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 great mysteries of nature is attempting to predict precisely when the Blue Ridge Mountains Fall colors will peak every year. Of course, there is some science that goes into making the annual Fall Colors Forecast, including considering elevation, climate conditions, recent rainfall, and temperature changes. But, as with so many things in … Read more
[Updated Sept 3, 2025] Growing up in Georgia, with a Granny from Tennessee and a Granddad whose Scots-Irish ancestors settled the Blue Ridge region nearly 300 years ago, Appalachian culture was part of my birthright. Though I lived in the suburbs, my soul was fed by visiting family in the country, where Southern food, music … 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
Sugar Mountain is a sweet little mountain village located at an altitude of 5,236 ft in the High Country of North Carolina. It’s a perfect place for year-round outdoor adventures, offering gorgeous waterfall hikes in the Summer, awesome leaf-peeping in the Fall, and snow skiing and snow tubing in the Winter. Nestled in the heart of Pisgah … 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
The Blue Ridge Parkway (and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountain towns) is heaving with options for amazing outdoor adventures. But whether it’s a rainy day, unseasonably cold, or a brutally hot scorcher, sometimes you just want to be inside for a few hours. There are countless museums along the Parkway and in neighboring towns that … 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
