Explore Park

In 1882, the Norfolk and Western Railway chose a small town called Big Lick as its headquarters, and Roanoke boomed into existence — a city conjured by track and steam, its economy tied to what rolled on rails. When the railroad pulled out in 1982, the city had to invent new reasons for people to come. Explore Park is one answer to that question. The Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority acquired 1,100 acres in 1988 at milepost 115 on the Blue Ridge Parkway — 700 acres in Roanoke County, 400 in Bedford, near the gorge where the Roanoke River leaves the valley. The initial aim was to draw visitors driving on the Parkway to the Roanoke area. Early ideas included an expanded Mill Mountain Zoo and a Lewis and Clark theme park. A lack of investment funds led the park to become a more modest living history museum focused on the early history of Southwest Virginia. Reconstruction began on the 1837 Hofauger House in September 1991. The park opened to the public July 2, 1994. Between 1991 and 2002, the park added relocated historical structures: the Brugh Tavern, which opened April 28, 1998, as a restaurant following an investment of $1,400,000; Slone's Grist Mill, which opened September 20, 2002, following an investment of $330,000; Mountain Union Church; and a reconstructed Totero Village patterned after a late 17th-century Native American settlement. By 2008, Explore Park had received investment at the federal, state, and local levels totaling nearly $52,000,000. The park did not reopen for the 2008 season after the 2007 season ended November 18. It transitioned to a passive recreation facility July 1, 2008, and the buildings were shuttered except for the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center. In October 2013, the park reopened under a 99-year operating lease to Roanoke County. Annual visitors increased from 13,000 or fewer in 2012 and 2013 to more than 18,000 in 2014, the first full year under county management. The historical area is not normally publicly accessible. Mountain Union Church may be rented for weddings. The park now offers mountain biking, hiking, zip lines, kayaking, and treetop adventure courses. The mountain bike trails connect directly to the Roanoke Valley greenway system. Some activities require reservations and fees. Open seasonally.