Fancy Gap…what a great name for a community!! “Where you from?” “Fancy Gap Virginia!!” It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
If you’ve ever traveled I-77 from North Carolina to Virginia, you’ve been almost through Fancy Gap. People who don’t like thrilling car rides sometimes stop just to catch their breath. As the road ascends, lowlands to the east can be seen; it is a spectacular vista. In the morning, there is usually a layer of ground fog in the lowlands to the east, with the valleys filled with fog and the hilltops above the fog. The I-77 hill-climb begins near the VA-620 interchange about one mile north of the North Carolina border, and the land is more level to the south of there, although still with rolling terrain.
Fancy Gap has long been a stopping-off point for travelers because of its location. As far back as the 1700s traffic was relatively heavy, especially after Daniel Boone reported riches beyond the mountains of “Virginny and Kaintucke”. This call to wealth was the impetus for the immigration of North Carolinians to the west. In 1849 The Tazewell Court House and Fancy Gap Turnpike was begun and was finished in the early 1850’s, and Fancy Gap has been welcoming passersby ever since.
According to Fancy Gap Tourism, “Since Fancy Gap is located on the cool crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the rising warm, moist air from North Carolina is cooled beyond the temperature for the water it contains, it releases its water vapor into the fog that often blankets the area.” Though the mountain’s fog can be hazardous, the views it offers on a clear day are truly magical. Southbound motorists can spot the unusually shaped Pilot Mountain to the southeast, as well as an all inspiring glimpse of the mountain valley below.
Fancy Gap is a town to visit if you’re passing through, and it you’re traveling I-77, you’re pretty sure to pass through. Stop in and spend a couple of days; the views are unbelievable; the residents are welcoming; the time spent in Fancy Gap will be remembered for years to come.