The Blue Ridge Crossroads community in southwestern Virginia where Wildwood Commerce Park is located offers a diverse and exceptional quality-of-life. Residents enjoy progressive local health care providers and proximity to metro areas, including Charlotte, Bristol, and Roanoke. For sports enthusiasts, teams and events within a few hours’ drive include the NFL Carolina Panthers, NBA Charlotte Hornets, Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) Virginia Tech Hokies and Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, and NASCAR events at Charlotte, Bristol, and Martinsville motor speedways. Local mountain golf courses abound too. Residents and visitors enjoy an abundance of musical, cultural, and recreational opportunities.
Our region is home to Twin County Regional Hospital, a 141-bed facility that includes acute care, ambulatory care and emergency services. The hospital is part of the Duke LifePoint partnership of community hospitals, which also includes Twin County Family Care Centers (Behavioral Health; Galax Family Care Center; Pediatric Family Care Center; Twin County Ear, Nose & Throat; Twin County Rheumatology and Twin County Urology), Twin County Health Services (The Wellness Center) and the Twin County Regional Healthcare Foundation. TCRH continually strives to develop and improve its services and outreach programs in response to community need and bases all of its work on a foundation of teamwork, compassion and respect for all. The region also offers board certified physicians and other medical professionals who come from some of the finest medical centers and teaching universities in the country, working in many different specialties and private practices so that they can meet the varied needs of our many residents. A directory of physicians can be found on the TCRH website. The region’s physicians are supported by an excellent affiliate staff of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists and therapists.
The Blue Ridge Crossroads region is well-known for its musical heritage. There are several reasons why our region is known as the “World’s Capital of Old Time Mountain Music”. Each Friday, “Blue Ridge Country” WBRF-FM 98.1 broadcasts live bluegrass and folk music from the historic Rex Theater in downtown Galax, drawing listeners over the air from four states and online from more than 50 countries. Galax also hosts the annual Old Fiddler’s Convention every August. From its roots as a gathering of local musicians in 1935, the Fiddler’s Convention has grown exponentially, now bringing together bands and individual performers from all over the world who share a passion for old-time music. The Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and the Fries Fiddler’s Convention also attract music lovers from around the region.
With big events like these it’s no wonder that the Blue Ridge Crossroads region is a main stop on the 300-mile route known as The Crooked Road, which connects the most important heritage music sites in Southwest Virginia. Our musical culture runs much deeper than popular broadcasts and big stages, however; smaller, weekly “pickin’” sessions are held in numerous locations, including the Blue Ridge Music Center, and the attentive visitor may even hear the faint song of a harmonica or fiddle as one generation, in the spirit of mountain tradition, passes their musical heritage to the next.
For the outdoors, you could spend weeks in our area and not take in everything our great outdoors has to offer. Grayson Highlands State Park, located in Jefferson National Forest, boasts numerous campsites, miles of fishable streams and hiking trails, and convenient access to the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The New River Trail State Park parallels 39 miles of the New River as it rolls through Carroll County and offers streams for canoeing, trails for biking, and paths for strolling.
Nature lovers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts will never search for a vacation spot again. From horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, and fishing to camping, canoeing, backpacking, and bird watching, the possibilities here are limitless.
While our area may look serene and quiet from a distance, you’ll find upon entering the Blue Ridge Crossroads that this region is rich in history and culture and alive with activity.
The quaint city of Galax swells with musicians and music lovers during the annual Old Fiddler’s Convention. Numerous other activities, events, and festivals are held throughout the year, among them the Leaf and String Festival, Smoke on the Mountain and the Mountain Foliage Festival.
Visitors who want to engage their inner history buff can step back in time as they meander around the Matthews Living History Farm Museum, a 21-acre working farm which gives visitors a glimpse into life on a farm circa 1900. Other great attractions for history enthusiasts include the 1874 Carroll County Courthouse and the Historic 1908 Courthouse in Grayson County. The 1908 Courthouse is home to many historical artifacts from the area and hosts a variety of local events, including a popular Music Jam every Wednesday.
In 2005, a small group of craftsmen began what is today ‘Round the Mountain, a network of artisans whose mission is to promote sustainable economic development of the region’s communities by assisting local artisans with marketing, educational, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Comprised of members from all over Southwest Virginia, ‘Round the Mountain promotes education and tourism through a trail system and a variety of classes.
So come by and experience an area thriving with activity and rich in cultural heritage. We can’t wait to share it with you.