There's Nothing To Do In Roanoke

Does anybody remember the book There's Nothing to Do In Roanoke? The title, of course, is intends to be ironic, representing a familiar complaint from young Roanokers. The book continues to list several things to do and see in the Roanoke Valley as an attempt to disprove this negative claim.

I have been compiling information on things to do in Roanoke--art galleries, museums, bars, live music, etc etc--for the past three weeks and I cannot believe how much stuff there is in this region that no one knows about. Of course there is the Star, the Hotel Roanoke and the Farmer's Market, Dixie Caverns and Smith Moutain Lake, but there are also hundreds of restaurants, 44 art galleries, 5 wineries and vineyards, 29 professional music ensembles and singing groups, 50 bars and venues for live entertainment, and over 10 live theatre groups and venues! There are hiking and biking trails all over the place, great fly-fishing and about five lakes near by.
The art scene is growing at a rapid rate with the new Taubman Museum of Art. And, there is an impressive music scene beginning to take shape in the area.
Talk about one of the most underrated cities in the nation. And, worst of all, most people who live here are the ones who underrate it!

There's a lot to do in Roanoke.