Thursday Thirteen

Things to see within an hour's drive of me:

1. The Mill Mountain Star. See the star here and a link to a live cam here. The star was built in 1949 as part of an advertising campaign, and at the time was the largest such structure built.

2. Roaring Run Recreational Area has a trail that leads to a waterfall and a 19th century furnace.

3. The swinging bridge in Buchanan overlooks the James River.

4. Dixie Caverns is a cave that can be walked through with tour guides. There's a campground there, too.

5. Paint Bank store and restaurant. This is way out in the sticks and is a destination point. Drive a little further and if you're lucky, you'll see buffalo. The bathrooms aren't much, though.

6. Natural Bridge. This state park is on property once owned by Thomas Jefferson.

7. The Town of Fincastle. Had this been done right, this town would be thriving with tourists, but it wasn't, so it isn't. It's still a quaint walk through the past, and many of the older structures in the county are here.

8. Mill Mountain Zoo. It's a non-profit zoo. If one likes zoos, this one is on top of a mountain.

9. Humpback Bridge in Covington. The only covered bridge of its kind in the nation, it was built in 1857 with hand-hewn logs.

10. The C&O Heritage Railroad Museum in Clifton Forge tells the story of the railroad in this area.

11. The City of Lexington is an older community with a great deal of history. The graveyard is amazing.

12. The Hollins University campus. It's my alma mater and I think it's beautiful.

13. Taubman Art Museum. They have good exhibits, but it's an ugly building with a lot of unusable space.

There are lots of other places to see in the area, too, including the Virginia Tech campus, the National D-Day Memorial, and a variety of museums.

Come visit sometime!

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 762nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.