Recreation

Roanoke Valley Recreation & Tourism

Roanoke County is fortunate to have an abundance of recreational activities and high-quality, award-winning fine arts and cultural organizations. Facilities for meetings, conferences, and conventions also abound, making Roanoke County the regional hub for such gatherings.

Year-round activities, events, and exhibits increase the quality of life in the Roanoke Valley and further the attraction to the area, consistently voted one of the best places in America to work and play.

Green Ridge

Roanoke County Parks & Recreation

The Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department offers programs year-round to citizens of all ages. Available features include:

  • Baseball fields (38)
  • Football fields (15)
  • Greenways and trails (30+ miles)
  • Outdoor basketball courts (29)
  • Picnic pavilions (25)
  • Playgrounds (32)
  • Recreational centers (two)
  • Soccer fields (42)
  • Softball fields (23)
  • Tennis courts (50)
  • Total park acreage of 2,000+ acres

Green Ridge Recreation Center

In January 2010, the Green Ridge Recreation Center opened in Roanoke. The 76,000 square-foot facility is Roanoke Valley’s first multi-generational recreation center. Located at the intersection of Valleypoint Parkway and Woodhaven Road, the $30 million facility provides recreational opportunities, programs, and meeting space for the community. It also serves as an anchor for the new signature business park.

Explore Park

Mountain Biking in Virginia’s Blue Ridge

Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 115, Explore Park features hundreds of acres of rolling hills, pristine woodlands, hiking trails, river frontage, historical buildings and a visitor information center. Stay overnight in a primitive campsite, canvas tent or pod cabin. Stop inside our visitor center to browse our gift shop featuring artisan crafts and parkway memorabilia. Whether you’re looking to bike, hike, canoe, picnic, or learn more about all Roanoke County has to offer, Explore Park is where adventure begins!

The region,Virginia’s Blue Ridge (PDF), is home to more than 300 miles of single-track trails spread across multiple trail systems - Explore Park, Mill Mountain Park, Douthat State Park, and Carvins Cove Nature Reserve, not to mention some pretty epic backcountry single track and gravel rides.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge is the only East Coast community designated as a Silver-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The region was selected after an extensive review that assessed the quality of riding, bicycle-friendly infrastructure, amenities, and bike culture. In other words, the riding here is awesome.



Roanoke Valley Greenways

The greenway network includes over 400 miles of paved and natural surface trails for all types of visitors. Whether you’d like to stroll along a scenic waterway, explore parks and preserves with friends or family, commute to work by bike, or train for a race in your own backyard, the Roanoke Valley Greenway network offers an experience for everyone.

Roanoke Valley Greenway Plan

Roanoke-Valley-Greenway-Plan-Map-2018 Opens in new window


Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is the longest linear park in the country stretching 469 miles through 29 counties, including Roanoke County, in Virginia and North Carolina, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the Shenandoah National Park. The BRP snagged the number one spot for most-visited NPS site, with more than 14 million visitors in 2020.BRP