Bret and Mary 
It’s been nearly 5 years now since the COVID pandemic changed the way many people choose to travel, and camping, hiking, and other forms of outdoor recreation have never been more popular. The incredible array of state parks, national parks, and national forests in the Blue Ridge Mountains have been seeing record-breaking visitation numbers, as … Read more
Christmas has always had a special place in our hearts, both for all the traditional reasons and for some very personal ones. Mary and I first met at a Christmas party back in 2008, fell in love at a Christmas light display in North Georgia, and we take a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains … Read more
A guide to the 20 Best Blue Ridge Parkway hotels, cabin rentals, and B&Bs in NC & VA, spanning the entire length of the BRP.
If you’re a couple or small family with a decent budget planning to explore the Southern Appalachian Mountains, you’ll find an endless array of Blue Ridge Mountain Cabins, Hotels & Resorts to choose from. But the larger the group is that’s traveling together, and the more important “must-haves” on your list of desired amenities, the … Read more
With 200+ overlooks scattered along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, you could easily drive the world-renowned scenic route and see countless jaw-dropping mountain vistas without taking more than a few steps from your car. But that would ultimately defeat the purpose of the BRP, which was conceived as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New … Read more
One of the interesting things people don’t tell you about taking a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip is how remarkably un-commercialized this 469-mile slice of Appalachian Americana is. In our experience, you can drive the BRP for 100+ miles and never see any mountain resorts, hotels, restaurants, gas stations, or other signs of development. It’s … Read more
We love history, and one of my favorite things about exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains is getting a chance to learn how my Scots-Irish ancestors lived when they settled the region 250+ years ago. Though survival for those early Appalachian settlers was undoubtedly difficult, there’s something we find intrinsically appealing about their simpler way of … Read more
What makes a particular mountain town great? From walkable downtown areas with great shops and restaurants to a wealth of natural beauty and outdoor adventures, everyone has their own qualifying traits. But, for us, historic sites and cultural attractions are two major X factors that elevate our favorite Blue Ridge Mountain towns above the pack. … Read more
If you visit Bedford VA (located about 28 miles east of Roanoke), you won’t get far before you realize how much of an impact World War II had on this charming small town. Bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north and Smith Mountain Lake to the south, the town dates back more than … Read more
Now in its twentieth year, this popular event was originally held in Blairsville GA, where it was known as the Blairsville Scottish Festival and Highland Games. Every year hundreds of bagpipers, drummers, Clan representatives, athletes, artisans, and food vendors would gather in beautiful Meeks Park for a weekend-long celebration of traditional Scots-Irish culture and sport. … Read more
