I stopped by some of the towns on the way. Like Martinsburg in WV and Winchester in VA I visited not long ago, and Harrisonburg, Staunton, Lexington, Blacksburg, and Roanoke in VA I visited last August, they all lie in the Interstate 81 corridor.
Christiansburg, the county seat of Montgomery County in VA. If a town has an art studio with such a lovely collection of work and a corner bakery like this, I suppose it is doing OK even if not great.
Wytheville, the county seat of Wythe County in VA. It is the birthplace of Edith Wilson, First Lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921. The town looks spacious, and you hear music all the way along the main street, which makes you feel you’d want to linger on those brick sidewalks and never leave.
Abingdon, the county seat of Washington County in VA. This is what every small town should be like: quite, picturesque, but also lively. I stayed here overnight on my way back from the Smoky Mountains. It sealed my memory with good feelings about this trip.
Bristol in VA and TN. The twin cities are separated by a state line that runs down the middle of State Street – the main street. It was recognized as the “Birthplace of Country Music” by the US Congress in 1998. I am sure its historic Paramount theatre is full of history, but as soon as I get to the town, I want to run away. Could it be that I don’t get the poetry of Country Music’s Birthplace?
