When I moved to Roanoke, Virginia, I wanted to explore the surrounding area by visiting nearby small towns. Many of the towns celebrated the fall season with festivals, and I decided to spend my weekends driving through the countryside to find them.

One cool autumn afternoon, I drove north on I-81 to Buena Vista, Virginia, to find the town’s main street filled with folks enjoying the fall festivities. Hay bales, mums, and pumpkins decorated the charming town, and I joined the crowd to shop the tents of local vendors while munching freshly popped kettle corn.

When my feet were weary and my tummy was full, I got into my car to drive around the town. I turned onto a narrow road, which led me to the entrance of Southern Virginia University. I reached the top of the hill and couldn’t believe my eyes. The main building of the school is stunning—painted dark red with three stories of ornate, white balcony railings and round towers above the main entrance, with Palladian windows at the front entrance and lower level.

As I stood there taking pictures from all angles, a gentleman came walking along and asked me if I knew the history of this splendid structure. When I shook my head, he told me it used to be the Hotel Buena Vista, built in 1890 during the iron ore boom to accommodate land speculators, and it is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

In the summertime, folks from all walks of life rode the train from the city to this resort hotel to bask in the cool mountain air of Virginia. I could envision ladies in their long dresses and bonnets, holding parasols, climbing the steps to the grand entrance with gentlemen wearing top hats and waistcoats—an elegant vacation indeed.