Publication: Weekend GetAways
The Blue Ridge Parkway | |
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WEEKEND GETAWAYS - Friday, October 26, 2007
Make The Most Of Your Vacation - From Coast to Coast!
Greetings Getaway Lover,
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile scenic corridor
that runs through the southern Appalachian Mountains
from Shenandoah National Park, in Virginia, to Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, on the North Carolina-
Tennessee border. It has much in common with these
parks -- notably motor-vehicle access to hiking,
camping, and picnicking opportunities; cultural and
historical attractions; and modern lodgings nestled
in some of the most striking mountain scenery in the
East.
Conceived in 1933 as a Great Depression-era public
works effort, the Blue Ridge Parkway was begun in 1935
-- the first rural national parkway -- and finished in
1987. Its aim was to link the parks and to fight the
area's dire unemployment. Today the parkway attracts
more than 20 million visitors.
Happy Trails,
Jan
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--DESTINATION: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
The Blue Ridge's attraction is its elevated views of the
wooded mountains and valleys that typify the Southern
Highlands: modest peaks cloaked in a lush, leafy canopy
of oak, hickory, and maple, with an occasional evergreen
highlight of hemlock, spruce, or fir. With the exception
of North Carolina's 6,684-foot Mt. Mitchell, the highest
mountain east of the Mississippi, only a few Blue Ridge
summits peak above 4,000 feet, but, the Blue Ridge
Parkway reaches its highest point at Richland Balsam,
which is 6,047 feet. Enveloping this expanse is the
bluish haze that allegedly gave the Blue Ridge its name.
Originally a product of moisture given off by the forest,
today's haze is frequently infiltrated by airborne pollu-
tion that occasionally restricts views and has damaged
some of the high-elevation foliage.
More than six decades and 600 million visitors after it
first opened, the parkway attracts a steady but uncrowded
flow of weekday visitors from April through September;
highest visitation is on summer weekends and during
October's peak fall foliage, which usually occurs the
second or third week of the month. In particularly popular
areas, such as Virginia's Mabry Mill (Milepost 176.1), the
traffic can sometimes resemble a big-city traffic jam --
the parkway is the most visited area in the 368-unit
National Park System. Few travel the road in winter, and
sections are frequently closed due to ice and snow.
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--WHAT TO DO AND SEE:
Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum
Museum/Gallery, Brevard
One more piece of evidence in the case that there's a
museum for everything, this installation features those
tacky aluminum trees from the 1950s and '60s. Among the
tackiest: the Elvis tree and the Tammy Faye Bakker tree.
The museum, open annually from Thanksgiving to New Year's,
is the creation of Brevard resident Stephen Paul Jackson.
The venue varies from year-to-year. In 2003, the museum
was at Kris Klassics store, 36 W. Main St. If you are in
the area around Christmas, for time and place check with
the Brevard Chamber of Commerce/Visitors Information
Center
Address: 35 W. Main St., Brevard, NC, USA
Phone: 828/883-3700
Audie Murphy Monument
Memorial/Monument, Blacksburg
On May 28, 1971, America's most decorated World War II
veteran, who later became an actor, died when his plane
struck Brush Mountain amid thick fog. A peaceful half-
mile ridge-top walk leads to a simple monument, built by
the Christiansburg Veterans of Foreign Wars, that marks
the site of the crash and summarizes Audie Murphy's life.
An overlook below the monument has a fine view of the
Craig Creek Valley. Although the path to the monument is
relatively smooth, the road to the top of Brush Mountain
is winding, steep, and rocky; the monument is also
accessible via a steep 4-mi Appalachian Trail climb.
Address: Forest Service Rd. 188.1, from Blacksburg, follow
Mount Tabor Rd. [Rte. 624] 12 mi east, turn left onto Rte.
650 at the sign, follow it 5 mi as it becomes a forest
service road to the dead end on top of Brush Mountain,
Blacksburg, VA, USA
Ash Lawn-Highland
House/Mansion, Charlottesville
Two miles from Monticello, the modest Ash Lawn-Highland
is marked by the personality of the president who lived
in it. But the building is no longer the simple farmhouse
built in 1799 for James Monroe; a later owner added on a
more prominent two-story section. The small rooms inside
are crowded with gifts from notable people and with
souvenirs from Monroe's time as envoy to France. Ash Lawn-
Highland today is a 535-acre farm where peacocks and sheep
roam. The outdoor Ash Lawn Opera Festival, during which
one of the country's top-ranked summer opera companies
performs, draws music aficionados July through August.
www.ashlawnhighland.org. COST: $9. OPEN: Apr.-Oct., daily
9-6; Nov.-Mar., daily 11-5.
Address: 1000 James Monroe Pkwy., Rte. 795 southwest of
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: 434/293-9539
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Other Places of Interest:
Asheville Urban Trail
Tour, Asheville
This 1.7-mi walk developed by the City of Asheville has
about 30 "stations," with plaques marking places of
historical or architectural interest. The self-guided
tour begins at Pack Place Education, Arts & Science
Center. To enhance your experience, you can rent an audio
guide at the Asheville Art Museum, which is part of the
Pack Place complex. From April to November, guided group
tours are usually scheduled at 10 and 3 on Saturday,
weather permitting. www.urbantrails.net. COST: Audio guide
$5, tour $5.
Address: 2 S. Pack Sq., at Pack Place (Asheville Art
Museum), Asheville, NC, USA
Phone: 828/258-0710
Appomattox Court House
Historic District/Site, Lynchburg
Twenty-five miles east of Lynchburg, the village of
Appomattox Court House has been restored to its appear-
ance of April 9, 1865. It was on that day that the
Confederate General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern
Virginia to General Grant. There are 27 structures in
the national historical park; most can be entered. A
highlight is the reconstructed McLean House, in whose
parlor the articles of surrender were signed. The self-
guided tour is well planned and introduced by exhibits
and slide shows in the reconstructed courthouse. Inter-
preters cast as soldiers and villagers answer questions
in the summer. COST: June-Aug., $4; Sept.-May, $3. OPEN:
Daily 8:30-5.
Address: 3 mi north of Appomattox, on State Rte. 24,
Lynchburg, VA, USA Phone: 434/352-8987
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--WHERE TO SLEEP:
200 South Street Inn
$130 to $250, Charlottesville
Two houses, one of them a former brothel, have been com-
bined and restored to create this old-fashioned inn in
the historic district, one block from the Downtown Mall.
Furnishings throughout are English and Belgian antiques.
Several rooms come with a canopy bed, sitting room,
fireplace, and whirlpool. www.southstreetinn.com. 16
rooms, 3 suites. In-hotel: public Internet, no-smoking
rooms. AE, DC, MC, V. Continental breakfast.
Address: 200 South St., Downtown, Charlottesville, VA
22902, USA
Phone: 434/979-0200 or 800/964-7008
Fax: 434/979-4403
Alpine Motel
Under $80, Abingdon
The spacious, modern rooms of this clean motel have
striking views of Virginia's highest mountain peaks:
Mt. Rogers and Whitetop. The motel is set far back
from the road and is therefore popular with families,
as well as traveling salespeople. The Barter Theatre
is nearby. 19 rooms. In-hotel: public Internet. AE, D,
MC, V.
Address: 882 E. Main St., Abingdon, VA 24210, USA
Phone: 276/628-3178
Fax: 276/628-3179
Banner Elk Inn Bed & Breakfast and Cottages
$80 to $250, Banner Elk
Here, less than ½ mi from Banner Elk's only stoplight,
you have the choice of either traditional B&B rooms in
a restored 1912 farm house or spacious cottages with
kitchens. Even if you opt for one of pewter-gray, newly
constructed cottages at the back of the main house, you
can get a full B&B breakfast on weekends, or a con-
tinental breakfast weekdays. Owner Beverly Lait also
offers several vacation rental houses nearby.
www.bannerelkinn.com. 6 rooms, 3 cottages. In-room: no
a/c (some), kitchen (some), no TV (some). MC, V. Full
breakfast.
Address: 407 Main St. E, Banner Elk, NC 28604, USA
Phone: 828/898-6223 or 800/295-7851
--WHERE TO DINE:
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
Pizza, Under $7 to $14, Asheville
Locally known as the "Brew 'n View," this funky eatery-
cum-movie theater is extremely popular. Grab a micro-brew
beer and a pizza with portobello mushrooms and fresh
spinach, and watch Star Wars from the comfort of an old
sofa. MC, V.
Address: 675 Merrimon Ave., North Metro, Asheville, NC,
USA Phone: 828/254-1281
Best Cellar
American, $7 to $30, Blowing Rock
Surely this is the only log cabin restaurant in North
Carolina with valet parking, an oyster bar, and an
extensive wine list. Don't let the rustic cabin fool
you -- the Best Cellar is among the best restaurants
in the High Country and has been since 1976. The menu
isn't particularly daring, running to upscale standards
like steak au poivre, roast duck, and veal marsala,
with seasonal seafood dishes such as soft-shell crab.
The martinis are ice cold and huge, and the seafood
appetizer sampler, featuring oysters Rockefeller, crab
cakes, boiled shrimp, and other goodies is almost a
meal in itself. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.
Closed Sun. No lunch.
Address: Off U.S. 321 bypass, Blowing Rock, NC, USA
Phone: 828/295-3466
C&O Restaurant
French, $7 to $30, Charlottesville
A boarded-up storefront hung with an illuminated Pepsi
sign conceals one of the best restaurants in town. The
formal dining room upstairs, the lively bistro downstairs,
and the cozy mezzanine in between share a French-
influenced menu that has Pacific Rim and American South-
west touches. For a starter try the veal sweetbreads
simmered in cream; the entrées include steak chinois
(flank steak panfried with soy sauce and fresh ginger
cream). The wine list is 300 strong.
www.candorestaurant.com. AE, MC, V.
Address: 515 E. Water St., Downtown, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: 434/971-7044
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The travel destinations and events that appear in this
newsletter have been selected by our editors. Apart from
those offers clearly set apart from the text, none of the
links presented here are paid promotions for any company
or organization.
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