The Location
Blacksburg is located in the "pan handle" (as I like to call it) of Virginia. The town is fairly easy to find coming from any direction. When coming off of Interstate 81, go down Highway 460 to get to one of the six Blacksburg exits. When coming from West Virginia, the easiest route is Highway 460 also, that is the only highway that really runs through Blacksburg and it is fairly easy to find.

The People
From September thru December and February thru May, most of the people in Blacksburg are Virginia Tech students. The majority of them are gone when school is over, but a lot of the people who come to Blacksburg (even if it is just for school), will never leave. Most of the actual locals are either Virginia Tech employees or their children. The sport of choice in the area is of course football so once football season rolls around, do not plan on going anywhere unless you have much time to spare.

Things to Do
Since Blacksburg is a college town, there is plenty of local nightlife to go around. There are quiet coffee houses and internet cafes, bars in restaurants, and bars in clubs.
-Blacksburg Skate Park: Located at 725 Patrick Henry Drive.
-Blacksburg Aquatic Center: Located at 625 Patrick Henry Drive. I love to go swimming at this indoor pool when it is snowing outside.
-She-Sha: Located at 211 Draper Road. No one was more surprised to see a Hookah lounge in Virginia than me, I love this place even though I can rarely afford it.
-Woody's: Located at 220 North Main Street, this is a "Baja Bar and Grill", but I don't think I have seen anyone eat there in years. For the most part, this is just a club, a mediocre, overpriced, club. It seems to be a popular choice for Virginia Tech students, but I cannot understand why people line up outside for hours to pay $10 cover to get into this place, I have never been impressed with this place at all.
-Water Street Gallery: Located at 211-B Draper Road (that's downstairs, but you can figure that out from the line). I am hesitant to mention Water Street because it is a bit of a hidden gem that my friends and I like to go to, but I guess I should share the wealth. Drinks are reasonably priced, the music is usually great (I think Thursdays are international nights so then you get some weird stuff), and if you want to request a song, the DJ (who is hot) is usually happy to. Cover charge is only $2 (but they raise it if they are really busy).
-Nerve: Located at 221 Progress Street. This is another favorite of mine, but only for dancing. Drinks are a bit overpriced to make up for not having a cover charge (not even for unders). I have never seen this place busy despite outrageous lines at all other clubs. The decor is wonderful. There is a hardwood floor and a lot of leather furniture that is very soft and comfortable.
-Attitudes: Located inside the University Holiday Inn 900 Prices Fork Road. Cover charge here is $5 and not worth it. This place is a local favorite (I'm not sure why) with pool tables that take up the majority of the room, horrible music, and no room to breathe.
-Please note that I am only listing places that I have been to. There is much, much more night life than what I have listed.

Shopping
Most of the stores in Blacksburg are independently owned by locals. You can find a lot of great hand-crafted items in the downtown stores.
-Mish Mish: Located at 125 North Main Street. This is an art supply store with an amazing selection.
-Seeds of Light: Located at 119 North Main Street #102 (it is in the back of the building, but you can go straight through Homebody, down a hallway and into Seeds of Light). This store has a lot of hippy items. There is pretty good selection of candles and beads and you can buy beautiful hand knitted scarves here.
-Homebody: Located at 119 North Main Street, Suite 101. This store has an odd selection of items, but nothing consistent and there is rarely anything in there that catches my eye other than some postcards from India and stockings with ladybugs, flowers, or pretty much any other design you can think of.
-The Greenhouse: Located at 203 College Avenue. This store caters more to the high school and college crowd. Most of the merchandise in this store is snowboard and skateboard related.
-Mad Dog: Located at 109 North Main Street. I love to go in this store. There are a lot of really nice dressy outfits that are way out of my price range. This store mainly caters to the sorority members of the area.
-Crossroads CD's: Located at 239 North Main Street. You guessed it, they have CDs. They have a really good selection of music and movies. You can sell your used CDs and DVDs here so they usually have a decent used selection at a reduced price.
-Blue Ridge Outdoors: Located at 125 North Main Street, this store caters mostly to people who enjoy camping, canoeing, and hiking. They have a pretty good selection of Nalgenes here too for those of us who are not so active. (Nalgenes are brightly colored, indestructible water bottles if you were wondering)

Food
-Chocolate Spike: Located at 119 North Main Street, Suite 103 (this one is really on the other side of the building beside Seeds of Light). I have not eaten here, but the ladies I work with rave about it constantly. From what I have heard they make their chocolates through a chemical process to make it more pure (and more expensive).
-Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen: Located at 205 North Main Street. This restaurant offers a pretty good selection of Cajun cuisine. My personal favorite is an entree only available at night-Chicken Baton Rouge.
-Buffalo Wild Wings: Located at 211 Prices Fork Road Suite 200. This place is always crowded when students are in town, but I think they make a killer chicken parmesan sandwich that makes forget about my inability to breathe.
-Gillie's: Located at 153 College Avenue. Vegetarian cuisine.
-Joe's Diner: Located at 221 North Main Street. This place is open 24 hours and has some pretty impressive food. The curly fries are great.
-Mike's Grill: Located at 409 North Main Street. If you are looking for a BIG and GREASY hamburger, this is your place.
-Souvlaki: Located at 201 College Avenue. The only Greek cuisine you'll find in Blacksburg. If you go here, buy one of their "Peel it Back" shirts, they are priceless.
-More Than Coffee: Located at 235 North Main Street. This location has a history of unsuccessful businesses, but I like this place so lets all cross our fingers for them. There is a great selection of coffee and a great variety of foods you would not normally see offered on the same menu.
-Macado's: Located at 922 University City Blvd. Great sandwiches, decent prices, and incredibly amusing atmosphere.
-The Gobbler: Located at 890 Kabrich Street. This is a family restaurant that serves mostly Italian food. The cheesecake is to die for; the manager's wife makes the desserts, that's right, homemade desserts. They are open well into the wee hours of the morning for the post-bar crowd and have pool tables, Golden Tee 2005, and a big screen TV for game days.
-China Inn: Located at 401 Draper Road Southwest. Chinese food that I can (and sometimes do) eat every single day. The sweet and sour chicken is amazing and so is their service. Most entrees run at about $7 each here and you can also get delivery.
-Vincent’s: Located at 1200 South Main Street. This is a really nice sit-down Italian restaurant that is more for dates than families. I have only gotten the honor of eating here one time for my birthday. The chicken parmesan is great, but the prices are a little high.

Traffic
Do not bring a gun, especially if you have road rage. Kids will be kids (and there are a lot of students at Virginia Tech) and kids will wreck and kill you especially when they are driving drunk. Avoid driving at all costs at night. If you are the one doing the drinking, don't be the one doing the driving. The most stylish option of getting home when you are too drunk to drive in this area is Hooptie Ride which has a variety of non-traditional vehicles to get you where you need to be safely. If you are going to be on the Virginia Tech campus, remember the speed limit is 15 and that it is a one way street (be prepared to get ran off the road by someone driving the wrong way, I watch it out my office window every morning, it is quite amusing when you aren't the one in the car). Be extra careful on game days. If you are going to a Virginia Tech game, be sure that you have your appropriate parking tag (I've gotten a $110 parking ticket on campus before) and plan on getting there a few hours before the game to be sure that you do not have a panic attack.

Accommodations
Since the football team here is big, you would think there would be a lot of accommodations to choose from, but there really aren't. I suggest that if you are coming to the area for a football game or during the same weekend as a football game, go ahead and try to find a hotel in Christiansburg, trying to find one in Blacksburg is impossible and expensive enough to make you ill.

Related Links:
Boudreaux's: http://www.boudreauxs.com
Seeds of Light: http://www.seedsoflight.com
Vincent's: http://www.crosslink.net/~tapsgril/vincents.html
Blacksburg's Official Homepage: http://www.blacksburg.va.us/
Virginia Tech Homepage: http://www.vt.edu
Upcoming live music performances: http://www.getrockedout.com
Hooptie Ride: http://hooptieride.com/
Blacksburg Aquatic Center: http://www.blacksburg.gov/recreation/aquatic/aqpolicies.php


Recommended:
Yes

Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime