Jonathon Engels 
[Updated August 16, 2022] The fact that a Blue Ridge mountain town the size of Roanoke VA (population 99,411) has enough breweries to create an “8 Best Breweries” list tells you a lot about the city’s personality. Roanoke has a vibrant downtown area with lots of great restaurants, museums, and other fine activities and attractions. But … Read more
Non-Venomous vs Venomous Snakes in Virginia, including ways to identify snakes, snake habitat & and what to do if you or your dog is bitten.
The 10 Best Places to Go White Water Rafting in North Carolina including a list of outfitters, locations, rapid classes, tours, & fees.
Kayaking in North Carolina: The 10 Best Western North Carolina Rivers to Paddle, includes the best kayak launch spots and local outfitters.
Asheville is beloved for its progressive vibe, anchored in a love of culture and arts, an array of lip-smacking restaurants, and surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the country. Camping near Asheville, North Carolina is as big of a draw as the city itself. Within an hour’s drive of downtown Asheville, it’s … Read more
[Updated January 9, 2023] Located just a couple of hours north of downtown Asheville, the town of Boone NC is the county seat for Watauga County. This hub of North Carolina’s High Country is a slice of the Blue Ridge Mountains that’s choc-a-block with outdoor activities and other attractions. Boone was named for American pioneer/explorer … Read more
An important aspect of North Carolina’s state history, NC moonshine is filled with legends, folklore, and lots of liquor. In short, NC distilleries are something of a cultural institution. North Carolina auto racing heroes like Junior Johnson are reputed to have developed their formidable driving skills while running bootleg liquor. This morphed into stock car … Read more
Spanning more than half a million acres, Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. Averaging over 14 million visitors a year, GSMNP is the most visited of all the US National Parks. The park was commissioned by the US Congress in 1934, and officially dedicated in 1940 by President … Read more
Much of the press on the Blue Ridge Parkway celebrates it as a wonderfully preserved 469-mile scenic route. But much of what makes the world-renowned road trip so wonderful is the incredible 200 or so Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks you can stop at along the way. Many of these special spots offer amazing vistas of the mountains of North … Read more
American folk music, and particularly traditional Appalachian music, would be incomplete without the signature twang of the banjo. Along with the accompaniment of the fiddle, the banjo has echoed from porches across the Blue Ridge Mountains region for centuries. Before becoming part of larger string-band ensembles, banjos historically supplied the background music for storytelling. Later, the banjo … Read more
