Twenty-five years after it was purchased by a state-created recreational authority to create a Lewis and Clark-themed heritage site, Explore Park is under new ownership.
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to purchase the 1,060-acre park for one dollar from the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority (VRFA). The General Assembly formed the VRFA in 1986 to promote outdoor tourism in western Virginia, largely through Explore Park.
The park languished, though, as was the subject of failed development attempts before Roanoke County leased in 2013. Since then it’s developed zip lines, mountain bike trails, a disc golf course, a brewpub, and events like the popular IllumiNights winter walk…