Asheville has so much to offer outdoor enthusiasts and one of the best of these is The Blue Ridge Parkway! When you stay at one of the inns of the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association, your innkeepers can help with advice to make the most of your trip.
While the Blue Ridge Parkway closes completely in the winter, innkeepers stay up to the minute using the Realtime Road Closures map, especially in spring and fall. It can be a sunny day in downtown, but the higher elevations will still have icy conditions. There is also the chance for pavement preservation work as some stretches are 80 years old and in need of upkeep.
The Parkway is one of Western North Carolina’s leading attractions. It was conceived by President Franklyn Delano Roosevelt when, it 1933, he visited the newly constructed Skyline Drive in Virginia. His host, Virginia Senator Harry Byrd, suggested to Roosevelt that the road should be extended to connect it to the recently created Smoky Mountains National Park straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. This conversation led to a meeting of Roosevelt with the governors of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee during which the byway’s planning team was created. Once plans had been developed, Interior Secretary Harold Ickles approved the “park-to-park” highway as a public works project.
Today the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s most visited national parks. Extending 469 miles, some of its most popular driving sections are located in and around Asheville. So if you’re looking for a scenic retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city, the parkway offers some GREAT nearby destinations to enjoy…
Hiking
The Parkway’s website identifies countless options for hiking along its route. Many trails are located at or near some of the more popular overlooks where parking is usually available and where picnic facilities are often available. These trails are usually fairly easy and well suited for day hikers. We usually suggest that interested guests visit the areas around Craggy Gardens, Graveyard Fields and Linville Falls.
Views
The Parkway is probably best known for the breathtaking views it offers visitors. Designed and built to follow the ridge lines of the mountains along its route, it is definitely a “high way”! Along its route, overlooks provide parking and easy access to spectacular views that are great for capturing the perfect sunset….or selfie!
Visitor’s Center
One of only a few such facilities along the Parkway, the Asheville Visitor Center is a great place to stop to learn more about Western North Carolina. Here one can enjoy an award-winning film and exhibits that feature the natural and cultural heritage, the economic traditions and recreational opportunities found in the area.
Folk Art Center
The Folk Art Center is definitely one of the jewels in Asheville’s crown! Home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the center showcases some of the finest in traditional and contemporary crafts of the Southern Appalachians. Here you will find beautiful examples of work by such unique artists as quilters, broom makers. woodworkers, sculptors, and painters. The center, located along the Parkway 5 miles east of Asheville, also houses three galleries, where periodic exhibitions are presented, a library and an amazing bookstore.
Mount Mitchell and Mount Pisgah
Two of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States can be found within a 45-minute drive of the urban center of Asheville. Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mount Pisgah (5,722 feet) are fascinating places to visit given the 360-degree views that each can offer. Around these peaks, visitors will also find great hiking trails and facilities for picnicking.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
GSMNP is America’s most visited national park with over 11 million visitors each year. It straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee and encompasses 522,419 acres. its eastern edges are an easy 45-minute drive from Asheville. Inside the park, visitors will enjoy its lush forests and abundant wildflowers, miles of streams and rivers, spectacular waterfalls and also a network of hiking trails that include the Appalachian Trail.
With so many options for enjoying the nearby mountains along its route, the Blue Ridge Parkway might just be the perfect, peaceful complement to a visit to Asheville to enjoy its exciting smorgasbord of things to do and see…great restaurants, great attractions, great breweries, great art and culture and a great music scene.
Let us help you plan your getaway to the mountains of Western North Carolina. All our of inns are waiting for you to Book Direct with us. Come take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway!
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