Celebrate the Season with PLAY! ❄

DECEMBER 2024

The holiday season is officially here, and you know what that means - lots of holiday programming with PLAY Roanoke! Our annual Holiday Open House at the Historic Fishburn Mansion is back on December 15. We've got lots of festive Christmas trees throughout the mansion, and plenty of holiday cheer! You can also visit the mansion for an intimate Candlelight Christmas Tour (12/12 and 12/13), during our Live Wreath Making Workshop (12/16), Candlelight Yoga (12/11), or Yule Masquerade Ball (12/21)! Registration is required for all but the Open House, so be sure to sign up before they sell out!

HOLIDAY PROGRAMS

CHASIN' WATERFALLS

We're very excited for our upcoming Winter Waterfall Hikes Series!

Join for one of all of these upcoming wintertime excursions and experience the beauty of waterfalls in winter:

DEC 15 - Cascades (pictured)
JAN 4 - Roaring Run
JAN 19 - Bottom Creek Gorge
FEB 8 - Stiles Falls

BECOME A VOLUNTEER TREE STEWARD!

To help protect the local tree ecosystem, Roanoke Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry division offers volunteer Tree Stewards training each year. Learn from experts about tree biology, pruning, planting, diseases, and more! The training includes nine classroom sessions starting January 27, followed by three field sessions in the spring. Once qualified, Roanoke Tree Stewards complete a minimum of 30 hours of work during their first year and 20 hours in subsequent years.

'TIS THE GIVING SEASON

Are you able to help give back to our parks this month?

Up first, we're prepping trails ahead of our Happy Valley Grit gravel race. Join us on December 3 to blow leaves off the trails and keep Carvins Cove looking beautiful!

Next, we'll be doing invasive species removal on Mill Mountain on December 10.

We hope you can join for either or both!

VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

STAY ENGAGED

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us as we work to update our Master Plan. We will have a few more opportunities to engage with this process in the new year, so stay tuned!

LEARN MORE

STATUSFY TRAIL & GREENWAY ALERTS

TRAIL/GREENWAY CLOSURE

Heads up Mill Mountain Trail & Greenway users! Beginning December 2, we've got some rock work happening along Prospect Road (a.k.a., Mill Mountain Greenway, a.k.a. the Old Road).

The closure will be from Sylvan Road up to the Discovery Center. Travel will be limited to the residents along Prospect Road at this time. Trail intersections will also be closed!

Help us spread the word and stay up to date with all trail/greenway closures through Statusfy.

ROANOKE'S FAVORITE FITNESS CHALLENGE!

Mark your calendars! On January 6, we're kicking off 100 days of activity. For years, the 100 Miler has been an incredibly popular way for the community to stay active during the winter months.

The challenge is simple: Complete 100 miles in 100 days. You can log miles through a variety of activities, from biking, hiking, running, etc. Or, substitute traditional "miles" for 30 minutes of human-powered activity like rock climbing, yoga, disc golf, dance, etc.

All participants will receive encouraging messages, check-ins, and fitness tips from PLAY Roanoke and will have opportunities to win gift cards and other prizes. When you register, choose either to receive the 2025 Roanoke 100 Miler T-shirt ($20), or to register without the T-shirt ($10).

MORE INFO AND SIGN UP

CELEBRATING THE ROANOKE STAR!

In case you missed it, the Roanoke Star turned 75 years old on November 23!

We're celebrating this milestone all month long with free activities at the Mill Mountain Discovery Center. Stop by Thursdays through Sundays from 12-4 PM and sign a star to hang in the center. We'll also be doing a different craft each week.

DISCOVERY CENTER

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Indoor SUP Skills

DEC 15

Snowshoe Mountain Shuttle

DEC 19

Outdoor Photography: Night Sky

DEC 13-14

VIEW ALL UPCOMING ACTIVITIES