A Blacksburg and Virginia Tech adventure, letter by letter

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I don’t normally do this, but please turn away from this story, find a recording of Metallica’s Enter Sandman, and listen to it. Loud.

Finished? Thank you.

Now you’re in the mood to take a trip in your mind to Blacksburg, a small community in southwestern Virginia which is intertwined with a big U.S. college, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech.

Enter Sandman is played as Virginia Tech’s football team enters the playing field during home games. The home fans jump as the music plays — sometimes enough to trigger a reading on a seismograph.

That Virginia Tech football team? That team, and the other athletes representing Virginia Tech, are known as the Hokies.

What are Hokies? According to VT’s athletics website, “Hokie” was a made-up word by a 19th-century student to win a cheer contest.

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What’s in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, and the surrounding area to experience if you go there in person?

Using that made-up word, letter by letter, here’s what I learned during a recent visit:

H IS FOR …

Hahn Horticulture Garden is a six-acre teaching and display garden adjacent to VT’s baseball park. “Hahn” is Marshall Hahn, a former president of VT.

Throughout the year, the pleasant outdoor areas are enjoyed by students, visitors, and dog-walkers. Volunteers who tend to the plants are “paid” by the produce which grows in their vegetable garden.

A highlight of Hahn Horticulture Garden is the Trident Maple Allee, a walkway underneath the branches of tall maple trees, which provide a canopy above.

A serenity pond is popular for marriage proposals — and when the big day arrives, there are both indoor and outdoor areas suitable for a ceremony.

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H is also for HokieBird and Hokie Stone.

HokieBird is VT’s sports mascot. HokieBirds are fierce turkey-like creatures in maroon and orange, the school colours. Statues of HokieBirds can be found around Blacksburg and the VT campus.

Hokie Stone is the distinctive limestone used in the exterior of many buildings on the VT campus. Hokie Stone is mined from a university-owned quarry.

O IS FOR …

Outdoor areas near Blacksburg, which provide an opportunity for recreation and relaxation, including New River Junction and Pandapas Pond.

Since Blacksburg is a small urban area, its surroundings are mainly untouched by city life, leaving plenty of natural surroundings to enjoy.

New River Junction is a campground and park about 20 kilometres west of Blacksburg.

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All-day tubing down the wide and calm New River, with abundant greenery on both sides of the river, brings families and groups to NRJ. Water level conditions are sent out on social media early each day, so visitors know what to expect.

If visitors want to have a barbecue after tubing, NRJ provides complimentary charcoal and lighter fluid.

NRJ was opened in 1982 by Bernadette Mundy and her husband (who died in 2010). Their sons now run the business. “My kids grew up right here,” Mundy said. “We have people who have been camping with us for 43 years.”

Pandapas Pond is about 10 kilometres north of Blacksburg, inside the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The pond itself is surrounded by a 1.6-kilometre trail, which provides a relaxing area to walk or run, especially early in the day. The area around the pond is a lovely spot for a picnic as well.

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Hikers can use the parking lot to access the 27-kilometre Poverty Creek trail system, which goes through the Blue Ridge mountains.

Blacksburg businessman James Pandapas wanted a recreational area for his employees, so in 1948 he purchased the land, and eventually had the pond dug and the walking path created. In 1987, he sold the land to the U.S. Forest Service for the same amount of money he originally paid to buy the property.

Like NRJ, Pandapas Pond sits on the Eastern Continental Divide — water to the east drains to the Atlantic Ocean, water to the west drains to the Gulf of Mexico.

O is also for the oval outdoor area on the VT campus known as the Drillfield. Originally used for military drills, the 22-acre lawn is used for many campus activities.

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K IS FOR …

Kids’ paradise: Huckleberry Park, in nearby Christiansburg, is a playground so impressive that parents from neighbouring states bring their children to enjoy it.

The park opened in 2023. It is inclusive, with many of the playground activities wheelchair-accessible.

“It’s been a great asset to our community so far,” said Brad Epperley, the town’s director of parks and recreation.

For teenagers and adults, there is a “Challenge Course” and an adult fitness zone. A 40-yard dash area, with automatic timer, allows prospective football players to test their speed.

There’s also a splash pad, and a dog park — with separate areas for small and large dogs.

Another area of Huckleberry Park has four full-sized rectangular fields for football, soccer and lacrosse tournaments.

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I IS FOR …

Ice cream. Yes, you can get ice cream almost anywhere, but enjoying a cool treat on a warm day at Sugar Magnolia in downtown Blacksburg is a special delight.

I sampled a milkshake made from Michigan Pot Hole ice cream (think chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, and chocolate fudge) while learning about Sugar Magnolia from Tom Raub, who along with his wife own the business. Over the years, they realized that there was a demand in Blacksburg for not only an ice cream parlour with an area to sit and chat, but also high-end chocolates, a souvenir shop (for non-VT items), and stationery.

The ice cream comes from a wholesaler which does not sell to stores — and yes, it was tasty!

The stationery cards sold at Sugar Magnolia are blank. Raub wants you to put your heart into the message you send, instead of having someone else write it for you. “Everything we do is built around nurturing human connections,” he said.

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I is also for the innovation on display in and around the VT campus.

One example is the Torgersen Bridge, which connects the Newman Library and Torgersen Hall buildings. It could have been just a walkway between the buildings, but instead the interior of this wide bridge is a vast quiet study area, bathed in maroon and orange, that would not look out of place at the fictional Hogwarts.

“Torgersen” is Paul Ernest Torgersen, another former VT president.

E IS FOR …

Entertainment at the Moss Arts Center and Lyric Theatre.

The Moss Arts Center is a VT building which opened in 2013. It houses a performance hall, art galleries, and other studios.

The performance hall is a 1,274-seat theatre, big enough and modern enough to welcome touring artists as well as Broadway-style shows. Dear Evan Hansen and The Book of Mormon are the Broadway in Blacksburg presentations as part of the 2024-25 season, which runs from Sept. 13, 2024 to May 10, 2025.

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Acoustics were top of mind during the design of the hall. There are adjustable speakers and curtains, curvilinear walls, and seats designed to mimic a human body so that sound checks in the empty hall before a show are as close as possible to matching the effect of a full house.

“We hear from artists all the time how much they love the sound here,” said Susan Bland, the associate director of communication for the centre.

The Lyric Theatre opened in 1930 in downtown Blacksburg. It was the first air-conditioned building in Blacksburg, as well as the third building in Virginia built specifically for “the talkies.”

After some hard times, the 477-seat theatre was renovated to its 1930s look, and reopened in 1999, run by a local non-profit organization.

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The Lyric Theatre presents first-run movies, and also hosts theatre classes for youngsters and live music.

As a non-profit, admission tickets and popcorn are less expensive than at regular movie theatres.

S IS FOR …

Solemn settings on the VT campus where the dreadful activities of the past are not forgotten, including the April 16 Memorial, War Memorial Chapel, and the Solitude building.

The April 16 Memorial, at the northwest part of the Drillfield, serves as a means to remember the 32 people who were killed on campus by an undergraduate student on April 16, 2007. There are 32 engraved small Hokie Stones, one for each person who died, in a semicircle.

War Memorial Chapel is a 260-seat place of worship and contemplation at the northeast end of the Drillfield. Above it is Memorial Court, where eight pylons salute Brotherhood, Honor, Leadership and Sacrifice (on the left side) and Service, Loyalty, Duty, and “Ut Prosim” (“That I may serve,” which is VT’s motto). The names of alumni who died in military service are carved on the pylons.

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Solitude is the oldest building on the VT campus, dating to before the U.S. Civil War. The enslaved people who served the family of Solitude’s owner lived in a nearby structure.

Nearby is an artwork of wood figurines and benches, “Think on these things,” where visitors are invited “to contemplate Virginia Tech’s layered histories.”

GETTING THERE

Using commercial airlines, the nearest airport is in Roanoke, Va., a 40-minute drive from Blacksburg. Driving from Toronto to Blacksburg would take a minimum of 10 hours, passing through Buffalo, Erie, Pa., Pittsburgh, and Morgantown, W. Va.

STAYING THERE

The Inn at Virginia Tech is the only hotel on the VT campus. Connected to the hotel are the Shelton Conference Center and the Holtzman Alumni Center.

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TIP: Look for Virginia’s Bicentennial Tapestry in the Shelton Conference Center area.

The hotel’s restaurant, Preston’s, offers a breakfast buffet (including smoothies in shot glasses), lunch, dinner (try the Fig Balsamic Skirt Steak), and Sunday brunch.

An option outside of Blacksburg, with a Canadian connection, is the bed and breakfast at Beliveau Farm Winery. Yvan Beliveau, originally from Quebec, is a former VT faculty member (College of Architecture), and his wife Joyce is a VT alumna.

Their B&B building is known as the Manor House, with five bedrooms available to book and a common area with a pool table (the felt is a maroon colour) and plenty of other VT touches.

Visitors to Beliveau Farm Winery can enjoy beverages in the winery’s tasting room or the brewery, where gluten-free beer is produced.

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Beliveau Farm Winery is also a wedding venue, with indoor and outdoor facilities.

FOOD AND DRINK

The Blacksburg Tavern is a restaurant, bar, and “historical preservation project” inside the oldest house on Main St. in downtown Blacksburg (circa 1892). The menu is similar to what would have been available a century ago, such as fried chicken, brisket, and cornbread. Meals can be ordered a la carte, or “family style.” Murals on the walls were painted by the current owner’s great-aunt.

Zeppoli’s is an Italian restaurant very close to The Inn at Virginia Tech, with a subdued atmosphere, great food, and lots of it. My lasagna (featuring homemade pasta) and Greek salad were a great way to end a busy day.

A lunch option is Cabo Fish Taco, a Mexican-California restaurant at which I was encouraged to order the “Banging Baja tacos” — containing beer-battered shrimp. I was not disappointed. It was very good!

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The craft beer scene in the Blacksburg area is … hopping! I got to experience three different craft beer locations, all of which opened in the past six years.

Eastern Divide Brewery is a place to get away from the world and enjoy good food and an adult beverage with friends and family. No TVs, no cellphone service, but plenty of tables in a large room filled with houseplants.

“I think it contributes to the social atmosphere,” head brewer Brandon Roberson said.

Roberson uses all Virginia grains to produce his beers, which are canned in-house, one at a time.

Moon Hollow Brewing Company is located in the former kindergarten of a school building which has been repurposed. Owner and head brewer Hannah Lester is a member of the Pink Boots Society, whose mission is to support women and non-binary individuals in the fermentation and alcoholic beverage business. At the time of my visit, all of her employees were female.

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A special feature at Moon Hollow is the “Beer Buddies” blackboard: Patrons who want to “pint it forward” can leave money with the staff to cover expenses for someone else, whose name goes on the board.

Anyone who wants to stay away from alcohol — such as the guest of honour at a baby shower there during my visit — can enjoy a non-alcoholic slushie or a Nitro Cold Brew coffee.

Iron Tree Brewing Company is located in a former furniture store in downtown Christiansburg. Co-founder Seth Locklear is a former student of Yvan Beliveau at VT. Locklear and two friends experimented with home brewing, and eventually started Iron Tree. In addition to beer, Locklear also produces his own hard seltzer.

Their tasting room is far enough away from Blacksburg that it’s more of a dog-friendly community bar than a VT student hangout.

FINAL FUN FACT

One Hokies alumnus well known to Toronto sports fans is Dell Curry.

Curry was a standout basketball player for Virginia Tech, and entered the university’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He had a long career in the NBA, the final three seasons of which were with the Raptors.

While playing in Toronto, one of his sons received part of his basketball training at a local school.

You may have heard of Dell’s son: Stephen Curry.

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