Galax Adventures
The city of Galax, Virginia may be small but she is mighty. The amount of history tucked away in what feels like a small town is something to be admired. Much of the history is steeped in bluegrass music and the furniture business.
You’ll find “The Crooked Road” running through Southwest Virginia, a route known as Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. Galax is a part of this route as it continues to hold many live music functions. I was able to stand outside the historic Rex Theater but sadly, no shows were playing while I was in town.
I read that Rex Theater used to show movies and ended up closing in the 1980s. Volunteers came together to restore the old theater which is now used for live performances.
I am amazed by the Vaughan-Bassett furniture company that was started here around 1919. If you've never seen a production line of any kind, it's definitely a sight to see. They produce the furniture there from start to finish - from the lumberyard to a beautiful dinette set.
I learned that the entire factory burnt down in the 1950s and they had to rebuild the factory from scratch. I found a couple photos online..
galaxscrapbook.com
This company has been around so long that they still use authentic lineberry (railroad) carts to move materials around the factory. These carts are now in high demand as many factories that used them have closed down. People now restore them and use them as coffee tables!
Downtown Galax is where you'll find the local coffee shops and restaurants - more antique shops than I know what to do with - and an art school! The art school is where the old bank used to be - and I found the prettiest marbled paper there.
Downtown also has it's own brewery: Creek Bottom Brewing. A brewery, beer store, and restaurant where they serve wood-fired pizza! Great local spot!
I really wanted to find this LOVE art installation that's part of Virginia's LOVEworks campaign. I pinned it so that I could reference it's location - thought I would end up walking by it at some point, but never found it. Would love to go on a Scavenger Hunt to find all of the LOVEworks installations!