Returning to Floyd, Virginia: A Place That Keeps Calling Us Back
Although we first passed through Floyd, Virginia during the summer of 2011—while on our two-year full-timing adventure in the Magic Bus—it wasn’t until 2018 that we truly paused to spend meaningful time in this small mountain community. That year, we stayed at the Floyd Family Campground in our Leisure Travel Van Unity RV, en route from Florida to Robin’s mom’s home in Middlebrook, near Lexington.
Even that brief stay left an impression. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia, Floyd charmed us with its natural beauty and rich culture. Despite having just one traffic light, the town boasts a long-standing counterculture legacy dating back to the 1960s and ’70s. That era helped birth a vibrant local arts scene and a deep appreciation for bluegrass music, which continues today with Friday night jamborees at the Floyd Country Store and the renowned FloydFest, held each summer.
We returned in the summer of 2022, this time in our Outdoors RV travel trailer, with plans to stay longer. Over the course of several weeks—stretching from mid-summer into early fall—we lived in three different spots: the Floyd Family Campground, an Airbnb cabin in nearby Willis, and a larger Airbnb home along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Meadows of Dan. We worked with a local realtor during that stay, but due to limited inventory, we didn’t find the right property and eventually moved on to Charlottesville—but that’s another story.
Needless to say, Floyd County has been on our radar for quite a while. It checks many of the boxes we look for in a potential home base:
A year-round farmers market offering local and organic produce
A landscape ideal for gravel and country road cycling
Elevations over 2,000 feet, offering some respite from lower-elevation heat
Proximity to essential services in Roanoke and Blacksburg, including medical and veterinary care
More recently, I made another trip back to Floyd to explore the area further. I met with a local builder and realtor as part of our ongoing search for land—or, possibly, the right home to purchase outright.
Of course, Floyd isn’t without its drawbacks. Humidity is a persistent presence, and while the community is largely open and artistic, there are still pockets of intolerance that occasionally surface. Air quality is decent, but it doesn’t quite compare to the crisp, clean air found in southwestern Colorado—something we continue to weigh carefully.
Downtown Floyd is small, and yes, that single traffic light can cause a surprising amount of congestion. But once you get past it, the traffic clears quickly. The town is served by two-lane highways, and there’s a surprisingly excellent coffee shop called Red Rooster Coffee, which has become a favorite stop.
One huge plus: Floyd County received a grant to install fiber-optic internet, and the rollout has been completed. Having fiber-to-the-home throughout the county is a rare and valuable asset in a rural area like this.
In sum, we still like what Floyd County has to offer. It brings us closer to some family and friends in Virginia and holds a special place in Robin’s heart—it is, after all, her home state. Whether Floyd becomes our next landing spot remains to be seen, but it continues to offer enough promise to keep us coming back.