[Updated December 5, 2021] Whether you’re continuing a lifelong Christmas tradition or getting your first ever live tree, picking out a tree from a NC Christmas Tree Farm is truly a magical holiday moment. Especially when you’re doing it among the majestic Blue Ridge mountain overlooks and landscapes of North Carolina. Exploring rows of bright … Read more
Just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rocky ridges smooth out into the rolling hills and lively mountain streams known as the North Carolina Piedmont. North of I-40, Mt. Airy often steals the headlines. The charming mountain town is best known as the home of Andy Griffith and the setting for The Andy Griffith Show (a … Read more
[Updated 12/4/2021] There’s nothing quite like celebrating the holiday season in a magical place, and many of Western North Carolina’s small towns offer something special for Christmas lovers to experience. From parades and shopping to dazzling Christmas lights and meetings with Santa, these Blue Ridge mountain towns are the perfect place to celebrate and get … Read more
[Updated 12/3/21] There’s nothing quite like rounding up the whole family and setting out on the adventure of going to one of the many Georgia Christmas tree farms to bring home the perfect real tree after the Fall Colors in North Georgia Mountains have faded. As you explore rows and rows of bright green trees … Read more
Looking for something new to do for the Christmas holidays this year? Why not check out Christmas in Helen GA, which was recently rated the “Top Christmas Town in America” by MSN.com and one of Southern Living‘s Best Christmas Towns in the USA. It’s not difficult to understand why this tiny North Georgia mountain town … Read more
Though it wasn’t designated as one of Virginia’s State Parks until 2016, Natural Bridge of VA has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1988. It has also been one of the most popular Virginia attractions ever since before the USA was even a country. The famous 215-foot-tall Natural Bridge is so ingrained in … Read more
[Updated December 1, 2021] Although my wife Mary and I have been working as a travel writer/photographer team for over a decade now, we always make sure we’re home in time to spend Christmas in Georgia. Growing up in Atlanta, with extended family who lived far north of the city, I was blessed with … Read more
It’s been 11 years since the first Garden Lights, Holiday Nights. And over time, the Atlanta Botanical Garden Christmas lights have grown into one of our favorite things to do in North Georgia. Located next to Piedmont Park in Midtown, the 30-acre garden has been a popular Atlanta attraction for decades thanks to its … Read more
It’s a bittersweet time when you’re watching the vivid fall colors of the NC High Country begin to fade. Sad because it signals that autumn is coming to a close, but sweet because it means the holidays are coming soon! Whether we’re in our hometown of Elkin NC or visiting one of the many other … Read more
Though the tourist season may have its peaks and valleys, the North Carolina mountains are truly a nature-lover’s playground 365 days a year. Spring brings an abundance of wonderful wildflowers to the region’s best hiking trails, from striking orange flame azaleas and white mountain laurel to vivid pink rhododendrons. Summer offers warmer weather, an explosion of verdant … Read more