Available at the visitor center and at many hotels and restaurants, the free City Magazine has a rundown of what's going on around town.
Mill Mountain Theatre, in the Center in the Square building on Campbell Avenue (tel. 800/317-6455 or 540/342-5740; www.millmountain.org), offers children's productions, free lunchtime readings (Oct-May), and year-round matinee and evening performances on two stages. Productions range from Shakespeare to minstrels. Recent performances have included Lord of the Flies and Misery. Ticket prices range from $5 to $30, depending on performance and venue.
The Roanoke Civic Center, 710 Williamson Rd. NE (tel. 540/981-1201; www.roanokeciviccenter.com), hosts visiting performers and concerts by The Roanoke Symphony (tel. 540/343-9127; www.rso.com).
Baseball fans can see the Class A Salem Avalanche (tel. 540/389-3333; www.salemavalanche.com), an affiliate of the big-league Houston Astros, play in Salem, Roanoke's sister city.
The Market Square area running along Campbell Avenue to Jefferson Street is Roanoke's pub-crawling scene, especially on weekends when many restaurants and pubs have music and dancing. Metro! attracts the well-heeled young professional set, while Corned Beef & Company gets the sometimes rowdy masses (don't be surprised to see a cop or two across Jefferson St.). The Regency Room, the Pine Room, and the a.k.a. Club in the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center have live music and dancing on weekends.
