired teachers honored at Warren Street Festival
A Musical Tour Along the Crooked Road
Smithsonian Magazine Travel says "Grab a partner. Bluegrass and country tunes that tell America's story are all the rage in hilly southern Virginia"
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains are known for their speed demons. The moonshiners of old tore over country roads in 1940 Ford coupes, executing 180-degree “bootleg turns” and using bright lights to blind the revenue officers shooting at their tires. Legend has it that many of Nascar’s original drivers cut their teeth here, and modern stock car design is almost certainly indebted to the “liquor cars” dreamed up in local garages, modified for speed and for hauling brimful loads of “that good old mountain dew,” as the country song goes.
Even now, it is tempting to barrel down Shooting Creek Road, near Floyd, Virginia, the most treacherous racing stretch of all, where the remains of old stills decay beside a rushing stream. But instead I proceed at a snail’s pace, windows down, listening to the burble of the creek, the gossip of cicadas in the dense summer woods, and the slosh of a Mason jar full of bona fide moonshine in the back seat—a gift from one of the new friends I met along the road.
Slow is almost always better in this part of the world, I was learning. A traveler should be sure to leave time to savor another ready-to-levitate biscuit or a melting sunset or a stranger’s drawling tale—and especially, to linger at the mountain banjo-and-fiddle jams that the region is known for. This music cannot be heard with half an ear—it has 400 years of history behind it, and listening to it properly takes time.
The Crooked Road, Virginia’s heritage music trail, winds for some 300 miles through the southwest corner of the state, from the Blue Ridge into deeper Appalachia, home to some of the rawest and most arresting sounds around. Most of the trail runs along U.S. 58, a straightforward multilane highway in some spots and a harrowing slalom course in others. But the Crooked Road—a state designation originally conceived in 2003—is shaped by several much older routes. Woodland buffalo and the Indians who hunted them wore the first paths in this part of the world. Then, in the 1700s, settlers came in search of new homes in the South, following the Great Wagon Road from Germantown, Pennsylvania, to Augusta, Georgia. Other pioneers headed west on the Wilderness Road that Daniel Boone hacked through the mountains of Kentucky. Some rode on wagons, but many walked—one woman told me the story of her great-grandfather, who as a child hiked with his parents into western Virginia with the family pewter tied in a sack around his waist and his chair on his back. And, of course, some fled into the mountains, long a refuge for escaped slaves.
Read this entire article here in the Smithsonian Magazine Sept 2011 edition (with photos), then go online and book your room with us, we are at the start of The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail.
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUEGRASS LOVERS
Even now, it is tempting to barrel down Shooting Creek Road, near Floyd, Virginia, the most treacherous racing stretch of all, where the remains of old stills decay beside a rushing stream. But instead I proceed at a snail’s pace, windows down, listening to the burble of the creek, the gossip of cicadas in the dense summer woods, and the slosh of a Mason jar full of bona fide moonshine in the back seat—a gift from one of the new friends I met along the road.
Slow is almost always better in this part of the world, I was learning. A traveler should be sure to leave time to savor another ready-to-levitate biscuit or a melting sunset or a stranger’s drawling tale—and especially, to linger at the mountain banjo-and-fiddle jams that the region is known for. This music cannot be heard with half an ear—it has 400 years of history behind it, and listening to it properly takes time.
The Crooked Road, Virginia’s heritage music trail, winds for some 300 miles through the southwest corner of the state, from the Blue Ridge into deeper Appalachia, home to some of the rawest and most arresting sounds around. Most of the trail runs along U.S. 58, a straightforward multilane highway in some spots and a harrowing slalom course in others. But the Crooked Road—a state designation originally conceived in 2003—is shaped by several much older routes. Woodland buffalo and the Indians who hunted them wore the first paths in this part of the world. Then, in the 1700s, settlers came in search of new homes in the South, following the Great Wagon Road from Germantown, Pennsylvania, to Augusta, Georgia. Other pioneers headed west on the Wilderness Road that Daniel Boone hacked through the mountains of Kentucky. Some rode on wagons, but many walked—one woman told me the story of her great-grandfather, who as a child hiked with his parents into western Virginia with the family pewter tied in a sack around his waist and his chair on his back. And, of course, some fled into the mountains, long a refuge for escaped slaves.
Read this entire article here in the Smithsonian Magazine Sept 2011 edition (with photos), then go online and book your room with us, we are at the start of The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail.
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUEGRASS LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121.We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Fall in Love with Virginia
She'll Take Your Breath Away!
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN LOVERS
VIRGINIA IS FOR BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121.We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
*Shellie took this photo in the front yard of the B&B with our sugar maple leaves in October.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Appalachian Trail Conservancy to Launch Family Hiking Day
VIRGINIA HAS THE LONGEST SECTION OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, AND WEST VIRGINIA HAS THE SHORTEST!
Harpers Ferry, WV, August 20, 2011 --(PR.com)-- On September 24, 2011, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), along with its 31 Trail Clubs will be launching Family Hiking Day. Supported in part by REI, Family Hiking Day is an opportunity to introduce families to the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), and all of the benefits that come from being active and spending time outdoors. The event will be held on National Public Lands Day and coordinating with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.
Family Hiking Day, a program developed by the ATC, is an initiative to get people of all ages and experience levels outside and active. Hiking on the A.T. is a good source of physical exercise that provides a space for exploration of local natural resources and the opportunity to create lasting memories that will encourage long-term appreciation of protected public lands.
The ATC will be providing resources, games and activities, and a list of hikes for families to use in order to explore the A.T. in a fun, safe and engaging way. In addition, the ATC is also encouraging families to submit their stories online for a chance to win prizes and have their story shared with the A.T. community.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is excited to launch this effort to get families outdoors and active on the Trail,” stated Jeanne Mahoney, Volunteer Resources Coordinator of the ATC. “Hiking with your family is an adventure, and there is plenty to see and do on the A.T. Having a brief, fun hiking activity can enhance the experience for all. Whether your Trail leads to a stream, wetland, field, or forest, you will find a whole new world to explore with your senses, even if you think you already know the place well!”
The A.T. is one of the longest continuously marked footpaths in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The Trail goes through 14 states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail’s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine. Known as the “A.T.,” it has been estimated that 2-3 million people visit the Trail every year. Completed in 1937, the A.T. is a unit of the National Park System. It is managed under a unique partnership between the public and private sectors that includes, among others, the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, an array of state agencies, the ATC, and 31 local Trail-maintaining clubs.
For more information about Family Hike Day, resources for hiking with your family, or to enter ATC’s family hiking story contest, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/FamilyHike
VIRGINIA IS FOR A.T. LOVERS
Family Hiking Day, a program developed by the ATC, is an initiative to get people of all ages and experience levels outside and active. Hiking on the A.T. is a good source of physical exercise that provides a space for exploration of local natural resources and the opportunity to create lasting memories that will encourage long-term appreciation of protected public lands.
The ATC will be providing resources, games and activities, and a list of hikes for families to use in order to explore the A.T. in a fun, safe and engaging way. In addition, the ATC is also encouraging families to submit their stories online for a chance to win prizes and have their story shared with the A.T. community.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is excited to launch this effort to get families outdoors and active on the Trail,” stated Jeanne Mahoney, Volunteer Resources Coordinator of the ATC. “Hiking with your family is an adventure, and there is plenty to see and do on the A.T. Having a brief, fun hiking activity can enhance the experience for all. Whether your Trail leads to a stream, wetland, field, or forest, you will find a whole new world to explore with your senses, even if you think you already know the place well!”
The A.T. is one of the longest continuously marked footpaths in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The Trail goes through 14 states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail’s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine. Known as the “A.T.,” it has been estimated that 2-3 million people visit the Trail every year. Completed in 1937, the A.T. is a unit of the National Park System. It is managed under a unique partnership between the public and private sectors that includes, among others, the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, an array of state agencies, the ATC, and 31 local Trail-maintaining clubs.
For more information about Family Hike Day, resources for hiking with your family, or to enter ATC’s family hiking story contest, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/FamilyHike
VIRGINIA IS FOR A.T. LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/.
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121. We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Floyd Radio Show
Floyd Radio Show:
Views from Buffalo Mountain
Hosted by Elizabeth LaPrelle and Anna Roberts-Gevalt
September 3 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale Now!
October 1 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 9/03
November 5 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 10/01
December 3 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 11/05
Views from Buffalo Mountain
Hosted by Elizabeth LaPrelle and Anna Roberts-Gevalt
September 3 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale Now!
October 1 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 9/03
November 5 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 10/01
December 3 – Tickets $5.00, On Sale 11/05
Come one, come all! This fall, the first Saturday of the month, from the Floyd Country Store, springs a new old timey variety show, broadcasted live to the New River Valley!In the style of the Opry shows of old, the Floyd Radio Show brings a jam-packed hour of original radio dramas and comedy skits—performed by a team of local actors. It brings colorful, true stories of life in Floyd, its wit and wisdom, and the characters that inhabit it, brought to life for the radio.
The show’s hosts, Anna and Elizabeth, bring together some of the finest old time, bluegrass and folk musicians in the area for the show, to sing sweet harmonies, and bear down on barnstorming fiddle tunes!
The show’s hosts, Anna and Elizabeth, bring together some of the finest old time, bluegrass and folk musicians in the area for the show, to sing sweet harmonies, and bear down on barnstorming fiddle tunes!
The live show begins on September 3rd, at 7 pm, with a full lineup of 10 local musical acts! The variety hour is an hour, to be followed by an extended musical concert, and dancing!
Fiddler Anna Roberts-Gevalt and ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle, of Floyd and Smyth Counties, perform as a duo; they have performed and taught at music camps and festivals across the country, and abroad, and at numerous schools and nursing homes, locally.
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/.
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121. We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Random images from The Claiborne House B&B in Virginia
A PHOTO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS...
VIRGINIA IS FOR B&B LOVERS
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/. You can call to book this special romantic getaway in the love shack, or make a note on your 2 night reservation!
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121. We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Dulcimer: The sound of mountain music
The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum in Ferrum is displaying a quintessential Appalachian stringed instrument -- the dulcimer.
Article by Ralph Berrier Jr at Roanoke.com
Is this nuts? Am I nuts?
I know it sounds crazy, but I served french toast to the French, and on top of that it was made from Croissants!
As they say in France, a real gaffe
But, was it? I guess that depends on how you look at it. I have already stated that French Fries, although are not a french cuisine, the method of cooking them "French FRYING" is French.
So how un-French could my French Toast made of croissants really be? What were my options? A crepe (also French), an omelet (also French) or quiche (also French!) It appears that many of my breakfast dishes have origins in France. But it is all in the love and care of the person making your breakfast! I add tons of fresh fruit, chopped pecans, and a whole lotta love.
The good news is, however, the guests thoroughly innjoyed it, and inn-fact innjoyed their inntire stay! (sorry that was really cheezy wasn't it!) They wrote a lovely note in the guest book I will share with you now. This meant a lot to me as we were their 9th B&B in a row. Score one for ye ol' Claiborne House B&B.
This is what they wrote:
VIRGINIA IS FOR BED AND BREAKFAST LOVERS (INTERNATIONALLY ADORED BED AND BREAKFAST LOVERS Y'ALL!)
Psst...don't forget "NO POP TARTS ALLOWED!"
As they say in France, a real gaffe
But, was it? I guess that depends on how you look at it. I have already stated that French Fries, although are not a french cuisine, the method of cooking them "French FRYING" is French.
So how un-French could my French Toast made of croissants really be? What were my options? A crepe (also French), an omelet (also French) or quiche (also French!) It appears that many of my breakfast dishes have origins in France. But it is all in the love and care of the person making your breakfast! I add tons of fresh fruit, chopped pecans, and a whole lotta love.
This is what they wrote:
"The nicest house we ever saw in the USA and the better breakfast we ever had. Thank you very much for your kindness and welcome." Lise and Ives from France.
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| Your innkeeper Shellie says "Stay with us & let me cook you breakfast!" |
VIRGINIA IS FOR BED AND BREAKFAST LOVERS (INTERNATIONALLY ADORED BED AND BREAKFAST LOVERS Y'ALL!)
Life is too short for bad coffee...Shellie your innkeeper @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount, VA - Blue Ridge Country! You can book your room online at any time right here http://www.claibornehouse.net/
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast is 15 miles to three exits off The Blue Ridge Parkway. We are located at the half-way point of this beloved road in Virginia, exit at MP 121. We were awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor - click here to see our certificate.
Psst...don't forget "NO POP TARTS ALLOWED!"
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