Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway – Episode 765

Hear about a road trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brett Love from Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide.

Brett says, “We have decided that we want to move to the mountains. And we really started the Blue Ridge Mountains travel guide as a way to explore the Blue Ridge region in search of our next home. One of the first things we wanted to do was a Big Blue Ridge Parkway road trip. We did our first one last year and we’ve since done various sections of it. Some of them two or three times. We have since traveled the entire length of the parkway and just really love it.”

“For those who don’t know, just a little bit of history, FDR came up with the concept of connecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, with Shenandoah National Park and Virginia, using this amazing 416 nine mile or so highway, that was really one of the first truly great conservation initiatives to preserve the wilderness of eastern United States. This road has no real hotels, no real commerce, no real restaurants or gas stations or anything. It’s just unspoiled beauty for 469 miles. How can you not love that?”

There are 200 overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway with little help while you are on the road for which ones you should stop at and which ones you should skip. We talk about the entire road from north to south and make some suggestions. 

Some overlooks have great views. Some overlooks have great hikes.  There are a few lakes, a canal, some historic cabins, a historic folk art center, two National Parks, a couple of bluegrass music centers, and lots and lots of waterfalls. 

This is one of the best road trips in the U.S. Whether you explore the Blue Ridge Parkway all at once or in segments, in summer or with fall colors, if you like to drive you should drive the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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Sponsors

This episode of Amateur Traveler is sponsored by Expedia‘s flagship travel show Out Travel The System. Learn where to stay, what to do, and how to live like a local.

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Show Notes

Green Global Travel
Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide
Blue Ridge Parkway
Skyline Drive
Hiking – Blue Ridge Parkway
Woodrow Wilson Library and Museum – Staunton, VA
Appalachian Trail
How to Get to Otter Falls
Peaks of Otter Lodge
Brinegar Cabin
Mabry Mill
Old Fiddler’s Convention
Julian Price Memorial Park
Blowing Rock
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
Grandfather Mountain
Mile High Swinging Bridge
The 25 Best Things to Do in Asheville NC
Asheville Tours
Oconaluftee Visitor Center – Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Trail of Tears
Asheville Episode
Cúrate Restaurant
Craggy Gardens
Pisgah Inn
Rough Ridge Hike, Blue Ridge Parkway
Linville Caverns
Linville Falls
Mount Mitchell State Park
Folk Art Center – Blue Ridge Parkway
Lazy Hiker Brewing – Brewing Awesome Beers in Franklin, NC
Craggy Gardens – Blue Ridge Parkway
Graveyard Fields
Devil’s Courthouse Trail
Richland Balsam Trail
Waynesville, NC

Community

**** yellowloafofbread

Interesting one. Would like show notes with lists and links.
Really like the way things are described peppered with local stories and history. Would prefer to see lists of places and links to his blog and others in the show notes. I couldn’t find anything for the Slovenia episode, for example.
[every episode has a show notes page like this as well as show notes in the lyrics of the episode]

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