Crooked Road - When to tour in fall?

[chris24]

Beginning to think about vacation plans for 2018, and a tour of the Crooked Road and surrounding area is on the cards. We'd looking at doing this in the fall next year - but to get good airfares will be booking this year. When would be a good time to catch the fall colours (or should that be colors ) in this part of the US? What are the must do/visit sites?

Thanks

[Mandoplumb]

Colors of these mountains vary depending on the weather ( drier summer makes it sooner) but usually peaks around mid Oct. As far as the Crooked Road, I would suggest starting at the east end in Rocky Mount Va. The welcome center there could give you a map of the Crooked Road marked with sites along the way. Any and all are worth seeing, don't know how I could pick one over another, just work in as many as possible. You will be in the heart of old time and bluegrass music and many things not officially on the Crooked Road will be in the same generals location. If this type of music is what you are interested in you can't stay too long. I've been here 63 years and I'm noy bored yet. P M me ifi can help.

[Cmac]

Try to fit in the 3 day festival called Rhythm and Roots Reunion in historic Bristol Va-Tn. Always in mid-Sep. Be sure to follow the events at Heartwood in Abingdon, Va. MySWVA.org/heartwood. Regular jams at their beautiful facility. Abingdon and Bristol offer a lot of music venues, country music museum in Bristol, fun restaurants, microbreweries, etc. Great hiking too to see the fall colors. Research the Creeper Trail bike ride from White Top to Damascus. A must in the fall. Crosses the Appalachian Trail. Have fun!

[A 4]

There is a guidebook:
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Th-Croo...s=crooked+road

I've only browsed it through, but comes with CDs which are nice. I've not attempted to follow the crooked road in any organized fashion, but it is pretty cool to stop at the waysides when you come across one, and learn, say, about banjo player Wade Ward.

[chris24]

OK 1year later and the road trip is about to happen.

But for reasons too complex to explain we will be staying in Roanoke on a Friday, not Floyd as I was planning. Is it too far (I understand roads are not built for fast European driving) to drop in on the Friday jam at the Country Store and get back to Roanoke to our it b’n’ b?