Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. I don’t normally do this, but please turn away from this story, find a recording of Metallica’s Enter Sandman , and listen to it.
Loud. Finished? Thank you. Now you’re in the mood to take a trip in your mind to Blacksburg, a small community in southwestern Virginia which is intertwined with a big U.
S. college, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech. Enter Sandman is played as Virginia Tech’s football team enters the playing field during home games.
The home fans jump as the music plays — sometimes enough to trigger a reading on a seismograph. That Virginia Tech football team? That team, and the other sports teams representing Virginia Tech, are known as the Hokies. What are Hokies? According to VT’s athletics website, “Hokie” was a made-up word by a 19th-century student to win a cheer contest.
What’s in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, and the surrounding area to experience if you go there in person? Using that made-up word, letter by letter, here’s what I learned during a recent visit: Hahn Horticulture Garden is a six-acre teaching and display garden adjacent to VT’s baseball park. “Hahn” is Marshall Hahn, a former president of VT. Throughout the year, the pleasant outdoor areas are enjoyed by students, visitors, and dog-walkers.
Volunteer.