Roanoke (Mill Mountain) Star - 6/13/15

The Roanoke Star is the world's largest freestanding, illuminated, man-made star in the world. It is located atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, VA. Constructed in 1949, it has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite the cloudy weather, we visited the Star on our last day in the area with John's sister, Nancy, and her husband, John.

It stands 88.5' tall and is illuminated with 2,000' of neon tubing. The outer star is red and the inner ones are white and blue. Different color configurations are used to significant important events of either tragedy or celebration. For example, just the outer red is illuminated to signify tragic events (similar to the concept of a flag at half mast). 

The star is visible for 60 miles in clear weather and stands 1,045' above the city of Roanoke. It is located in Mill Mountain Park, a 568-acre regional park featuring two overlooks, a Discovery Center, 10 miles of multi-use trails, a wildflower garden, playground, Mill Mountain Zoo, picnic areas and pavilion with grills. The overlook near the star provides fantastic panoramic views of Roanoke Valley.  

We explored some of the trails near the Star. It is just a beautiful location!  

There is also a second overlook a short distance from the first one (located in front of the Star). Here are some photos of the view from it. 

If you are ever in Roanoke, this is a must see either during the day or at night. The StarCam is operational 7x24 and can be accessed at www.roanokeva.gov/starcam. When you visit the Star, family and/or friends can see you on StarCam real time. Very cool.  

There is no admission to visit this regional park. We did not explore the other areas of the park, but will probably do so during our next visit to the area. Check out their website for additional information about Mill Mountain Park. 

Website: www.playroanoke.com