[whmatthews]

Next week our church is taking the youth to Roanoke for a mission trip and I was put in charge of finding something fun to do in Roanoke for our day off. Only thing I ever did in Roanoke was jr./sr. banquet and hockey games (going to Roanoke at 11pm made hockey games more fun in my book). However, someone at the church suggested Smith Mtn. Lake and going to the Star, but both of those won't take up a full day... any suggestions for something to do for a group of about 18?

[SuperJon]

Go see Smoothie.

[Cider Jim]

Mill Mountain Zoo is there as is the Transportation Museum.

[RubberMallet]

get some shovels and search for dog carcasses!

[bigsmooth]

ha ha! that would be in surry county for dog remains. a long way from here. things to do in roanoke....

1. smith mt. lake state park- swimming, man made beach
2. bridgewater pointe- near the state park has miniature golf
3. virginia transportation museum- downtown roanoke
4. center in the square- art, history, science museum and hopkins planetarium- downtown
5. mill mountain star/overlook and zoo
6. salem avalanche are in town 17-19

go to the roanoke weenie stand if you go downtown!

[Cider Jim]

Smoothy, didn't Roanoke also used to have a small amusement park that closed down in the 1980s?

[bigsmooth]

yes indeed. lakeside amusement park in salem. now it is a strip mall. used to have a great old wooden roller coaster called the shooting star...almost like the rebel yell at kings dominion. it was a cool place to go. a brief history on lakeside:

Lakeside Amusement Park (Salem, Virginia)
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Lakeside Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Salem, Virginia at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 (known here as East Main Street) and State Route 419 (known here as Electric Road). The park was named after a very large (300 feet long, 125 feet wide) swimming pool which was opened on the site in 1920. The pool was surrounded by a beach and quickly became a favorite summer retreat for residents of Roanoke and Salem. Amusement park rides were added to the facility within a few years of its opening.

The pool eventually declined in popularity as home swimming pools became popular and after courts mandated desegregation. In 1967, the pool was filled in as part of an expansion project whose highlight was a new wooden roller coaster named the Shooting Star. Lakeside remained a popular destination through the 1970s and early 1980s, though larger parks such as Kings Dominion were beginning to draw away visitors. Nearby Masons Creek inundated the park during the flood of November 1985. Somewhat surprisingly, the park was able to repair the damage and even construct new attractions for the 1986 season. Unfortunately, that year a maintenance worker was struck and killed by the roller coaster due to a miscommunication that left him on the track during a test run. The park's updates had failed to reverse the decline in attendance and revenues. The park also occupied a very valuable parcel of real estate at the intersection of two highways only a mile south of Interstate 81. Lakeside Amusement Park closed its gates for the last time on October 19, 1986.

Within a few years, the site was the location of a strip mall, named Lakeside Center, with Kroger and several other stores and restaurants. This neighborhood of Salem is still commonly referred to as Lakeside and several churches and businesses bear the name.

The closure of Lakeside led to the creation of the Salem Fair in 1988. This event, which has free admission, runs annually for ten days in late June to early July. Estimated attendance in most years averages around 300,000, which makes it the second largest fair in Virginia, trailing only the State Fair of Virginia in Richmond.