Jonathon Engels 
Though we’ve lived within an hour of Mount Airy, North Carolina, for the last five years, we’ve rarely found time to make our way over to the beloved mountain town. For those who haven’t heard of Mt Airy, actor Andy Griffith was born there, and it was the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry … Read more
The dynamic topography and vast wilderness of East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains are the stuff of legend. Odes to the dramatic terrain have appeared in so many bluegrass, folk, and country songs over the last 100 years, it can seem almost like a fantasy world if you’ve never visited the region. But one thing that often … Read more
One of the most common questions we get is, “Where are the Blue Ridge Mountains?” Most people seem to know that there are Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, and that they poke down into Georgia and up through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. But did you know that they also extend all the way north into … Read more
[Updated April 24, 2023] In a region wrought with spectacular waterfalls, no place has nearly as many as Transylvania County, North Carolina. Encompassing 381 square miles, the area is home to some 250 waterfalls! The county seat of Transylvania is the tiny mountain town of Brevard NC, which has a population of less than 10,000 … Read more
[Update January 23, 2024] Winnowing down a list of the best mountain towns in NC is a difficult task, and it’s much less rewarding than actually visiting said towns. The North Carolina mountains are renowned for offering up a charming slice of small-town life and local culture, including everything from moonshine and bluegrass music to country cooking … Read more
[Updated April 13, 2023] With a wealth of Asheville breweries earning the mountain town the nickname “beer city,” plus a wealth of breweries in Boone and Brevard, Western North Carolina is known for some of the nation’s best microbrewing. But NC wineries have also been gaining an increasingly high-profile national reputation. Farmers in the area have gradually realized that … Read more
A lot of us have an unhealthy fear of snakes, presuming that they’re all human-killing machines bent on a slithery path of destruction. But that simply isn’t the case, despite what local folklore may have led you to believe. The truth is that most snakes are non-venomous (80%, to be exact). And, of the 20% … Read more
The State of Virginia has a cool collection of historic and covered bridges, all of which are well worth a visit if you’re traveling in the area. Many of the stunning VA bridges on this list date back to the 1800s, with the oldest bridge in Virginia built in 1857. But no matter how old … Read more
There are over 400 species of native birds in Tennessee, with over 100 of them being birds common to Tennessee. In other words, there are a lot of feathers flashing around in the Volunteer State! Tennessee is home to 14 national parks, 1 national forest (over 650,000 acres worth of one), and a whopping 56 … Read more
If you want to explore the state the way travelers did before the advent of automobiles and airplanes, nothing beats taking one of the many train rides in North Carolina. The U.S. railroad system dates back to the 1820s, with its “Golden Age” in the late 19th and early 20th century. Many of the great … Read more
