Location: Wytheville
Top Things to do in Wytheville
- 1. Big Walker Lookout
- 2. Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum
- 3. Wytheville There's Only One
- 4. Beagle Ridge Herb Farm
- 5. Big Pencil
- 6. Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
- 7. Wythe County Historical and Genealogical Research Center
- 8. Wytheville's Smallest Church
- 9. Withers Park
- 10. Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum
The 10 Best Things to Do in Wytheville, United States
Wytheville (/ˈwɪθvɪl/ WITH-vil) is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in western Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson and is known as ‘The City of Lights.’ Wytheville's population was 8,211 at the 2010 census. Interstate Highways 77 and 81 were constructed to intersect at the town, long a crossroads for travelers.
Restaurants in Wytheville
1. Big Walker Lookout
Overall Ratings
4 based on 163 reviews
Big Walker Lookout is the designated overlook of the Big Walker Mountain National Forest Scenic Byway that is on US-52 between exit 52 & exit 47 of I-77 in Virginia between Bland, Va & Wytheville, Va. It is just 12 miles north of I-81 from exit 70. This is one of the few accessable places in the east where you have a 360 degree view of the mountain valleys & farm-scapes of the Appalachian Mountains. Big Walker Lookout features the BW Country Store with 25+ artisans & crafters' handmade works. It is a Crooked Road Affiliated Venue that features free, live concerts every Saturady & Sunday from May through October. We also feature artists & crafters demonstrating their talents on the front porch every weekend throughout the spring, summer & fall. We feature homemade ice cream, farm fresh fudge & delicious chocolates. It is a great hiking, biking and trail biking trail-head for beginner & expert adventurers. Big Walker is a historic pass where, during the Civil War, Molly Tynes traveled to Wytheville to warn of the impending Toland's Raid. It is a Virginia Birding and Wildlife view area and a raptor migration path. Come by for a visit. We are open year round 10-5 and later in the summer.
Reviewed By Moiaussie - Seneca, South Carolina
Great view from this place. They played country music when we visited. Kitschy country store, but a few interesting items. For example, the homesewn small aprons were cute, several people were buying it for their little children/grandchildren.
The ice cream was excellent.
2. Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 66 reviews
The First Lady's Birthplace Museum, also her childhood home, speaks to the life of one of the most influential, controversial, and politically significant women of the twentieth century. Edith Bolling [Galt] Wilson was not only the First Lady of President Woodrow Wilson, but is also a descendant of: Pocahontas, Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, J.E.B.Stuart and Robert E. Lee. The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum houses Bolling furniture, books, letters, art, photographs, and documents owned by Mrs. Wilson or donated by Bolling family members and friends. The second floor Bolling Home where the family lived is located above the Museum. While many historians have referred to Mrs. Wilson as "The Secret President" because of her role in our country's history during the recovery of President Woodrow Wilson's debilitating stroke in 1919, there is much more to this 'story' ... Please visit to learn more about First Lady Edith Bolling [Galt] Wilson, from her birth to her incredible journey to the White House and beyond.
Reviewed By SeptemberDalton - dalton, ga
While planning a trip to Charlottesville, I found this, unknown to me, gem. This is so worth the short distance from the interstate, easy off and back on. Wish I had more time to explore town. This will be a most worthy destination hopefully in...MoreThank you for visiting the birthplace of First Lady Mrs. Wilson and for taking the time to tell others about this piece of history in Wytheville. Please visit again soon!
3. Wytheville There's Only One
Overall Ratings
5 based on 26 reviews
Free tourist maps, food & lodging information, attractions brochures, calendar of events, & shopping information available at the E. Lee Trinkle Regional Visitor's Center, also home of the Wytheville Convention & Visitor's Bureau. An abundance of local, regional, state, and bordering state information is available. The Visitor's Center is also home of the Museum Gift Shop, where you can find one of a kind souvenirs.
Reviewed By Jewell N - Cocoa, Florida, United States
We stopped in the visitor information center to get ideas on Wytheville. The center has lots of information not only on Wytheville, but also on the rest of Virginia. We were delighted to find maps of Virginia Bike Trails, and Virginia back roads and byways. They have brochures on artisans for the different areas in VA. They also have a bee hive exhibit inside which is glass and you can watch the bees making honey. So fascinating and great for the little ones! Definitely stop at the visitor center to get info on Wytheville attractions and also Virginia attractions. When we stopped in they were also offering complimentary glasses of lemonade. Definitely worth your time!
4. Beagle Ridge Herb Farm
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By linda r - Orrville, Ohio
The herb farm and garden was a nice diversion on a very warm day. We enjoyed the short stroll through the garden and the gift shop. There was a family with children enjoying the butterfly experience. Anyone who enjoys herbs and plants would enjoy this.Thanks for taking the time to visit on your way through Wytheville. Safe travels home!
5. Big Pencil
Overall Ratings
4 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By KCC - NC
Wytheville, VA was a stop off and rest point for us on vacation. Small town which looked like they were undergoing renovation to sidewalks and building. Pretty town. Take a picture of the BIG PENCIL - just so you can say you saw it.
6. Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Overall Ratings
5 based on 7 reviews
You can search the world over and not find another community named Wytheville. That's only the beginning of this small town's uniqueness. Located at the intersection of two major north-south arteries, Interstates 77 & 81, this charming small town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia offers a variety of musical entertainment, shopping opportunities, rich history, and abundance of outdoor recreation. From motorcycle trails and fishing to dinner theatre and a First Lady, Wytheville is a destination you will not soon forget. Wytheville...there's only one!
Reviewed By ilivennj - Union, New Jersey
A friend and I stopped here on March 18th. We had spent the night at a local hotel and wanted to check out historic Wytheville before heading East. The ladies staffing this location were extremely helpful. They have a large number of brochures for regional points of interest and there are also interesting exhibits . . . . like an old gas station pump . . . . . the hand pump type from back when I was a boy.
Be sure to pickup a "Wytheville Historic Walking Tour" booklet. It will take you by 55 historic houses, churches and buildings in the historic district. We walked most of it and drove part of it. Very very interesting. We would have missed this great attraction if we had not stopped at the Visitors Center.
7. Wythe County Historical and Genealogical Research Center
Overall Ratings
5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By anne k - San Diego, California
Take a step back in time and discover your roots !
For lovers of history and anyone interested in their ancestry, the newly expanded Wythe County Genealogic and Historical Association research center stands ready to assist with a library of over 1500 books, with records, letters and documents dating back to the 18th century.
Nestled in the scenic mountains of southwest Virginia just off Interstate 81, the little town of Wytheville is a treasure trove of history of early America.
Founded in the 1790's, Wytheville was a popular town for colonial tourists wanting to escape the summer heat of the deep South, the altitude providing cooler pleasant summers.
There are plenty of winding mountain roads for scenic drives and panoramic views.
Wytheville Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are many of the beautiful old buildings and churches in town.
Edith Bolling Wilson, Woodrow Wilson's first lady was born in Wytheville. Stephen Austin, the "father of Texas" was born in Wythe County.
A team of volunteers at the research center/library/museum is eager to help you. The managers say their only "problem" is that everyone who volunteers there loves the place and they are often found standing on the doorstep when it opens, whether or not it's their day to work.
Biographies, research on the Civil and Revolutionary Wars, maps, old photographs and information on First Families of Virginia are all part of their library.
Selected literature can be purchased online at their website for those who need in-depth detail, including wills, birth, death and marriage records. There is even a family recipe book.
Local historians and genealogy enthusiasts have seized the opportunity to preserve the history of the early days and to share it with all visitors, some of whom have traveled thousands of miles to make their inquiries.
800 visitors and counting this year alone !
8. Wytheville's Smallest Church
Overall Ratings
5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By John B - Guelph, Canada
What a great little church. So quaint. Lots to spots for prayer and reflection.
Well maintained.
Don't trust your GPS using the address... it is on Nye Road off Highway 77 - you can see it from the highway.
You got to check this picturesque spot out.
9. Withers Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By Malinda U - Murfreesboro, Tennessee
This was a beautiful park! There was plenty of green space and room to run. The playground was clean and bright for young children. There are also some really cool monuments to look at. For walkers-runners, there is a 1quarter mile track. Love this park!
10. Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum
Overall Ratings
4 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Trek-Always - Alpharetta, Georgia
Things which may be helpful: 1) Go to the visitor's center to buy $4 tickets, and you can walk to the museum from there; 2) Museum is small and can take 10 minutes or an hour.
This interesting, preserved, old gas station shows several things from the old Route 23 going from Chicago to Florida, before all of the current interstates were built. The hand operated, gas pumps, patented around 1915, are well maintained and not seen often.
A person from the visitor's center walked with us to the museum and stayed to answer questions until we were done. There is no parking at the museum itself.
Lots of old items from the 1940's-60's. Maps and scrapbooks are available for review. Also tools, gas station items, and a coke refrig from the 40's.
This is worth a half hour (or more) of your time to see.
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