I visited the Mill Mountain Star and Park with my wife in September 2026. The giant star is famous, and the view of Roanoke and the mountains from the top is beautiful. Easy to reach by car and a nice stop on a road trip through Virginia.

My wife and I went here one afternoon. My wife grew up in Roanoke and always enjoyed going to Mill Mountain. So, we spend the day there so she could relive some of her childhood memories. We went in late September and the weather was perfect. Since we were there on a Saturday, there were likely more people than normal but it did not feel crowded. We visited the zoo and walked the trail to the star and also visited the learning center. You can easily do all of this in less than 4 hours (add a little more if your spouse is revisiting her childhood). The views of the city from the walking trail are great and you can get right next to the star. The zoo is not large but the staff are friendly and will go out of their way to provide information on the animals. It is a great visit for a leisurely visit and if you have younger kids.

This was a great thing to do in Roanoke - especially on a Monday when literally everything else in town is closed. We went once during the day (you can just drive to the top, park and walk around the corner to see it) and once at night to see it lit up. Both times there were people there and it didn’t feel unsafe at all. We chose to drive up instead of hike up because they are still working on the trailhead but you can Google alternate parking spots for the hike. There are restrooms up there. Also make sure you check out the wildflower garden down the hill (on the way to the zoo). It’s an amazing oasis in the middle of the city!

Very nice park atmosphere. Several bathrooms on site. The star is cool. We wanted to hike up to the star but could not find the star trail head, so we drove up and did a very short hike to star. Because we drove up, we did some other trails that were right at the star. For those wanting to hike up the star trail, there are two (i think) bicycle sculptures at the road below the drive up. Parking is limited, but the trailhead is there.

Beautiful drive up and short walk to the top.