Did you know we have both a Greenway AND Blueway in Roanoke? We do!

But what do the colors mean anyway?

The Roanoke Greenway is the path that runs parallel to the Roanoke River (which is the Blueway). In the Blueway you can enjoy fishing, tubing, swimming and all things water.

The Roanoke Valley Greenway system has over 30 miles of space spanning all the way from Salem to Botetourt and is used for outdoor recreational activities like walking, biking, rollerblading and skateboarding.

Personally, I enjoy the walking part. You can see beautiful sites, talk with great friends, people watch or just get your time in exercising.

A group of friends and I were walking along the Greenway last week after stopping at Blue Cow Ice Cream for a yummy treat. Yes, we went to Blue Cow BEFORE dinner! Why not? There was a young 2+ year old adventurous (and hungry) boy with us. And what says adventure more than ice cream before dinner? Nothing!

Always looking for new things to keep a child engaged, we walked down to a "beachy" area next to the river. You can probably imagine our next activity as he looked out at the water … throwing pebbles into the river!

For us older folk, it was a great time not just watching him be excited, but also enjoying the beauty and sounds of the river. Later the little guy said he had "beach in his shoes (aka sand)." It was a great day and one to remember! I can't say we got much "exercise" on that day, but we sure did enjoy some smiles and laughter.

There are so many beautiful areas right here in Roanoke. Go explore! The next great day is yours to claim!