The 20 Best Blue Ridge Parkway Hotels & Cabin Rentals in NC & VA
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.
Visiting Eagles Landing at Eagles Nest in Banner Elk NC
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
The 25 Best Blue Ridge Parkway Restaurants in VA & NC
[Updated September 22, 2025] When we think of America’s most beloved scenic route, most people envision jaw-dropping Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks, amazing waterfalls, and/or the colorful foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Fall. Commerce and other signs of “civilization” rarely enter our idyllic picture of the BRP, which is America’s #1 most visited National Park. … Read more
The 10 Best Things to Do in Sparta NC & Alleghany County
The border between North Carolina and Virginia has a certain level of mystique about it. In our experience, the Appalachian culture, agriculture, music, and enduring wildness of the area make it uniquely magical. Located about 7 miles west of where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses US-21, the Town of Sparta really epitomizes this special quality. … Read more
The 15 Best Waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC & VA
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
2025 Blue Ridge Mountains Fall Colors Forecast
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
Visiting the 2025 Blue Ridge Blues & BBQ Festival in Blue Ridge GA
[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
The 10 Best Mountain Towns Along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Visit
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
The 10 Best Things To Do in Sugar Mountain NC
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
The 10 Best Living History Museums in the Blue Ridge Mountains
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