The Fries Tourism Office is the marketing department for the town. Since the mill closed in the late 1980s, the town has relied on dollars generated by tourism and travel to remain solvent. Fortunately, when the railroad stopped serving the town, the Commonwealth of Virginia appropriated the route for a Rails to Trails project called the New River Trail. Visitors soon flocked to the town to enjoy hiking, biking, and horseback riding on the trail. 

While the town is known as a terminus of the New River Trail (“Where the Trail Begins”), the NRT is hardly the only trail in the area. Literally hundreds of miles of trails meander through the peaks and hollows surrounding the town. Fries lies along the New River, one of the oldest rivers in the world. 

Fries is known as a center for early country music. Henry Whitter, a millworker and musician recorded the first old-time music which would later evolve into country music and bluegrass. Old-time music still rings throughout the area. The Historic Fries Theatre sponsors concerts, dances, and a weekly Thursday night jam session to preserve this aspect of Appalachian culture.

Heading up the tourism office is Kevin Combs. Combs grew up in the Fries area and graduated from Fries High School. He has long been a cheerleader for the town. Combs assists in managing The Historic Fries Theater, a vital component in the town’s tourism efforts.