Pembroke, VA

Pembroke sits along the New River in Giles County, at the edge of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg region. Settlers reached the area in the mid-1750s, and postmaster John Lybrook gave the town its present name in 1845 after encountering Pembroke in literature. The river valley, Cascades, Castle Rock, and nearby mountain roads give the town a strong Appalachian setting. Mountain Lake Lodge, in the surrounding high country, is widely known for its connection to the film Dirty Dancing, but the local story reaches beyond the movie: stagecoach routes, a historic library, and river access keep older layers close to town.

Pembroke’s smallest library operates from an 1880s frame building that once served as a stagecoach stop and post office. The New River supports fishing, paddling, tubing, and access to outfitters, while trails, orchards, campgrounds, and mountain roads extend into Giles County. Castle Rock Golf Course and Mountain Lake’s trails add other ways to spend a day outdoors. The town’s annual fish fry and Christmas parade bring residents together around a civic calendar that fits its size. Pembroke is a river town with a movie-famous lodge nearby, but its everyday texture comes from the water, roads, library, and mountain communities around it.