[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
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
Is Andy Griffith’s Mayberry a real town? That depends on who you ask. In our experience, many folks living in Mount Airy NC would like to believe so. As you walk down Main Street in this friendly little North Carolina town, you can’t help but notice the many homages to The Andy Griffith Show. Of … Read more
There are plenty of fun things to do in Cherokee NC, which is located on the Oconaluftee River, just 10 miles from Bryson City and 5 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located within the Qualla Boundary (a land trust held on behalf of the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee), Downtown Cherokee is … 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
We’ve explored nearly 50 different Blue Ridge Mountain towns since we launched this site in 2020. But we’ve probably stayed in less than a dozen hotels during all that time. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with hotels, mind you. Many of them offer budget-friendly prices, proximity to popular activities and attractions, and plenty of … Read more
In the 15+ years we’ve been exploring Blue Ridge Mountain towns, we’ve had a chance to visit many of the best places to stay in Asheville NC. From charming B&Bs and hotels in Downtown Asheville to cabin rentals and historic inns nearby, there are countless options for accommodations around town. In fact, there are nearly 80 … Read more
