[Updated August 12, 2021] The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited national park unit in the USA, attracting more than 15 million visitors each year. It’s far more than just a beautiful scenic roadway, encompassing nearly 500 miles in NC and VA and protecting wilderness areas extending far beyond the road’s shoulders. Within these protected … Read more
[Updated July 27, 2021] With only one or two Blue Ridge Parkway hotels in North Carolina, it’s not easy to find accommodations along the world-famous route during the peak season in Autumn. We wanted to bring our furry friends (Boo-Boo and Huckleberry) along for the ride when we visited in October, so instead we searched … Read more
Arguably ranking among the world’s great road trips, the Blue Ridge Parkway was built in the 1930s to connect Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Shenandoah National Park. Spanning 469 miles in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the BRP offers sensational scenic vistas, historic sites, and thousands of species of birds, plants and animals. … Read more
Emerald Village is located just 31 miles from Asheville and three miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The family-friendly attraction proved to be one of our favorite things to do in Little Switzerland NC, one of our favorite little tourist towns in the state. Featured on shows such as National Geographic Channel’s The Savage Line … Read more
[Updated July 29, 2021] “You don’t choose Asheville… Asheville chooses you.” This enigmatic insight from Peter White, co-owner of the Black Walnut Bed and Breakfast Inn, was a perfect summation of our fascination with what was then still a burgeoning little Blue Ridge mountain town. By our second visit to Asheville in 2014, you could really … Read more
If you’ve lived in the Southeast for a good portion of your life (as our team has), chances are you’ve been exploring Appalachia and the Blue Ridge range for years. Maybe you’ve visited state parks in North Georgia and North Carolina, hiked to various waterfalls, soaked in the scenery atop majestic mountains, or taken a road … Read more
Stretching north to south across the eastern United States, the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are truly an iconic American landscape. The Blue Ridge range encompasses over 34,000 square miles of gorgeous mountain terrain filled with towering summits, meandering rivers, lush national forests, gleaming lakes, and cascading waterfalls. So there is no shortage of breathtaking scenery … Read more
As professional travel writers/photographers, our trips are usually tightly packed with adventures. So much so that we often come home feeling like we need a vacation from our “vacation.” But our stay at the Cottages at Spring House Farms, which offers dog-friendly cottages and cabins near North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, was very different. Other … Read more
Pisgah National Forest encompasses over half a million acres of the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina. The forest is separated into three ranger districts: Appalachia and Grandfather are located north of Asheville, while Pisgah is south of it. Within the national forest‘s boundaries, visitors can explore sections of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the … Read more
Stone Mountain State Park (not to be confused with the famous North Georgia park) stands prominently just beyond the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. It’s located just a few miles away from Doughton Park, the largest recreation area on the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. Straddling the border between Wilkes and … Read more
