IN A DAY'S DRIVE

Does anyone else hear “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and all of a sudden you’re taken back to a happy place in your youth?

If this past year has you craving some type of relaxing vacation or even just a fun, long-weekend-style escape from reality, you should look no further than a hotspot in our very own state: Virginia Beach.

Next month, it will be time to toe-tap to Bluegrass gospel classics and re-engage with the Sanders family once again.

After the trip to Blue Cow, our viewers weighed in with their own favorites.

The red wolves are kept off-site, at times, which we spoke with a zookeeper about. The Roanoke Red Wolves, as they’re called, even have their own Facebook page. After a zoo trip, let’s hit up Blue Cow, a small-batch ice cream shop that makes everything on-site, shall we? You’ll find an incredible number of unique, on-trend flavor combinations.

The next stop at Mill Mountain Park is the Wildflower Garden -- not to mention, the Discovery Center and playground. These are great places to bring the entire family.

The Roanoke Star, which is actually the world’s largest manmade star, was put up in 1949 as a Christmas decoration. It still stands today -- and even lights up at night. Wait until you see the overlook near the star.

Whether it's Cedars Lebanese Restaurant, Billy's or Hotel Roanoke, this food tour offers something for everyone.

Kids Square, which has a unique system in place to keep from spreading germs, is one hotspot -- and the Pinball Museum is another. They're both in downtown Roanoke.

At Center in the Square, you'll discover, learn, and become inspired. Here, you'll also find six aquariums, a children's museum and a gorgeous seventh-floor overlook of the region -- not to mention, the Roanoke Starcade.

The process of making apple cider seems simple, but the amount of work is plentiful.

Guests to the area can stay in a contemporary farmhouse atop 400 acres with stables and fishing streams, or in a country cottage nestled on hiking trails and a river.

In accordance with social distancing guidelines, this theatre remains open to the public, and also offers free movies every Sunday.

This bridge is the only one in the country that collectively has an arch, is wooden and covered.

For those of us who need running water and air conditioning, this camping spot caters to everyone.

This park consists of 1,100 acres hills, trails and river frontage to do dozens of activities.

Roanoke County's Explore Park has some experiences from the tops of trees to the rippling waves of the Roanoke River.

Whether you’re an active nature lover or you’re just yearning to unplug and relax a little bit, there’s one place in particular that boasts an incredible number of things to do -- all year round, really, although right now is an especially beautiful time, considering it’s fall and we’re in the midst of a gorgeous leaf-peeping season.

Have you heard of Duke's Antiques? If you're driving through the area, it's worth a stop.

We explored, and spoke with an expert about what to expect.