Downtown Roanoke country music magnet set to open expansion years in the making

Sidewinders launches the Next Level

ROANOKE, Va. – A downtown Roanoke country music magnet is finished with a project that’s been in the works for years. On Wednesday night, Sidewinders hosted a soft opening for the new addition to their restaurant.

They’re calling the second floor space The Next Level. It adds some of the biggest square footage that downtown has seen in a while and owner Scott Howard said the rising tide lifts all boats as more people are spending money downtown.

“It’s amazing, most of the people, the demographics, we scan a lot of people’s ID when they come through the door to make sure that they are real Ids, there are people that come from 100 miles away," Howard said. "We had some people from Mount Airy come in on Tuesday night for line dancing, it’s just crazy.”

The new space officially kicks off Friday.