The winners have been announced for Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s 10th annual “Best of the Blue Ridge Readers’ Choice Awards.”
West Virginia as a whole had a very strong showing, and no less than 20 area-businesses were among the favorites. Leading the charge near the Greenbrier Valley was Snowshoe Mountain Resort, which was the overall winner in four categories, and the Greenbrier River Trail, which won two-categories and was the runner-up in a third.
According to the magazine’s website, “(The) Best of the Blue Ridge Awards includes over 100 categories that highlight readers’ favorite destinations, athletes, events, businesses and food and drink. After nearly a year of adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, the support from our region still came in strong with over 62,000 votes, a 52% increase over last year. Now we get to announce the winners! The Best of the Blue Ridge Awards are the most celebrated awards in the Southeast, showcasing the very heart of the Blue Ridge outdoor community. Nominees are proud to be recognized for their achievements, with the winners displaying the BOTBR winner seal in their windows.”
For 2021, Snowshoe Mountain Resort was named as the overall best ski resort, while their bicycle and terrain parks were also named the best of their kind. Snowshoe Mountain’s “Cupp Run” was named as the best ski run.
“We’re honored to once again receive several ‘Best of the Blue Ridge’ Awards,” said Shawn Cassell, Digital Marketing and PR manager for Snowshoe Mountain Resort. “We have a great deal of pride in the experience that we offer our guests, and accolades like these make all the hard work well worth it. Huge thanks to the readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors for taking notice of all the amazing things happening here in West Virginia!”
Readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine have also selected the Greenbrier River Trail as having the best bicycle and running trails, as well as runner-up to the best hiking trail.
Other honored Greenbrier County-attractions were Blue Bend, which was chosen as runner up for “best swimming hole,” the Greenbrier River Fly Fishing Classic, selected as the “best fly fishing event” and the State Fair of West Virginia, which was chosen as runner-up for the “best family-friendly event”.
The city of Lewisburg was well-represented in the Blue Ridge Outdoors Best of Awards, as businesses and other organizations in the city were named as ‘winner’ or ‘runner-up’ in no less than 11 different categories.
The Wild Bean, located at 1056 E. Washington St., has been voted as the overall winner in the category of “best vegetarian menu” and runner-up in the category of “best coffee shop.” Jim’s Drive-In, located at 479 Washington Street, has been selected as runner-up for “best burger.” The Stardust Cafe, located at 102 E. Washington Street, has been voted as runner-up in the category of “best farm-to-table” food. The French Goat, located at 290 Lafayette Street, has been selected as the overall “best brunch spot.” And Thunderbird Taco, located at 1058 E. Washington Street, has been chosen as runner-up in the category of “best burritos or tacos.”
Hawk Knob Cidery and Meadery, located at 2245 Blue Sulphur Pike, has also been honored in two separate categories, as they have been voted runner-up in “cidery,” and their Elderberry-Infused Hard Cider has been selected as runner-up for “best cider” overall.
As a whole, the city of Lewisburg has been declared runner-up in the category of “best place to raise an outdoor family.”
The city of White Sulphur Springs was honored in four different categories.
Max Hammer, of Hammer Cycles, located at 723 Main Street East, was voted runner-up in the category of “best bicycle mechanic.” The Salt Cave and Spa, located at 6705 Pocahontas Trail, was chosen as the runner-up for “best spa or wellness center.” The Greenbrier hotel, located at 101 West Main Street, was chosen as runner-up in the category of “best resort.” And Road Hog’s Barbeque, located at 687 Main Street East, was voted as runner-up for the “best barbeque.”
Another area business honored in two categories was Smooth Ambler Spirits, located at 745 Industrial Park Road in Maxwelton, which was selected as runner-up for the “best distillery.” Smooth Ambler Spirits’ Contradiction was voted as the winner in the category of “best spirit.”
The Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County was also chosen by readers as the “best bird-watching spot.”
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