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The water at Smith Mountain Lake is one of Franklin County's premier attractions.

Find Your Outdoor WanderLove in Franklin County, Virginia

With open spaces, great views, small towns and welcoming people, Franklin County offers a little something for everyone.
Paw paws don’t last long once they fall to the ground.

September’s Wild Edible: Paw Paws

Known for its colorful nicknames such as mountain custard, mountain banana, custard apple, and here’s a new appellation…the hipster banana, I would describe Asimina triloba as tasting something like a cross between a banana and a pineapple.
New wagon tent!

Kurt’s Hikes: June-July ’21

Some Urban, Some Mountain, One Beach
Smooth chanterelles add zest to any salad.

August’s Wild Edible: Smooth Chanterelles

Smooth chanterelles (Cantharellus lateritius) are characterized by their up to 4-or 5-inch caps with wavy margins and orange to yellow stalks with white flesh inside.
Crows are known to mate for life.

From Hunting to Amicable: Watching Crows

There may never be another corn crop, but the result is a pair of clever and reliable feathered friends in the backyard.

Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS