SWoCo is one year old this week. So naturally, we threw a party.

Except instead of asking for presents, we asked for advice. What’s the best of Southwest Roanoke County?

We offered up 50 some categories and you offered up lots of ideas.

We’ve counted and crunched, and now have the results.

Best places for: Breakfast | Coffee | Iced tea | Pizza | Lunch | Fancy meal | Happy hour | Post-game hanging out | First date | Family hike | School event | Picnic | Bike ride | Fall leaves | Dog-walking | Trick-or-treating | Taking relatives from out of town | Meeting new people | Park | Keeping fit | Local music | Wireless | Hair salon | Nail salon | Car wash | Getting your car fixed | Music lessons | Preschool/day care | A day with the kids | Fresh food | Restaurant to take the kids |

People: School staff member | Non-school coach | Veterinarian | Insurance agent | Lawyer | Plumber | Electrician | Realtor | Bus driver | School sports coach | Teacher | Local politician

Businesses: Financial advice | Lawn service | Bargains | Home repair/handyman service | Unique gifts | Women's fashions | Dry cleaner | Jeweler | Florist | Convenience store | Pet grooming | Pet sitting | Frame shop | Tattoo studio |

Other things Southwest County likes: Parks and rec activity | Church outreach program | Community event |

PLACES

Best place for breakfast
1. Famous Anthony’s
2. IHOP
3. Brambleton Blend

Best place for coffee
1. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
2. Daily Grind
3. Starbucks

Best place for iced tea
1. Hardee’s
2. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
3. McDonald’s

Best pizza
1. Frank’s Pizza
2. Grace’s
3. Bellacino’s

Best place for lunch
1. Panera Bread
2. Brambleton Deli
3. Elderberry’s

Best place for a fancy meal
1. Carlos
2. Luigi’s
3. 419 West

Best happy hour
1. Annie Moore’s
2. 419 West
3. Brambleton Deli

Best restaurant to take the kids
1. Famous Anthony’s
2. Chuck E. Cheese
3. Country Cookin’

Best place to go after a game
1. Brambleton Deli
2. Buffalo Wild Wings
3. El Rodeo, Annie Moore’s (tie)

Best place for a first date
1. Carlos
2. 419 West
3. Montano’s

Best place for a family hike
1. Peaks of Otter
2. Mill Mountain
3. Happy Hollow Gardens

Best place for a picnic
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Mill Mountain
3. Garst Mill Park

Best place to go for a bike ride
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Greenway
3. Garst Mill Park

Best place to view fall leaves
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Bent Mountain
3. Mill Mountain; Peaks of Otter (tie)

Best place to walk your dog
1. Fishburn Park
2. Garst Mill Park
3. Penn Forest

Best place to go trick-or-treating
1. Penn Forest
2. The Groves
3. Kingston Court
 
Best place to take relatives from out of town
1. Mill Mountain
2. Smith Mountain Lake; Blue Ridge Parkway (tie)
3. Taubman Museum of Art

Best place to meet new people
1. Church
2. Mothers & More, Roanoke chapter
3. 419 West; downtown Roanoke (tie)

Best park
1. Garst Mill Park
2. Penn Forest
3. Fishburn Park (*Technically, Fishburn Park is in the city. But it’s right alongside Brambleton Avenue, so who’s paying attention to boundaries? If you’re curious, the Darrell Shell Park came in fourth.)

Best place to keep fit
1. Roanoke Athletic Club
2. Gold’s Gym
3. Lifewise

Best place to hear local music
1. Brambleton Deli
2. Coffee Pot
3. Annie Moore’s

Best place to find wireless
1. Panera Bread
2. Daily Grind
3. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea

Best hair salon
1. 3 Phases
2. Licensed to Cut, Azario Salon (tie)
3. Hair Associates

Best nail salon
1. Beauty Bar
2. Q Nails
3. Perfect Nails

Best car wash
1. Tanglewood Autowash
2. Brambleton Car Wash
3. Cave Spring Autowash

Best place to get your car fixed
1. Cave Spring Auto Body, Crescent Heights (tie)
2. Firestone Electric
3. Brambleton Auto

Best place for music lessons
1. Kelley’s Music
2. The Bandroom
3. Studio 101; Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio (tie)

Best preschool or day care
1. Cave Spring Baptist
2. HoneyTree
3. Covenant Presbyterian

Best place to take the kids for the day
1. Chuck E. Cheese’s
2. Mill Mountain Zoo
3. Smith Mountain Lake

Best place to buy fresh food
1. Fresh Market
2. Ukrop’s
3. Kroger



PEOPLE

Best school staff member
1. Anne Currin, Cave Spring Elementary School
2. Penny Williams, Cave Spring High School
3. Ken Nicely, Hidden Valley Middle School; Chuck Lionberger, Roanoke County schools public information officer (tie)


Best coach (non-school sports)
1. Gary Johnson, CCA Marlins; Matt Neale, Cave Spring soccer; Ron Clary, Cave Spring AAU basketball (tie)
Many, many others finished in a tie for second.

Best lawyer
1. Mark Skolrood
2. John Lichenstein; Nick Conte (tie)
3. Agnis Chakrovorty; Bob McAdam; Burton L. Albert Law Offices; David Bullington; Harry Bosen; Matt Broughton; Tom Roe; Tony Anderson (tie)

Best plumber
1. Wisler Plumbing, Dennis Bowling (tie)
2. James Whisman Plumbing; Kennard-Pace; James Buck Plumbing & Heating; Richardson Plumbing & Heating (tie)

Best electrician
1. Alexander Electrical

Best veterinarian
1. Cave Spring Vet
2. Big Lick Vet
3. Vets to Cats; Dr. Jennings; Katie Eick (tie)

Best insurance agent
1. Jack Sale, State Farm Insurance
2. Steve Nash - Allstate
3. Steve Milby, Thomas Rutherfoord, Inc.

Best Realtor
1. John Gallagher
2. Curtis Burchett
3. Tim Toohig; Vicky Clarke; Beth Wilson (tie)

Best bus driver
1. Diane Hunt, Cave Spring High School
2. Kenny Connor, Cave Spring Elementary School and Hidden Valley Middle School

Best coach (school sports)
1. Billy Hicks, Cave Spring basketball
2. Katrina Kish, Hidden Valley softball
3. Sherri Vaughn, Hidden Valley swimming

Best teacher
1. Pete Lustig, Cave Spring High School
2. Maggie Long, Hidden Valley High School
3. Pat Carr, Cave Spring High School

Best local politician
1. Bob Goodlatte, 6th District congressman
2. Charlotte Moore, Cave Spring District supervisor
3. John Brownlee, former U.S. attorney, now candidate for Republican nomination for attorney general




BUSINESSES

Best home repair / handyman service
1. Cave Spring Painting
2. David Funk; Mark’s Home Improvement; Tor Services; Torcon Construction; Reed’s Construction (tie)

Best place to go for financial advice
1. Jason Bialek, Atlantic Mortgage
2. BB&T; Greystone Financial (tie)

Best lawn service
1. Varsity Landscaping & Grounds
2. Lawn Ranger; Green Up; Lawn Doctor (tie)
3. Valley Landscaping

Best bargains
1. TJ Maxx
2. Goodwill
3. The Sassy Shopper

Best place to buy unique gifts
1. Chocolatepaper
2. Steger Creek
3. Robin House at West Village

Best place to buy women’s fashions
1. Vivendi
2. Talbots
3. Stein Mart

Best dry cleaner
1. Harvey’s
2. Air-Lee
3. A Cleaner World

Best jeweler
1. Fink’s
2. Jewell’s
3. The Gem Gallery

Best florist
1. Petal Pushers
2. George’s
3. Blumen Haus

Best convenience store
1. Country Store
2. Stop In
3. Country Way

Best pet grooming
1. Clip & Dip
2. Yuppie Puppie
3. Padgett’s; PetSmart; Vets to Cats (tie)

Best pet sitting service
1. Clip & Dip
2. Big Lick Pet Sitting; Klub K9; Sleepy Hollow Kennel (tie)

Best frame shop
1. Frame N Things
2. The Frame Connection
3. A.C. Moore; Brambleton Frame Shop; Jordan’s on Franklin Road (tie)

Best tattoo studio
1. Star City Tattoos
2. Danny’s Ancient Art
3. Alex’s New Tattoo

OTHER THINGS SOUTHWEST COUNTY LIKES


Best parks and rec activity
1. Basketball
2. Soccer, youth sports, Brambleton Center, summer camps (tie)
3. Kite festival, Pokemon Club, softball, tennis (tie)

Best church outreach program
1. Cave Spring Baptist
2. Church of the Holy Spirit; St. John Lutheran (tie)
3. Young Life

Best community event
1. Broadway Showstoppers (Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio)
2. Festival in the Park
3. Dickens of a Christmas; Drumstick Dash; Strawberry Festival (tie)

Best school event
1. Cave Spring Elementary Fall Carnival
2. Cave Spring High School basketball; Project Faith at Faith Christian School (tie)
3. Penn Forest Elementary Carnival