An honest weekend plan — Friday arrival to Sunday departure. We don't list everything; we list the thing to do next. Every stop is within 20 minutes of the flats, and most are within walking distance.
Friday
3:00 PM — Check in
Self check-in, keypad code sent the day before. Drop your bags, grab a shower, head downstairs. If you're flying in, Uber from ROA airport runs ~$5.50.
4:30 PM — A Few Old Goats Brewing
Literally downstairs — our onsite microbrewery. Start with the Courtyard Blonde if the weather's warm or the Old Goat Porter if it's cold. Stay for one round — there's more to see.
6:00 PM — Downtown stroll + dinner
15-minute walk through downtown to Martin's Downtown — locally owned since 2005, great American fare, live music most nights, and daily specials worth asking about (Friday happy hour buffet 5–7 PM is free with a drink). Reservations help on Fridays. The burger is the reliable order.
9:00 PM — Mill Mountain Star
12-minute drive up. The world's largest manmade star (88 feet) lights at dusk, the overlook is free, and the valley view at night is the photo you'll send people. Bring a jacket — the wind up top is always colder.
10:30 PM — Nightcap
Back downstairs at A Few Old Goats, or walk to Big Lick Brewing (Friday/Saturday late-night taproom). If you want something weirder: Sidewinders (country bar), 202 Social, or Billy's.
Saturday
7:00 AM — Coffee at RND
Three-minute walk. Our favorite coffee in Roanoke — pour-over and a plain croissant. Fuel up, today is the big day.
8:00 AM — McAfee Knob trailhead
30-minute drive on Rt. 311 to the most-photographed overlook on the entire Appalachian Trail. Start at the lot by 8 AM on weekends or park at the overflow lot a mile away. 8.8 miles round-trip, moderate pace puts you back at the car by 12:30.
1:00 PM — Lunch at Scratch Biscuit
Post-hike biscuit. Chicken biscuit + iced coffee is the correct order. 10-minute drive from the trailhead. (If you went the no-hike route, try Wok N Roll for great, affordable Chinese instead.)
2:30 PM — Quick nap or patio time
The flats have a private courtyard. Use it.
4:00 PM — Center in the Square
A seven-story cultural center in the heart of downtown housing multiple museums — including the 8,000-gallon living reef aquarium (400+ marine fish, 150 corals, two 300-gallon jellyfish tanks — the largest of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic). The rooftop deck is worth the elevator ride alone.
7:00 PM — Dinner at Lucky (or Fortunato)
Lucky — small plates, good wine list, book ahead, share four plates between two people. If you want Italian instead, Fortunato does a proper Neapolitan pizza in a modern-rustic room. Both a short walk.
9:30 PM — Back to A Few Old Goats
Nightcap downstairs. Open until midnight Saturdays. If there's live music at Martin's, pop in.
Sunday
8:30 AM — Slow coffee in the flat
We stock the kitchens with starter coffee. Or walk to Bread Craft for artisan sourdough and pastries — Parisian-style cafe in downtown.
10:00 AM — Roanoke River Greenway
5-minute walk to the trailhead. The regional greenway network spans 400+ miles of paved and natural-surface trails — we recommend a 3-mile round-trip along the river to warm up for the drive home. Bring your coffee.
11:00 AM — Check out
Counters wiped, bed made however you like, towels in a pile. That's it. No front desk.
12:15 PM — One more stop on the way out
Texas Tavern for a chili-cheese (cash only, 10 stools, 1930s hole-in-the-wall, featured on the Food Network) or Bread Craft for a loaf for the road. Pick one.
What we'd swap if it's raining
- Replace McAfee with Center in the Square — multiple museums under one roof, aquarium, jellyfish, rooftop deck. Easily a half-day.
- Add the O. Winston Link Museum (Norfolk & Western railroad photography, genuinely gorgeous) or the Virginia Museum of Transportation (antique autos, electric and diesel locomotives, vintage steam).
- Replace the Greenway walk with a bagel at RND and a slow drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway — beautiful in rain, and far less crowded.
- Replace the Star overlook with a drink at Big Lick Brewing and a board game from our closet.
Bonus: what's on tonight
- Mondays: Trivia at Wasena Tap Room (next to River Rock Climbing — make it a double feature).
- Wednesdays: Half-price something at Macado's — check the board.
- Thursdays: $3 tacos at Martin's.
- Fridays: Martin's free happy hour buffet 5–7 PM with a drink.
- Live theatre year-round: Mill Mountain Theatre in Center in the Square — the valley's only professional live theatre, with two stages.
That's the plan. If you're staying longer or want to branch out, text us at 1-855-919-7368 — we'll tell you what's on this week.
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