1 Day Itinerary
Treat Your Family to a Day of Fun in Smyth County!
Hungry Mother State Park offers multiple family-friendly options for lodging. Check in to one of the rustic cabins, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, or choose from multiple camping sites, including primitive camping or full amenities like water/electric hookups.
For a day of fun in Smyth County, fuel up with a hearty southern breakfast at Hungry Mother Outpost and Grill, located just a few miles down from the park entrance.
Then head out to the fascinating little town of Saltville, VA, only a 30 minute drive away. The Museum of the Middle Appalachians covers 30,000 years of history. Highlights include a life-size wooly mammoth skeleton, and an interactive 3D map of the region (little ones will love pushing the light-up buttons!).
Stretch your legs on the Salt Trail, featuring a playground and interpretive walking trail, or take a short nature walk around the Salt Ponds that gave the town its name.
For lunch, follow the Virginia Civil War Trail from Saltville to Chilhowie (pronounced Chill-how-whee!), and grab lunch on the patio at The Riverfront Restaurant.
Or, drive a little farther down the interstate for a world-famous dipdog and basket of onion rings at the historic Dip Dog Stand (Exit 39 on I-81). Ice cream and fudge at Hester’s Country Store in downtown Marion are a must.
Opening in late 2021, visit the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, located in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.
Zip through the treetops at Hungry Mother Outdoor Adventures
Just 10 minutes from the state park entrance in Marion, VA, Hungry Mother Outdoor Adventures offers zip lines, tubing, Spacewalk bouncy houses and onsite cafe and general store.
HMOA boasts the longest, highest, and fastest zip line in the state of Virginia, with nearly a mile of lines through five sections, flying over valleys and through the treetops. Younger children (and timid first timers!) can enjoy the mini-zipline as well.
Go back in time and catch a feature at Park Place Drive-In, an old-fashioned, family friendly drive in movie theatre, which also offers putt-putt, an arcade, and ice cream stand.
