[Updated May 9, 2023] Cherokee, North Carolina is not like any other town we’ve ever visited during our extensive explorations of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s partly because most of the area lies within the Qualla Boundary, which is held as a land trust by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs for the federally recognized Eastern … Read more
Growing up in North Georgia, lakes were always a huge part of my summer vacation because my grandparents had one of those homey little cabins on Lake Hartwell. It was there that I first fell in love with the natural beauty lakes had to offer, from the fascinating wildlife and gorgeous scenic vistas to colorful wildflowers … Read more
[Updated January 8, 2024] One of the things people don’t tell you about taking a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip is how remarkably uncommercialized this 469-mile slice of Appalachian Americana is. You can drive for 50-100 miles and never see any Blue Ridge Parkway hotels, resorts, restaurants, or gas stations. Which is precisely what makes … 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
With hundreds of memorials, museums, and VA battlefields to see, visiting all of the Civil War sites in Virginia would be an impressive feat. In fact, there are more Civil War battlefields in VA than in any other state! Almost anywhere you travel, you’re just a stone’s throw away from historic sites dedicated to the … Read more
We’ve visited around 50 different Blue Ridge Mountain towns in the last few years. And in our experience, the town of Cashiers NC is something of an anomaly. Located east of Highlands, less than 10 miles north of the South Carolina border, Cashiers doesn’t have the charming downtown area we typically associate with our favorite … 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
[Updated January 8, 2024] My earliest memories of the Blue Ridge Mountains are of backpacking trips with our church youth group, which my parents led. I was no more than 6 years old the first time we made our way north to Blue Ridge, Georgia. We’d stock up on supplies in town before heading to … Read more
Of all the lovely places to visit in Georgia, the Bavarian-inspired town of Helen is probably the one we’ve visited the most. From its charming Alpine architecture, quirky personality, and traditional German restaurants to an array of outdoor attractions (including the 3,166-foot Yonah Mountain and the Appalachian Trail), there’s a lot to love about Helen. You could … Read more
