In the mid-1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched a massive program to cut a 469-mile road through the North Carolina and Virginia mountains. More than 80 years later, the Blue Ridge Parkway remains the most popular scenic byway in the country.
Dozens of families once called the cottages surrounding the textile factory on the banks of the Henry River home. Today, the humble tract of houses near Hickory has found new purpose and a promising future.
Six nature lovers set out on different life paths, but each route ultimately led to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The scenic drive from Cherokee to the Virginia state line guarantees beauty in more ways than one. Take a detour off the Blue Ridge Parkway to meet some of the artists inspired by our majestic mountains, wild landscapes, and natural diversity — and to appreciate a different sort of view.
At the Folk Art Center just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, artisans share the language of Appalachian craft with younger generations.
On fall break from college in the early 1980s, a writer and his loyal English setter took a road trip from Watauga County to the Qualla Boundary, accompanied by the sweet sounds of fiddles, banjos, and high-lonesome harmonies.
At these seven wineries, time and a little bit of sugar transform our state grape, the scuppernong, into a beverage that’s a bit like us: sweetly Southern.
There’s no lack of incredible barbecue joints here, but you can begin to cover your bases with this tasty tour across the state.
An artist with a taste for brandy has transformed an abandoned building into The Brandy Bar, a space where complex fruit flavors mingle with colorful art.
