Mill Mountain Star & Zoo - Roanoke

Steve’s take

The Roanoke Star is an 88-foot neon star on top of a mountain overlooking the city, and the drive up gives you views of the Blue Ridge that'll make everyone forget they've been in a car for six hours. There's a small zoo at the top — red pandas, snow leopards, and enough animals to occupy the kids for an hour. The star lights up at night and you can see it from I-81. Free to visit. The zoo is cheap. The views are priceless. I'll stop now before I sound like a commercial.