Pets are welcome to Go to Town!
With abundant outdoor recreation inclusive of miles of trails perfect for hiking, running and more, Montgomery is a perfect destination for visitors traveling with their four-legged loved ones.
The Huckleberry Trail connects towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg and is part of the nation’s rail-to-trail system, making the 14-mile trek perfect for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, whether walking, running or cycling. The Renva-Knowles Memorial Bridge along with multiple trail heads along the way afford visitors easy access and parking.
Along the way, you’ll encounter Coal Miner’s Heritage Park, located on a 30-acre swath of land where the Merrimac mining community once resided. Where a mining tipple, hotel, general store and residential housing for coal miners once stood is now an open greenspace and a wooden bridge leading guests into the park, the old mining entrance and some of the remnants of the old mining community. The park is an homage to more than 100 years’ worth of coal mining history in the region.
The adjacent Coal Mining Loop Trail, a newer addition to the Huckleberry Trail, was designed and built by volunteers from Pathfinders for Greenways, who dedicated nearly 2,000 hours to the project.
Jefferson National Forest is one of two forests (the other being Washington National Forest) that stretch across the entire state of Virginia, watched over by the beautiful Appalachians. Two thousand miles of hiking trails set among neo-tropical birds in the summer and a kaleidoscopic pallet of color during the crisp fall lend to some of the most breathing scenery in the region.
Be sure to stop by the Pandapas Pond area, also located in Jefferson National Forest. Poverty Creek Trail is the main multi-use trail at Pandapas Pond that features more gently rolling slopes across a 7.1 mile one-way trail, perfect for hiking, running, or just enjoying a picnic at the Pandapas Pond day area.
For the eyes and floppy ears
If you and the pets like music, the air is filled with the sound of it on Friday nights with weekly performances at Henderson Lawn, an expansive green space between Virginia Tech’s campus and Downtown Blacksburg. Local musicians as well as performances from Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Art treat visitors to a variety of musical genres that get the feet tapping and the soul racing.
Fido prefers the big screen? After the sun sets, treat the family to a classic movie-watching experience at Starlight Drive-In. The theater has been entertaining locals since 1953 with newly released movies and favorite films of the past, like Grease, ET as well as concert performances from some of the country’s most well-known musicians.
