Visit Franklin County, Virginia

21/03/2025

🎉 Congratulations to our Director of Tourism and Communications Kevin Tosh on being named the Visit Smith Mountain Lake “Outstanding Community Champion” at the annual awards dinner.

21/03/2025

🇺🇸 Franklin County is proud to be a Commemorative Partner of VA250—the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. Of the thirteen original colonies, none played as fundamental a role as Virginia in the formation of our country. From the ideas that inspired it, to the battlefields that decided it, there is simply no America without it. As we mark 250 years of Independence in 2026, now is the perfect time for you to reconnect with your country in the place that made it possible.

Check out the latest local committee newsletter and join the conversation!

Email from Franklin County, VA Upcoming Committee Meeting March 24th and 25th Upcoming Local Committee Meetings March 24th - 11 AM Room B75 - Franklin County Government Center 1255 Franklin Street Ro

17/03/2025

🌳 From off-grid to underground, tiny homes to truck conversions, homebuilding to homesteading - SWVAL - Southwest Virginia Alternative Living Expo has you covered, May 31, 2025!

With a focus on information, building connections, and creating community- join Friends of Ferrum Park to celebrate all the ways we can live differently.

11/03/2025

Deadline to apply: March 13th!

The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) offers several funding programs to assist the Virginia travel industry.  Below is a summary of the current and future programs: [ See below + PM […]

10/03/2025

🎤 Congratulations to Franklin County native Kam’ron Smith on punching his ticket to Hollywood on this season of American Idol!

Show them what “Virginia’s Shining Gem” is all about!

See y’all in Hollywood✅quick fast and in a hurry
American Idol

26/02/2025

🎣 Now is the best time of year to Visit Franklin County, Virginia for your chance at a fish of a lifetime.

You can chase the prized double digit F-1 strain largemouth or tangle with a hard fighting striper.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Franklin County, Virginia offers a fishing paradise with picturesque lakes and meandering rivers.

26/02/2025

🥗 For the first time ever, food enthusiasts across Virginia’s Blue Ridge will come together to celebrate the region’s vibrant culinary scene during VBR Restaurant Week, happening May 31 - June 8, 2025.

This landmark event will spotlight restaurants from across the region, including the City of Roanoke, Roanoke County, Town of Vinton, City of Salem, Botetourt County, Franklin County, Town of Rocky Mount, and Town of Boone’s Mill.

“We’re excited for Franklin County to be part of the regional VBR Restaurant Week. Our local restaurants throughout Franklin County, The Town of Rocky Mount, and The Town of Boones Mill are serving up some of the best meals around, and this is a great opportunity to show them off. I encourage folks to get out, try something new, and support the hardworking people who make our dining scene in Franklin County something special,” said Ronnie Thompson, Chairman - Franklin County Board of Supervisors.

For the first time ever, food enthusiasts across Virginia’s Blue Ridge will come together to celebrate the region’s vibrant culinary scene during VBR Restaurant Week, happening May 31 - June 8, 2025.

19/02/2025

12/02/2025

💵 The Franklin County Office of Economic Development offers a special opportunity to learn how to leverage you marketing budget with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and ways to amplify your brand and message in collaboration with Visit Franklin County Tourism.

📍The Franklin Center for Advanced Learning & Enterprise
📆 February 19, 2025
⏰ 8:30 AM

☕️ Breakfast Host: Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerceh

13/01/2025

🌟 Plan Your Trip to Franklin County, Virginia! 🎶🎤

Make your getaway unforgettable in "Virginia's Shining Gem" with an evening of incredible entertainment at the Harvester Performance Center , nestled in the heart of Discover Rocky Mount! ✨

🎟️ Tickets ON SALE NOW for these must-see events:
✅ The Del McCoury Band – Sunday, Feb. 16 @ 8 p.m. 🎻 Bluegrass at its finest!
✅ Crawford & Power – Saturday, March 22 @ 8 p.m. 🎸 Feel the soul of country music!
✅ Josh Blue Comedy – Saturday, Oct. 25 @ 8 p.m. 😂 Comedy gold for a night full of laughs!

📍 Come for the show, stay for the adventure! Explore our scenic beauty, find the perfect gift in our uniquely curated local shops, enjoy authentically rooted moonshine, and savor the local flavors of Franklin County.

🎟️ Get your tickets now at harvester-music.com and start planning your perfect mountain getaway today!

10/01/2025

❄️ Winter weather is on the way once again here in Virginia's Blue Ridge and Franklin County, Virginia! While we prepare, take a moment to enjoy these stunning shots of our beautiful landscape, captured through the lens of Photography By Beth Preston LLC. 📸✨

09/01/2025

✅ Amazing Local Talent
✅ Great Food & Beverage
✅ Family Fun
✅ Biggest Music Event of the Year for Discover Rocky Mount

Make plans now for Rocky Mount Fest's return September 20, 2025!

09/01/2025

📆 What better time than now to start planning your 2025 adventure?

Whether it's a special Valentines Weekend Getaway with that special someone or a weeklong family adventure, Visit Franklin County, Virginia has a host of unique lodging opportunities to fit your needs.

🔸 Wilson Premier Properties featured home, "The Manor House at Milan" boosts over 30 private acres on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake with 5 suites and over 6,900 square feet.

🔸 Karoo SML features 8 unique luxury cabins and a lodge with 7 private rooms. Be sure to check out the wood fired hot tubs for a unique experience.

🔸 The Claiborne Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Discover Rocky Mount is a traditional bed and breakfast with 6 unique guest rooms each curated with vintage finds.

🔸 The Early Inn sits next door to the Harvester Performance Center with 10 acres in downtown Rocky Mount. The inn features 6 unique suites each inspired by historical themes of Franklin County.

🔸 The Westlake Waterfront Inn is a fisherman and lake lovers oasis with a dedicated boat ramp, wet docks, and proximity to Indian Point Marina SML and Westlake Corner.

🔸 Gills Creek Marina & Lodge offers 4 newly renovated rooms with unmatched views of Smith Mountain Lake.

08/01/2025

🏁 Franklin County Raceway Virginia's Asphalt Action Track will host the SMART Modified Tour again for the 2025 season!

Huge news! The SMART Modified Tour returns to Virginia's Asphalt Action Track in 2025! The modified race car is historic in Callaway, VA and we are glad to continue the tradition.

FINAL DATE ANNOUNCED FOR 2025 SMART MODIFIED TOUR SLATE

Southern Modified Series To Visit Franklin County Raceway with New Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Martinsville, VA (January 7, 2025) - As the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic is slated to celebrate its most recent campaign, the final date for its 2025 slate is now official.

SMART officials confirmed today the Kenny Minter Classic will return to Franklin County Raceway on Friday, May 23. The traditional event comes on the heels of an announcement of new management at the Callaway, Virginia racetrack.

“I am excited to go back to one of my favorite race tracks,” said Chris Williams, Director of the SMART Modified Tour. “Tim (Meadows) and his group are doing a lot at the track with some necessary improvements for the race fans and competitors. We needed to get fans engaged from scoreboards, additional bathrooms and some other great enhancements.

“Our traditional Memorial Day Weekend race on that Friday is a great fit for the SMART Modified Tour and everyone at Pace-O-Matic,” continued Williams. “The competition at Franklin County always produces some great racing and fantastic finishes.”

Franklin County Raceway, Virginia’s Action Track, is now spearheaded by Roanoke Valley businessman, Timothy Meadows, through his company Franklin County Raceway, LLC. The team is currently working on several projects ahead of its scheduled April 5 season opener, including a new scoreboard, repairing drainage issues in the infield, bathroom upgrades, PA system repairs and much more.

The Kenny Minter Classic at Franklin County Raceway, on Friday, May 23, will serve as the sixth of 14 races on this year’s schedule.

While SMART will honor its champion Luke Baldwin this Friday (January 10) at its annual banquet, teams are already getting primed for the first couple of events for 2025. Both of those initial races will occur in the Palmetto State of South Carolina.

Florence Motor Speedway, in the northeastern part of the state, holds the traditional season opener, with the Zack Brewer Memorial, at Florence Motor Speedway (Timmonsville, SC) on Saturday, March 1. The SMART Modifieds will make a return to the Anderson Motor Speedway, in central South Carolina, for the second event on Saturday, March 8.

The biggest race on the 2025 slate comes next as the “King of the Modifieds” returns to Virginia’s South Boston Speedway on Saturday, March 22.

The SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, announced its full schedule for 2025 in early December.

All races are streamed live on FloRacing, the official streaming broadcast partner of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
For updates on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: SMART Modified Tour| Twitter: | IG: ).
Written by: Bob Dillner

SMART Modified Tour
The SMART Modified Tour captures the essence of one of the most legendary forms of racing in America, pavement Modifieds. Born in 1988, these ground-pounding, 600-horsepower missiles for the SMART Tour are a must-see for any racing fan.

In 2020, Chris Williams brought SMART Modifieds back to prominence after a brief hiatus. Due to the overwhelming popularity from its fan base, a four-race schedule in its initial year has given birth to an adventurous 14-race schedule in 2025.

This year will mark the fifth full-season of SMART Modified Tour racing since its return. Many of Modified racing’s best drivers, from all over the country, will compete with the series, which visits 13 different racetracks in three different states in the Mid-Atlantic - North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. SMART Modifieds compete on grueling asphalt oval short tracks, embedded in quaint local communities, each spring, summer and fall.

Pace-O-Matic
Pace-O-Matic develops, produces, and licenses fun and entertainment in the form of skill games in various states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kansas, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, among others. Since its founding in 2000, the organization has built a talented leadership team and a culture defined by integrity, innovation, and compliance. Learn more at www.paceomatic.com.

07/12/2024

🎄 Beautiful photos by Photography By Beth Preston LLC from last nights Community Tree Lighting!