When you roll into Rocky Mount, the largest Franklin County, Virginia town, be sure to come hungry and be ready for mountain music. And come prepared to do some serious whiskey tasting. You have just arrived in the Moonshine Capital of the World! The English, Germans, and Scots-Irish immigrants who came to this backcountry in the 1700s (my people!) brought traditions that included fruit brandy-making and turning grain into whiskey. So moonshining isn’t a strike back at federal taxation, it’s heritage. It’s tradition. It’s intoxicating!

Rocky Mount is Centrally Located

Rocky Mount has just under five thousand warm, friendly folks. Newcomers stand out (in a good way), and locals quickly notice and ask where you’re from. Don’t hesitate to jump into that conversation. Tell them where you’re from and that you’re eager to see this welcoming spot in the Blue Ridge Foothills.

Rocky Mount, a town in the Roanoke Valley, is just twenty-five miles from downtown Roanoke. It is a quick drive on Highway 220 South, passing through Boones Mill. Franklin County is also a short 16-mile detour east of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway. Another featured article about the area will introduce you to three other towns.

The Blue Ridge Parkway provides easy access between the Shenandoah National Park in Rockfish Gap, Virginia, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee, North Carolina. One of the best things about the 469-mile Parkway is the breathtaking views you get while driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. During the Great Depression, a part of FDR’s New Deal created the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). In turn, the CCC provided the workforce to construct America’s longest linear park, the Parkway, which spans the central and southern Appalachians.

Land Between the Lakes

Rocky Mount is sandwiched between Philpott Lake and Smith Mountain Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed Philpott Dam for flood control, creating Philpott Lake. The 100-mile-long shoreline of this mountain lake touches Patrick, Franklin, and Henry counties. Anglers enjoy fishing for various fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, sunfish, walleye, catfish, and carp. Below the Dam, anglers can catch stocked rainbow and wild brown trout in the Smith River. Plus, the Visitor Center & Museum offers exhibits of the natural wildlife and cultural heritage of Philpott Lake.

Smith Mountain Dam was built in 1963 to generate electrical energy from the Roanoke River. The lake created by that Dam has over 500 miles of shoreline. It attracts visitors who fish, ski, kayak, and canoe in the almost 21,000-acre lake. Smith Mountain Lake holds the promise of record-sized largemouth and smallmouth bass and striped bass. The Visitor’s Center has exhibits that explain the Dam’s history, and how it generates power using a unique two-lake complex.

Boones Mill

The Franklin County Distillery is temporarily closed while changes in management are taking place, but it will reopen by mid-August 2024. So make this your first stop in Franklin County and try some of the spirits being produced by Franklin County Distillery. Moonshine has a deeply rooted history in Virginia, especially in Franklin County. FCD has historic photos and a still on display.

As a home-grown business, owner Dan still hand-etches the FCD logo on bottles! Business partner Holly of Holly Jo’s Creekside Grill will create new dishes for FCD diners. Ideas for new spirit flavors are in the works, too, so stop by and see what they’ve come up with.

When you leave Boones Mill on Route 220, just before Rocky Mount, you will see the Blue Ridge Antique Center. The shop opened 30 years ago and houses over 100 antique dealers in 85 booths and showcases. The vendors manage to find every collectible and antique imaginable.

Where to Stay in Rocky Mount

B & Bs

Bed and Breakfast Inns, or simply inns in general, are always a favorite spot. You’re invited in and treated like long-lost friends, well-fed, and given the inside scoop on what to do while in town. Then you have a comfortable, quiet place to sleep.

The Claiborne Bed & Breakfast

The Claiborne is on a hill above Rocky Mount. Robin’s comfortable bed and breakfast includes a lovely garden where you can wander or sit with your afternoon beverage, admiring the flowers and an occasional butterfly. The Inn’s 130-foot wraparound porch is the perfect place to rock or swing while enjoying a breeze and listening to the music of crickets and frogs. The Inn also has a separate cottage with a private patio.

Downtown Rocky Mount is a comfortable downhill walk, so park your car and stroll around town, stopping for dinner, drinks, and music. Twin Creeks Distillery, Anastasias, and Rocky Mount Burger Company are all an easy walk.

Don’t stay up too late, though. The breakfast Robin sets on the table each morning will have you wide awake early with anticipation.

The Early Inn at the Grove

The Early Inn at the Grove is a beautiful place to stay. Numerous weddings are held each year on the lovely 10-acre grounds of this 1854 Greek Revival boutique hotel. There are several idyllic locations for exchanging “I dos” on the property. The Early has wedding services and catering available to make each wedding perfect. There is a covered picnic area, too, making it ideal for reunions.

Rooms at the Early are furnished with antiques and period reproduction pieces. The Inn combines historic elegance with modern conveniences (like heated tile floors in the bathroom—sigh). General Jubal Anderson Early’s unrestored historic law office is at the property’s front corner. It is not open to the public, but visitors can peer through the windows. Early practiced law here from 1854-1861. Many years later, T. K. Greer once again opened this law office between 1959-1999.

Recently, the Inn stopped serving breakfast and became a “Bed, No Breakfast.” However, the Rocky Mount Burger Company is just across the street and opens for breakfast at 8:30 on weekdays. Snacks and drinks are always available in the Inn’s kitchen.

Where to Eat in Rocky Mount

The best restaurants in the area are easy to get to and rarely have a line—no reservations needed. Ah, the benefits of small-town life are that everybody knows your name, there are no traffic jams, and you don’t have to wait to get your dinner.

Hema’s Italian Restaurant

For Italian, visit Hema’s. Do you think “Hema” doesn’t sound very Italian? You’d be correct. Hema is Egyptian, but 25 years ago, Hema bought an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Rocky Mount and didn’t want to mess with success. They slowly expanded the menu and now offer pizza, white pizza, Stromboli, eggplant parmesan, chicken and lamb over rice, fresh seafood, and other choices.

Hema’s uses local ingredients to create their traditional recipes. The attentive staff will keep your glass and bread basket filled, and servings are generous, so you can share or take home some tasty leftovers.

The Hub Restaurant

The Hub has been Rocky Mount’s hub of everyday activity since 1935. The restaurant is located between the main thoroughfares and where the locals eat. When you open the door, everyone looks up to see if they know you. If not, they’ll greet you anyway. The Hub has a surprisingly extensive menu—plus homemade pies. They are open for three meals a day, Monday through Friday. The good news is breakfast is served all day. The really good news is you can get a meat and two for under $12.

Rocky Mount Burger Company

The Rocky Mount Burger Company across from Early Inn opens for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays, but it doesn’t open until 11:30 a.m. on weekends (brunch, anyone?) The morning menu includes old standbys like eggs and bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelets, and Crème Brûlée French Toast. I can heartily endorse the French Toast!

The best burger you’ve ever eaten is waiting for your lunch or dinner plate. Try the BBQ Burger on a brioche bun. It comes topped with house-smoked pork butt, bacon, BBQ sauce, cheddar & jack cheese and covered in slaw. Of course, if you are adventurous, order the PBJ Burger. No, it isn’t eeww, gross. It is the Burger Company’s catchy name for Pimento cheese slathered on a burger, then topped with bacon and jalapenos.

For an appetizer, I recommend the Pimento with Ritz. It’s a delicious house-made pimento cheese with scallions and just enough jalapenos to keep your taste buds awake. It is served on a plate of Ritz crackers.

The Burger Company is in an historic building from the 1920s or earlier, and has served the town as a garage, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, and a bottling company. The Burger Company is across the street from Harvester Music Performance Center in Downtown Historic Rocky Mount.

Bowlings Place

Bowlings Place is a little downhome hot dog joint. They have delicious hot dogs, beer, pinto beans, cornbread, and cheese wedges. It is halfway to Ferrum, making it perfect for lunch as you go to the Blue Ridge Institute. Sometimes, all you need is a hot dog. But don’t order that dog any way except with chili and slaw. You can top it with fresh onions if you don’t plan on kissin’ anybody. Bowlings frequently has live music, too, so check their Facebook page.

What to Do in Rocky Mount

Historic Train Station

The area Welcome Center is housed in a historic Freight Train Depot. The Depot was built in 1912 to serve trains running on the Punkin’ Vine between Roanoke and Rocky Mount. Go inside the Center to stock up on local information and maps and, of course, to see the displays. There is a caboose in the parking lot, making it impossible to miss. After you pick up all the information for your visit, you can go right across the street to Hema’s Italian Restaurant for a meal.

Farmer’s Market

Saturday mornings in Rocky Mount mean one thing—a visit to the Rocky Mount Farmers Market. Vendors sell their produce and other wares, including pastries, bread, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, meats, jars of jellies and jams, and creations by local artisans and craftsmen. The Market might be a great place to pick up items for your lunch. You will pass lots of spots to stop and have a picnic. They also have the perfect place for a Virginia is for Lovers selfie.

Hiking and Nature Trails

Outdoor enthusiasts will find numerous hiking and nature trails throughout the Rocky Mount area and Roanoke Valley. Waid Park in Rocky Mount has 15 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding (bring your own horse). The Mountain Bike Trails webpage has information on 25 local biking trails.

The Booker T. Washington Monument in Hardy is a short drive from Rocky Mount. Washington, a black educator, was born into slavery near Hales Ford in Franklin County. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Institute. Today, his Franklin County birthplace is a national monument. The property has great places with two easy hiking paths, the Jack-o-Lantern Branch Heritage Trail (along the picturesque Jack-o-Lantern Branch) and Plantation Trail.

The Franklin County Veterans Memorial Park provides a peaceful place to stop beside the Pigg River. The memorial gives a place to quietly remember service members who gave their lives for our country, and the surrounding brick plaza is a memorial honoring all veterans. Local veterans hold special events here on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. A long boardwalk connects Veterans Park to Lynch Park, which has a put-in for canoes, kayaks, and floats.

Nearby, Roanoke’s Greenway Trail has a network with 400 miles of trails crisscrossing the Roanoke Valley.

In addition to hiking and biking, Virginia’s Blue Ridge offers several waterways to enjoy. Visitors can paddle down the Roanoke River or Upper James River with outfitters specializing in the area. In Franklin County, Smith Mountain Lake and Philpott Lake are popular locations for fishing, skiing, canoeing, and kayaking.

Blue Ridge Institute & Museum

Ferrum College, near Rocky Mount, is home to the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum (on the Crooked Road.) They have a display of stunning quilts, a still, and displays that tell the history of running moonshine and car racing. Many people don’t know that NASCAR grew out of the fast cars used to transport moonshine and outrun the law.

It is also the Center for Blue Ridge Folklore. The Institute exhibits traditional arts and crafts, customs, music, and the region’s beliefs. Exhibits rotate between the gallery, living history farm, archive storage, and various local public outlets. Entry to the Gallery is free, but there is a charge to visit the Farm Museum.

A perfect time to visit the Institute is the fourth Saturday in October, when you can attend the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, and the fall color is at its peak. For fifty years, the Festival has held a celebration of the region’s heritage and traditions, including music, food, moonshine, crafts, coon dog races, antique tractors, mule jumping, and horse pulling. The events and performances here are not seen anywhere else. The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival is the largest event in the region and the only one of its kind in the Commonwealth.

Mountain Music

Are you humming the tune to Play Me Some Mountain Music? I am.

You’ll start seeing “Crooked Road” signs when you approach Rocky Mount. But not those bright yellow DOT signs with a black curve in the Center. These signs have…is that a banjo? You see, the Crooked Road is the nickname for Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, a 333-mile-long path through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The trail begins in Franklin County, a place that blends moonshine stills with deep-rooted history, deep-rooted music, and delicious food.

Party Time on the Crooked Road

The Crooked Road was designated 20 years ago as Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail by the Virginia Assembly. The road winds through the scenic mountains of Southwest Virginia and connects ten major music venues. Fifty affiliate venues along the trail join them to preserve traditional old-time Appalachian and bluegrass music.

The trail starts at Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute & Museum. It winds up the holler through Shooting Creek (an area once described to me as “best left alone after dark”) and on up the mountainside to Floyd. Floyd is the home of the Friday Night Jamboree. The Crooked Road continues to meander through 19 counties, four cities, and 54 of Virginia’s best small towns, finally ending up in Clintwood, Virginia, at the Ralph Stanley Museum.

If you’re interested in making this trip, this is undoubtedly the year. This year, the Crooked Road is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Musical stops throwing anniversary parties will be

• Ralph Stanley Museum – 20th Anniversary
• Birthplace of Country Music Museum – 10th Anniversary
• Floyd Country Store Friday Night Jamboree – 40th Anniversary
• Carter Family Fold – 50th Anniversary

The Harvester

The Harvester Performance Center is a mid-size indoor venue with an outstanding lineup of musicians from various genres performing every year. The 40-foot-wide stage ensures that everyone attending concerts has an exceptional view. Depending on the musical genre, the Center can seat 424 people or provide standing room for 700.

The Harvester has popcorn, chips, candy, and drinks available for purchase during the concerts. For ticket holders at a table for four, a charcuterie board (made by our friends at the Olde Towne Social House) is included.

Convenient parking is available, and the covered drop-off is a welcome relief during lousy weather. The Harvester is also within easy walking distance from area B&Bs and restaurants.

Moonshine Explosion Museum

The newest kid on the block may be the Moonshine Explosion Museum. The Museum is open to the public and tells the story of the explosion, ensuing fire, and cars that fell through the floor of the car dealership. Today, that dealership is the Olde Towne Social House.

The owners of local businesses, Olde Towne Social House and Claiborne Bed & Breakfast, have combined forces to form the non-profit Moonshine Capital Heritage Foundation. The organization includes Rocky Mount moonshine distillers Law’s Choice, Twin Creeks, and Roosters Rise’n Shine. One day soon, the group hopes to have moonshine tastings, tours, and more. They want to educate, preserve, and increase the appreciation of Franklin County’s rich history and the enduring impact moonshine and the culture that surrounds it have had on the area.

A Moonshine Capital Festival is planned for April 12, 2025, so circle the date on your calendar. Plus, April is Moonshine Heritage Month! Come and learn what the excitement is all about! If you can’t make it in April, keep reading to learn where to go at other times to explore this fascinating Blue Ridge Mountain culture. The Mountain Spirit Trail will lead you down Franklin, Floyd, and Patrick County country roads. Special events will be posted on the websites, so check back frequently.

Antique Farm Days

Lucky people who visit Rocky Mount in mid-June should attend Antique Farm Days, sponsored by the Franklin County Recreation Department. The 2024 dates for this three-day event were June 14-16. Visitors will observe sawmilling demonstrations, antique tractor pull competitions, threshing and bailing demonstrations, tractor games, and rock crushing at this event.

There are also vendors selling everything from hand-hammered iron pot racks to fried pork rinds. Several local churches hold fundraisers, and they cook delicious pulled-pork lunches, savory fish fries, and serve up fresh-churned ice cream. The Saturday night gospel music event is something to look forward to.

Where to Drink in Rocky Mount

The town is home to moonshiners, brewers, a hidden speakeasy, and a wine shop. Sit back and relax while you drink in the simpler mountain life.

Anastasia’s Speakeasy

Prohibition gave rise to moonshining, bootlegging, and speakeasies. Anastasia’s is just what you’d expect to find if you walked into a speakeasy during prohibition. The entrance to this secluded speakeasy is well-concealed. Can you spot it? No change necessary for the cigarette machine, just feel alongside it for a doorknob and go on in.

The bar pours wine, mixed drinks, beer, rare bourbons, and monthly specials. Picking Berries was a refreshing little summertime drink. A new treat—the Very Berry Bubble Shooter–was tangy, and the shooter glass arrived on the table topped with a bubble filled with smoke. How creative! I was a fortunate taste-tester for a Red, White, & Blue Flight the bartender was developing for the 4th of July. It was lots of fun and tasty, too—bartender Kimberly has a knack for mixology.

Anastasia’s also has a full restaurant menu and a late-night menu. How does baked brie, blue cheese, fig jam, and candied walnuts smeared on a cracker sound? Or, the Mobster Taco:  Ahi tuna, pickled onions, and spring mix on a taco, topped with Thai dressing. Then move on to an artisan pizza, or order the Public Enemy #1, a juicy Wagyu burger on a brioche bun covered with bourbon-glazed bacon, a choice of cheddar or Swiss cheese, and lettuce, tomato, and truffle mayo.

Living Proof Beer Company

Not only are there many spots to have a mixed drink or moonshine, but Living Proof Beer Company is hard at work brewing a variety of beer selections. Rocky Mount’s first microbrewery served its first beer more than two years ago, in June 2022.

Robert Amos is the head brewer, producing an ever-changing lineup of ales and lagers, seasonal beers, and seltzers. Pull up a seat at the bar to try your Mason jars filled with tastings, or take your flights out on the back deck. The view overlooking Rocky Mount and the Blue Ridge Mountain background will soothe even the most work-weary mind.

Living Proof will become your go-to for a drink, snack, and an evening of fun. From Wednesday through Saturday, LPBC keeps customers entertained with nightly events like trivia, music bingo, poker, karaoke, and live music takes the stage on Saturday night.

Olde Towne Social House

The Olde Towne Social House has made itself at home in an old car dealership with a shady background—don’t you just love a good story? Back in the 1930s, a spark connected with a “hot” engine, and the resulting explosion led to a fire that caused several new cars (and that “hot” one) to fall through the floor into the basement. The dealership left the cars where they fell, repaired the floor repaired, and quietly resumed the business of selling and fixing cars.

Now, nearly 100 years later, the cars have been unearthed. Remodeling part of the cellar has created The Alley Cat, a night spot with beers on tap and live music. You’ll have to hear the rest of the story by exploring the new Moonshine Explosion Museum.

The Olde Towne Social House has filled its “house” with exciting history, antiques, and friendly people! The space has cozy, intimate seating arrangements where groups of friends can enjoy conversation, wine, and some incredible plates from the kitchen. Some suggestions for enjoyable bites would be brie topped with black and blueberry jam and prosciutto, all toasted and served on a French baguette. Or, OTSH’s scrumptious chicken salad on a croissant (it has toasted walnuts and grapes, which takes this sandwich over the top.) Wines are available by the bottle, and many are by the glass. With a three-page list of more than 90 wines from around the world, I’m guessing you will find several you like.

Twin Creeks Distillery

The Tasting Bar at Twin Creeks pours samples of their moonshine (made from sugar cane and rye); their varieties of whiskey—corn, rye, and Peg Hatcher’s Straight Whiskey; and Peach and Apple Brandy. They also make seasonal mixed drinks; you can try a cocktail flight. Be sure to check the chalkboard over the bar for current flavors. With any luck, you’ll visit when they are making those luscious banana split cocktails. It’s worth the drive, even from South Carolina.

When you visit Twin Creeks for a tasting, a wooden serving tray in the shape of the state of Virginia has blackboard-painted circles where your server writes your selections. Hence, you know what you are drinking. The circles will be covered in fancy mixed drinks and samples, served in shot glasses and jars.

Twin Creeks Distillery is a family business and a family tradition. And, yes, I’m talking about my family, too. My Great-Grandpa Stanley’s neighbors were the Prillamans and Hatchers—moonshiners all! Family lore includes whispers that Great-Grandpa may have enjoyed moonshine and may have known more than his share about making liquid gold.

Today, Chris Prillaman still uses family recipes to distill moonshine liquor in the family tradition. Our ancestors settled in Franklin County, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The local fruits and grains produced smooth liquor using those original distilling methods.

Twin Creeks recently moved into a new, larger storefront. Chris says, “Our family is celebrating ten years in business in 2024, and what better way to celebrate than to expand into a larger space.”

Be sure to visit the heritage room to see ancient family tools of the trade, like wooden mash forks and boxes, copper worms, and the copper submarine-type still.

Concerts by Canoe – A Summertime Treat

You have to time your trip right to enjoy this adventure, but it is so worth it. From June until August, Franklin County Parks & Recreation hosts a free concert at Twin Ridge Recreation Area on Philpott Lake one Friday night each month.

You paddle up and create your front-row seat for the show. The Hotdog Stand will be open and will feed hungry eventgoers. Parks & Rec posts its summer schedule on its website. These canoe concerts are among the best things happening in these mountain ranges. Wave a paddle for me. See you on the lake!

Plan Your Road Trip!

For more exciting vacations, try these locations! Plan a road trip from the Roanoke Valley through the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway’s Rocky Knob AVA to beautiful Yadkin Valley Wineries, and on across South Carolina to Georgetown.