The Appalachian School
of Law is located in the southwest Virginia town of Grundy.
This scenic mountain town, the home of award-winning novelist
Lee Smith, offers a number of cultural and recreational opportunities,
without the high cost of living associated with an urban setting.
You can take a break from your studies by going hiking, whitewater
rafting, rock climbing, or mountain biking. This page contains
some links to local attractions, lodging and information sources.
As an additional resource, you can also
follow the link below to listen to Novelist and Grundy native
Lee Smith in an hour-long
interview on National Public Radio's Diane Rehm Show. The focus
of the interview was the new book Sitting on the Courthouse
Bench" which includes a number of oral histories about
Grundy, collected by local high school students and edited
by Smith. The interview is an interesting discussion touching
on Grundy's history and future, with a few references to ASL:
Lee Smith interview:
Click
Here To Play (Real
Player needed)
Copies of Sitting on the Courthouse Bench can be ordered from
the Friends of the Buchanan County Library and pictures of
Lee Smith's visit to Grundy (and ASL) upon the release of the
book can be found on the Friends website.
Internet Service Providers
There are several ISP's available in Grundy, here are only
a few
Netscope
NTELOS
Tourism and local attractions
Heart of Appalachia
Tourism Authority -- The Heart of Appalachia
Tourism Authority promotes, expands and develops tourism
opportunities in the far southwestern Virginia counties of
Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise
and the City of Norton.
Mountain
Mission School -- Founded in Grundy in the 1920s,
and located less than a mile from the law school, Mountain
Mission School provides a residential school environment
for children in need, whether they are from the Appalachian
region, elsewhere in the United States, or from other countries
around the world.
The
Town of Grundy -- Grundy's town website includes links
to the Army Corps of Engineers' web page describing the town's
astounding floodproofing plan (which involves moving the entire
downtown Grundy area across the neighboring Levisa River, and
required the cooperation of the Corps of Engineers, the Virginia
Department of Transportation, and the town) as well as coming
attractions for the town-owned Community Center movie theater
(inexpensive first-run movies) and coming events for the local
Community Arts Council (past performances have included artists
such as blues guitarist Scott Ainslie, folk artist John McCutcheon,
and the Renaissance music group the Baltimore Consort).
Breaks
Interstate Park -- Located on the border between Virginia
and Kentucky, the Breaks Interstate Park includes beautiful
mountain scenery and the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi,
as well as hiking, camping, outdoor recreation activities,
a motor lodge, restaurant and conference center. (The park
can be contacted for information or reservations for the motor
lodge at 800-982-5122 or 276-865-4413.)
Sugar
Hill -- Located in St. Paul, VA, Sugar Hill Scenic Clinch
River Trails has beautiful mountain and river scenery with
hiking, bicycling, fishing, and canoeing on the Clinch River.
For more information please call 1-888-SWVAFUN (1-888-798-2386)
Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce -- includes information
on local businesses, civic clubs and organizations. Contact
Number 276-935-4147 
Historic
Barter Theatre -- When the Barter
Theatre in nearby Abingdon Originally opened in 1933, the
advertised admission
price was "35 cents or the equivalent in produce." The
theatre presented local residents with laughter, music and
something to feed their minds and souls, in exchange for food
items -- the first ticket for the opening performance was purchased
with a small pig! Alumni of the Barter Theatre include actors
Ernest Borgnine, Gregory Peck, and Patricia Neal, and playwrights
Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, and George
Bernard Shaw. Newly renovated in 1996, the Barter Theatre has
entered a new era of growth, with expanded programming, a revived
Summer Repertory Season, nearly doubled attendance, and national
and international recognition.
Coalfield.com -- Website for The Coalfield Progress, The Dickenson
Star
and The Post newspapers, with news of interest for the coalfield
communities of southwest Virginia.
A
Pictorial History of African-American Miners in the Appalachian
Coalfields -- This web page is posted
by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and health Administration.
Coalfield
Expressway Project -- This is the Virginia Department
of Transportation website describing the proposed Coal Field
Expressway, which is anticipated to bring significant economic
development opportunities to the Southwest Virginia area by
providing enhanced freeway accessibility to the area.
Hotels
Comfort
Inn -- For those coming to visit Grundy
to see the law school (or perhaps for graduation), you may
want to consider
staying at the Comfort Inn, located just minutes away from
the law school in downtown Grundy. Reservations can be made
online or by calling (800) 228-5150, and you can also visit
the main Comfort Inn web page at here.
Breaks
Park Motor Lodge -- As mentioned above, the Breaks
Interstate Park has a motor lodge located in the park itself,
about 20 minutes away from the law school. Reservations can
be made by contacting the park at 800-982-5122 or 276-865-4413.
Other national chains -- Visitors
interested in other national chain hotels in the area may want
to consider the Days
Inn at Claypool Hill, about 25 miles from
the law school (reservations online or by calling (800) 544-8313;
national web page here),
or the Super 8 Motel in Richlands/Claypool Hill, also about
25 miles from the law school (reservations online or by calling
(800) 889-9698; national web page here).
Other local hotels -- in addition to the hotels mentioned
above, there are a number of other local hotels located in
Grundy and near
Grundy, such as the Shortridge Motel (276)
935-2968), located in Vansant, 9 miles from the law school.
A list of local hotels can be found by using the Yahoo
Yellow Pages.
Local Newspapers
Local newspapers include:
The Virginia
Mountaineer - Grundy's
local weekly paper.
The Bristol Herald
Courier - A daily
paper, published in Bristol, on the Virginia-Tennessee border.
The Bluefield Daily Telegraph - A daily paper, published
in Bluefield, on the Virginia-West Virginia border.
We hope to have some additional links and pictures up soon
-- but see the links on our pictures page, our library pictures
page and our legal links page.
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