BLUEGRASS HEAVEN: FLOYD, VIRGINIA.

we're fans of bluegrass music. the banjos. the fiddles. it's an instant foot stomper and gets in your belly and makes you just wanna move and clap your hands. a couple of years ago hubs and i had the opportunity to visit floyd, virginia and what we found was a sweet little town not far from roanoke and the mountains of western virginia and north carolina. we knew we'd pass back through at some point and made a point to stop in on our airstream adventure. i'm glad we did.

needing to break up the drive from the cape to western virginia, we stopped for one night in front royal, va., which is the northern terminus for the breathtaking skyline drive. by sheer luck, we came across a campground called poe's southfork, and let me tell you what an absolute jewel this place was. right on the banks of the shenandoah river, nothing but open green spaces and sky. it's not fancy, but i'll take room to breathe and riverside camping any day over an overpriced jammed-in RV resort. the man that owns the land doesn't advertise, and they come around in the morning and collect money (cash and check only) for your stay. talk about an honor system. it was a great place to spend an evening and for pickles to stretch her legs off-leash. we could have stayed longer if we'd had more time.

blue skies and open space at poe's southfork. yes please!

much needed ball-time for miss pickles.

once near floyd (copper hill, VA, actually) there is a lovely little airstream only park (that's right! all aluminum, all the time!) nestled up in the mountains with spectacular views. this little gem is called highland haven and the hosts that run the place could not be friendlier. when i called to make the reservation, they said, "well, we'll see ya when you get here! y'all have safe travels!" – no credit card required to hold our spot and no pesky check in and check out. pretty refreshing since most campgrounds are pretty stuck on their rules and varied policies. we were invited to have some rhubarb pie down at the clubhouse and were always met with smiles and waves. ahhh, the hospitality of the south, God bless.

highland haven airstream park. love!

pretty flowers on every site.

on friday nights the place to be is the floyd country store bluegrass jamboree. standing room only, folks. music lovers and musicians alike come from miles and miles (states, even) to play at the floyd country store. it's legendary and is celebrating its 100th year in operation this year, and the friday night jamborees happen every week, rain or shine. the store itself is an old-time country store with 5 cent candy barrels, jams, books, lotions and even an ice cream parlor. it's a step back in time and i truly enjoy that magical place every time i walk through the doors.

clogging taps on old wood floors...how i love that sound!

i'll take a scoop of that, please.

old timer at floyd's. seriously impressive.

musicians gather and have impromptu jam sessions in the street.

there are some other cute places in floyd – it's not all country store. we enjoyed a tasty lunch of brick oven fired pizza and locally brewed all natural root beer at dogtown pizza. the town has grown in the past few years and we noticed new shops and restaurants had popped up, although there are some local legends, too. we had supper at the historic pine tavern restaurant and it was classic southern family style fare. meats and threes to the max.

all natural, no preservatives and 100% delish.
5 penny root beer from dogtown pizza.

i love mason jars for drinks like they serve at dogtown pizza.
 they're simple, big and beautiful when the light shines through.

people watch you while you eat at the pine tavern.

old school.

one of the most interesting stops was the hillsville flea market, which is touted as being one of the largest flea markets in the southeast. being flea market junkies, we didn't mind the hour plus drive to get over there. WOW. the streets were filled with booth after booth of junk, junk, junk. crappy t-shirts, knock-off purses, confederate flags and the like. eek. and let's not forget the miles of food stalls...funnel cakes, corndogs, polish sausage, frozen lemonade, etc. it wasn't until after we got there and walked around for a bit did we learn that the real goodies were inside a gated area sponsored by the local VFW post. by the time we made it inside most vendors were packing up their wares, but we did manage to see a few interesting tents and i was able to ooh and ahh over some old tin packaging, which i'm kind of a nut for. i know. weird. but i love it.

street food at its not-so-finest.

love all the decorative type and color of these bygone relics.

one of my favorite tins, dixie queen.

more dusty treasures.

a week was plenty of time to relax and take in some local sights. by the end of the week we were ready to move on and get on down the road towards our next destination, although we enjoyed the slower pace of floyd and copper hill. nights were filled with the sound of crickets and clear starry skies and metal taps on old wood floors. what's not to love?

next up...honky tonk and southern soul: nashville, TN!