16 Frogs

There are 16 bronze frogs located throughout Blacksburg. The frogs were installed to highlight the waterways that were important to Blacksburg’s founding and remain vital to the town’s environment today. Each frog also honors a person or landmark that played a role in Blacksburg’s history. You may wonder, why 16? That’s because Blacksburg was originally laid out on 16 squares.

The best way to find them all is via the map on the official 16 Frogs website or the FrogFinder guide. Several frogs are concentrated in downtown Blacksburg, making for a fun, walkable scavenger hunt. Others require a short drive. The frogs are about 6 inches long and can be tricky to spot, you’ll want sharp, curious eyes in your group.

The address listed is closest to Harvey (#8), positioned on a cement guardrail overlooking one of Blacksburg’s creeks, now largely underground. Harvey is named for Harvey Black, who helped found the college that became Virginia Tech. He lived nearby, and the stream beneath his statue historically supplied his property.

Millie (#7) is named for a mill powered by Stroubles Creek. The mill building is now home to Gillie’s Vegetarian Restaurant and the River Mill Bar & Grill. When visiting Millie, pause to listen, you may hear Stroubles Creek murmuring beneath the ground.

Nick (#6) was harder to spot, tucked in a small flower bed on the north side of College Avenue. Nick Kappas, a Greek immigrant, founded the restaurant now known as “The Cellar,” often affectionately called “Greeks.” It sits across Main Street, perfect for a snack break during your frog hunt.