One of the things that makes Damascus such a good anchor for a few days is how much territory it puts within easy reach.
Abingdon is 20 minutes west. Mountain City, Tennessee is 20 minutes south. Boone, North Carolina is about 45 minutes down the road. Each one is worth a stop, and together they filled out the rest of our trip in the best possible way.
Abingdon, Virginia — History, Beer, and Cider
Abingdon has a well-preserved historic downtown, a long story, and a surprising amount of good drinking establishments in it. Before we even get into the beer, it's worth knowing a bit of history. Standing at the Abingdon trailhead for the Virginia Creeper Trail, there's a historical marker for Black's Fort, and it tells a story that reaches back to the Revolutionary War era. In 1776, Captain Joseph Black constructed a fort at this location to protect the community from Cherokee raids during a period of intense frontier conflict. The Abingdon area around the fort later served as a key muster point for local militia in 1780, when men from the settlement marched to the Battle of Kings Mountain.
Sweet Bay Brewing
Our main stop in Abingdon was Sweet Bay Brewing, and it was the standout beer stop of the entire trip. It was the best beer I have had in the area. The quality was noticeably a step up, and the atmosphere was easy and comfortable. They're also dog-friendly, so Juneaux was along for this one too. Not only are they dog-friendly, there was a lady there with her pet monkey as well! They had several excellent IPA’s and stouts on tap - my personal favorite was the Tripetala New England IPA.
Sweet Bay is a Harvest Host location, which means that if you're an RV traveler with a Harvest Host membership, you can stay overnight in their parking lot as a guest.
(Harvest Host is a membership network that connects RV travelers with farms, wineries, breweries, and other unique venues that allow free overnight stays in exchange for support of the business — no hookups, but a genuine experience in a non-traditional setting. I'll do a full post on Harvest Host at some point because it deserves its own explanation.) When we pulled in, there were still a couple of rigs in the parking lot from the night before, doing their morning coffee before moving on. It’s worth noting for others that may be interested in Harvest Host locations that the parking lot was, large and flat and big rig friendly.
Tumbling Creek Cider Company
Also in Abingdon: Tumbling Creek Cider Company — and yes, dog-friendly as well. I'll be upfront — I'm not a cider
person by nature. But I tried a couple of theirs and they were genuinely good. If cider is your thing, I think you'd enjoy it. The operation was clean and well-run, and the product showed care in how it was made. Even coming in without strong expectations as a non-cider person, I walked out thinking they were making a good product.
Mountain City, Tennessee — Dinner at Suba
Mountain City is about 20 minutes south of Damascus — a small town in the hills of northeast Tennessee that punches above its weight in the dining department, at least as far as our experience went.
Suba is the restaurant, and dinner there was one of the highlights of the trip. We went for the steaks, which were excellent — well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. A good piece of beef in a well-run kitchen doesn't need much else.
The real revelation at Suba was the desserts. It was so difficult to choose, we each ordered one for the table and one to take back to the motorhome for later. Yes, we are always planning ahead. My choice was the Death by Oreo — layers of Oreo, cream, chocolate, and more Oreo in proportions that suggest whoever named it was not being entirely figurative.
Donna went with the Caramel Brownie Cheesecake, which was exactly the kind of dessert that sounds like too much until you're halfway through it and actively don't want it to end. She says it may be the best dessert she’s ever had. My Death by Oreo was excellent, but massive. The waitress said she’s never seen anyone finish it. I gave it a try, but in the end I packed some up to take back to the Motorhome.
Both of our bonus desserts (Snickers Chess Pie and Cookie Dough Chess Pie) survived the drive, and were consumed with appropriate reverence the next evening.
For anyone in the Damascus area looking for a great dinner out, Mountain City is a quick drive and Suba is worth it.
Boone, North Carolina — A Family Stop, Great Beer, and a Whole Lot More
Boone was a day trip with a personal layer to it — we went down to visit my aunt, which made it a little different from the other stops. But it was a good day, and Booneshine Brewing was where we landed for the afternoon.
The beer at Booneshine was excellent. The beer there was very good and they had a descent size selection. They're dog-friendly (naturally — it seems like every good place in this part of the world is), which meant Juneaux came along. There is a large outdoor seating area with a stage with multiple layers of seating up the hill overlooking it. There is also outdoor tents serving up some of the same drafts you can get inside as well as outdoor games like cornhole.
We didn't get to do nearly as much in Boone as it deserves — the family visit filled most of the day. We have visited it numerous times over the years and it never disappoints.
Grandfather Mountain is the marquee attraction in the area, sitting just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville about 20 minutes from downtown Boone, where a dramatic paved road climbs to the Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest suspension footbridge in the country. Beyond the bridge there are 11 hiking trails and wildlife habitats with black bears, cougars, otters, and bald eagles, though motorhome travelers should note that no rigs longer than 28 feet are allowed through the gate. You also can't be this close to the Blue Ridge Parkway without driving a stretch of it, and the Linn Cove Viaduct at Milepost 304 is one of the most photographed structures on the whole road. It's a 1,243-foot bridge that curves gracefully around the contours of Grandfather Mountain and was the last section of the Parkway to be completed, back in 1987. Downtown Boone centers on the walkable King Street corridor, full of antique stores, independent bookstores, local restaurants, and the free Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Southern Living recently named Boone the one place in North Carolina everyone should visit in 2026. And if you're there in summer, Horn in the West is an outdoor drama at the Daniel Boone Amphitheatre and the oldest Revolutionary War drama in the country, running since the 1950s. It's an old-school slice of Americana that's easy to overlook and well worth seeking out.
The Pattern
Looking at these three stops together, what comes through is how much the Damascus area has going for it beyond Damascus itself. With it as a home base, an easy drive in any direction turns up good beer, good food, a deep historical record, and mountain scenery that doesn't quit. Abingdon and Mountain City slot naturally into a Damascus trip, one for a day west and one for a quick dinner south, while Boone has the bones of its own longer visit.
And we barely scratched the surface. The highlights we didn't have time for this trip, but will be sure to hit when we come back for the other half of the Virginia Creeper Trail, are the wild ponies of Grayson Highlands, the world's shortest tunnel at Backbone Rock, and the breweries and country music roots of Bristol, TN/VA. All of it a short drive away, waiting for our return.
Check out our other posts about this stop:
