©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY ROAD TRIPS

Amy C Balfour, Maxwell, Regis St Louis, Greg Ward HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Symbols In This Book Reviews KTop Tips Food & In the Destinations section: Drink All reviews are ordered in our authors’ Link preference, starting with their most Your Trips Outdoors preferred option. Additionally: Tips from Sights are arranged in the geographic Essential Locals Photo order that we suggest you visit them and, within this order, by author preference. Trip Walking Detour Tour Eating and Sleeping reviews are ordered by price range (budget, midrange, top end) and, History & within these ranges, by author preference. Culture 5 Eating Family 4 Sleeping

Map Legend

Routes Trips Trip Route Trip Numbers 1 Sights 4 Sleeping Trip Detour Linked Trip Trip Stop r Beaches 5 Eating Walk Route Tollway Walking tour 2 Activities 6 Drinking Freeway Primary Trip Detour C Courses 3 Entertainment Secondary Tertiary Population T Tours 7 Shopping Lane Capital (National) Unsealed Road Capital z Festivals Information & Plaza/Mall (State/Province) & Events 8 Transportation Steps City/Large Town Tunnel Town/Village Pedestrian Overpass Areas Walk Track/Path Beach These symbols and abbreviations give Cemetery vital information for each listing: Boundaries (Christian) International Cemetery (Other) State/Province Park % Telephone # Pet-friendly Cliff Forest number g Bus Reservation h Hydrography Urban Area Opening hours f Ferry River/Creek Sportsground p Parking j Tram Intermittent River n Nonsmoking Swamp/Mangrove Transport d Train a Canal Airport Air-conditioning apt apartments Water BART station i Internet access Dry/Salt/ Boston T station d double rooms W Intermittent Lake Cable Car/ Wi-fi access dm dorm beds Glacier Funicular s Swimming pool q quad rooms Metro/Muni station v Route Markers Parking Vegetarian r rooms selection US National Hwy Subway station s single rooms US Interstate Hwy Train/Railway E English-language State Hwy Tram menu ste suites Underground station c Family-friendly tr triple rooms Note: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book tw twin rooms CONTENTS

PLAN YOUR TRIP DESTINATIONS

Welcome to the Virginia...... 54 Blue Ridge Parkway...... 5 Richmond...... 55 Blue Ridge Parkway Map...... 6 Charlottesville...... 62 Blue Ridge Parkway’s Highlights...... 8 ...... 66 69 City Guide...... 10 Staunton...... Lexington...... 71 Need to Know...... 12 Roanoke...... 75 Floyd...... 77 ROAD TRIPS Galax...... 78 Abingdon...... 79 ...... 82 Skyline High Country...... 83 1 Drive 3 Days...... 17 Asheville...... 86 Blue Ridge 2 Parkway: Cherokee...... 95 Virginia 3 Days...... 25 Brevard...... 96 Crooked Pisgah National Forest...... 97 3 Road 3–4 Days...... 33 Bryson City...... 98 Blue Ridge Nantahala National Forest...... 99 4 Parkway: North Carolina 5 Days...... 43 Great Smoky Mountains National Park...... 100 Charlotte...... 112 Winston-Salem...... 116

ROAD TRIP ESSENTIALS.....118

Destinations

Virginia (p54) Natural beauty, history, mountain music, wineries and craft breweries, Virginia’s got it all.

North Carolina (p82) During the day wear yourself out with the many out- door adventures on offer, then relax with a beautiful meal and a craft beer at night.

North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway ANTHONY HEFLIN / SHUTTERSTOCK © ©Lone- ly Planet Publications Pty Ltd

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THIS BOOK Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson This 1st edition of Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trips BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map was researched and written by Amy C Balfour, of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Virginia Maxwell, Regis St Louis and Greg Ward. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 163344. This guidebook was produced by the following: Cover photographs: Front: view from Waterrock Destination Editor Trisha Ping Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, NaturalStock/ Barbara Delissen Shutterstock ©; Back: Mabry Mill, Crooked Road, Product Editor anthony heflin/Shutterstock © Cartographer Valentina Kremenchutskaya Regional Senior Cartographer Alison Lyall Senior Product Editor Vicky Smith Book Designers Fergal Condon, Mazzy Prinsep Assisting Editors Andrew Bain, James Bainbridge, Carly Hall Cover Researcher Naomi Parker Thanks to Andrea Dobbin, Anne Mason, Wibowo Rusli, Angela Tinson

OUR STORY A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born. Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Dublin, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

123 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

INDEX

Blowing Rock 45-6, 85-6 campgrounds 28, 75 A Blue Ridge Highlands 75-81 canoeing 58, 72, 84, 110, 112 Abingdon 40, 79-81 Blue Ridge Music Center 39 car insurance 118 Abrams Falls 106-7 Blue Ridge Parkway, see car rental 12, 119-20 accommodation 13 also individual locations Carter Family Fold 40-1 Alum Cave Bluffs 104-5 construction 46 Cataloochee Valley 107-9 71 planner 31 cell phones 12 Asheville 9, 11, 49, 86-95, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Charlies Bunion 103 87, 89 Center 49 Charlotte 112-16, 114 accommodation 11, 89-91 Boone 45, 83-5 Charlottesville 62-5, 64 drinking & nightlife 92-4 Brevard 96-7 Chateau Morrisette 78 entertainment 94 breweries Cherokee 95-6 festivals & events 88 Abingdon 81 Cherokee National Forest 113 food 11, 91-2 Asheville 88, 92-3, 94 Chimney Rock Park 50 shopping 94-5 Blowing Rock 86 climate 12 sights 86-8 Brevard 97 Cold Mountain 50 tourist information 95 Bryson City 99 costs 13 tours 88 Charlotte 115 Cradle of Forestry in America travel to/from 95 Charlottesville 65 98 travel within 11 Galax 78 Crooked Road 33-41 Richmond 61 cycling B Roanoke 77 Abingdon 79-80 Staunton 71 Brevard 96-7 barbecue 40 Winston-Salem 117 Bryson City 98 Bearfence Mountain 23 Bristol 41 Cades Cove 107 Bedford 30 Bristol Motor Speedway 41 Charlotte 112 beer 93, see also breweries Bryson City 98-9 Knoxville 110 Asheville Ale Trail 93 business hours 13 National Richmond Beer Trail 61 Recreation Area 79-80 Benton Falls 113 Nantahala National Big Meadows 23, 66 C Forest 100 Biltmore Estate 49-50 Cades Cove 105-7 Tsali Recreation Area Calloway Peak 47 99-100 campervan rental 120 000 Map pages

124 Floydfest 77 High Creek 39 D Mountain Dance & Folk highlights 8-9 Dark Hollow Falls 23 Festival 88 hiking Dinosaur Kingdom II 30 Old Fiddlers’ Convention 39 Appalachian Trail 71 Dinosaur Land 19 Smoke on the Mountain Bearfence Mountain 23 Dirty Dancing 76 Barbecue Brevard 96-7 Championship 40 Doc Watson 45 Bryson City 98 Fisher Peak 39 Dollywood 41, 109 Cades Cove 107 Fishers Gap Overlook 22

‘Drama of Creation’ light Cataloochee Valley 108-9 INDEX Flat Top Trail 29 show 28 Charlotte 112

Floyd 36, 77-8 driving 118-22 Cherokee National D-H car rental 12, 119-20 Floyd Country Store 78 Forest 113 documents 118 Foggy Mountain Gem Mine 45 Fisher Peak 39 driver’s license 118 Folk Art Center 48 Grandfather Mountain 47 fuel 12, 122 food 13 Great Smoky Mountains insurance 118 Front Royal 18-19 National Park 101 maps 120 Frontier Culture Museum Harry F Byrd Visitor Center 27, 69 parking 122 23 fuel 12, 122 road distances 121 Hawksbill 22 road rules 121-2 High Creek 39 safety 120-1, 122 G James River 28-9 websites 119 Galax 39-40, 78-9 Lewis Mountain 23 drunk driving 121 Garden Maze 22 Linville Falls 47 gas 12, 122 Mathews Arm 20 E Gatlinburg 96 McAfee Knob 29 Gatlinburg Trail 105 Moses H Cone Memorial elk 108 Grandfather Mountain 46-7 Park 46 Elk Run Trail 29 Great Smoky Mountains Mount Rogers National Elkwallow Wayside 20 National Park 51, 100-11, Recreation Area 79-80 emergencies 12 102-3 Mt Mitchell State Park 48 Erwin’s View Trail 47 accommodation 109-11 Mt Pisgah 50 events, see festivals & events food 111 Newfound Gap Road 101, sights 101-9 102, 103, 104-5 F tourist offices 111 29 Roan Mountain State Fairy Stone State Park 38 travel to/from 111 Park 48 fall foliage 36 Groundhog Mountain 38-9 Rocky Knob 36 Fallingwater Cascades Trail Round Meadow Creek Loop 29 H Trail 38 festivals & events Hardwood Cove Nature Shenandoah National Park Appalachian Summer Trail 36 66, 68 Festival 84 Harry F Byrd Visitor Center Skyland 21 Brevard Music Festival 97 22-3 Smart View Recreational Craft Fair of the Southern Hawksbill 22, 66 Area 35-6 Highlands 88 High Country 83-6 Whiteoak Canyon 21-2

125 Hiltons 40-1 mobile phones 12 Historic City Market 35 money 13 O horseback riding 21, 102 Monticello 63 Old Fiddlers’ Convention 39 Humpback Rocks 27 Moses H Cone Memorial 66 Huntly 19 Park 46 opening hours 13 motorcycle rental 119-20 Original Mast General Store I Mount Rogers National 44 Recreation Area 79 Otter Creek Trail 28 insurance 118 mountain biking, see cycling Overall Run Falls 20 INDEX internet access 13 Mountain Lake Hotel 76 overlooks

mountain music, see music H-R Bearfence Mountain 23 J Mt LeConte 105 Carlos C Campbell James River 28-9 Mt Mitchell State Park 9, 48 Overlook 105 James River Trail 29 Mt Pisgah Trail 50 Clingmans Dome 103-4 Johnson Farm 29 Museum of the Cherokee Fishers Gap Overlook 22 Indian 51 Humpback Rocks 27 K Museum of the Shenandoah Inspiration Point 105 Valley 20 kayaking 58, 72, 84, 110, 112 Lewis Mountain 23 music 9, 122 Kephart Prong Trail 102 Mt Pisgah 50 Asheville 49, 88 Knoxville 110 Newfound Gap 102-3 Blue Ridge Music Center 39 Boone 49 P L Brevard 97 parking 122 Lewis Falls 23 Carter Family Fold 40 Peaks of Otter 29 Lewis Mountain 23 Floyd 36, 78 petrol 12, 122 Lexington 27-8, 71-4, 73 Galax 39, 40 Philpott Lake 38 Limberlost Trail 22 history 40 Pigeon Forge 109 Linville Falls 47 Humpback Rocks 27 Pisgah National Forest Little Devils Stairs 20 Little Switzerland 49 97-8 Lower Hawksbill Trail 22 Old Fiddlers’ Convention Luray 20-1 39 Luray Caverns 20 venues 49 R rafting M N Boone 84 Bryson City 98 Mabry Mill 38 Nantahala National Forest maps 120 99-100 Charlotte 112 Mathews Arm 20 National D-Day Memorial 30 Cherokee National Forest 113 McAfee Knob 29 Natural Bridge 28 Nantahala National microbreweries, see Newfound Gap Rd 101-5 Forest 100 breweries North Carolina 82-117 Richmond 58 Mile High Swinging Bridge history 82 Rainbow Falls 105 46 internet resources 82 Rappahannock Cellars 19 travel to/from 82 000 Map pages

126 Richmond 55-62, 56 Smart View Trail 36 waterfalls accommodation 58-9 Smith Mountain Lake 30-1 Abrams Falls 106-7 activities 58 Smith Mountain Lake State Benton Falls 113 drinking & nightlife 61 Park 31 Dark Hollow Falls 23 entertainment 62 Staunton 26-7, 69-71, 70 Lewis Falls 23 food 59-61 Story of the Forest 23 Linville Falls 47 parking 62 Margarette Falls 113 sights 55-8 T Overall Run Falls 20

tourist office 62 telephone services 12 Rainbow Falls 105 INDEX travel to/from 62 tipping 13 Sliding Rock Recreation

Riprap Trail 68 Traces Trail 66 Area 98 R-W road distances 121 Trail of Trees 29 Whiteoak Canyon 22 road rules 121-2 transport 13 Waterrock Knob Visitor Center 50 Roan Mountain State Park 48 Tsali Recreation Area 99-100 weather 12 Roanoke 10, 31, 34-5, 75-7 tubing 72, 84, 88 websites 119 Rock Castle Gorge Trail 36 Tweetsie Railroad 46 Rocky Knob 36-8 Whiteoak Canyon 21-2 Rose River Loop 22 U wi-fi 13 Round Meadow Creek Loop wildflowers 36 Trail 38 University of Virginia 62-3 wineries 60 RV rental 120 Upper Hawksbill Trail 22 Barboursville Vineyards 60 Bluemont Vineyard 60 S V Breaux Vineyards 60 Chateau Morrisette 78 safety 120-1, 122 Valle Crucis 44-5 Grace Estate 60 Salem 116-17 viewpoints, see overlooks Hickory Hill Winery 31 Sharp Top Trail 29 vineyards, see wineries King Family Vineyards 60 Shenandoah National Park Virginia 54-81 Ox-Eye Vineyard Tasting 66-9, 67 history 54 Room 69 Shenandoah Valley 66-74 travel to/from 54-5 Peaks of Otter Winery 30 travel to/from 66 Virginia Creeper Trail 79-80 Pippin Hill 65 Skyland 21, 66 Virginia Military Institute Sunset Hills Vineyard 60 Skyland Stables 21 27-8, 72 Tarara Vineyard 60 17-23 White Rock vineyards 30 Sliding Rock Recreation W Winston 116-17 Area 98 Washington & Lee University Smart View Recreational 28, 72 Winston-Salem 116-17 Area 35-6 Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library 27

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OUR WRITERS

REGIS ST LOUIS AMY C BALFOUR Regis grew up in a small town in Amy practiced law in Virginia the American Midwest – the kind before moving to Los Angeles to of place that fuels big dreams try to break in as a screenwriter. of travel – and he developed an After a stint as a writer’s early fascination with foreign assistant on Law & Order, she dialects and world cultures. jumped into freelance writing, He spent his formative years learning Russian and focusing on travel, food and the outdoors. She has a handful of Romance languages, which served him hiked, biked and paddled across Southern California well on journeys across much of the globe. Regis has and the Southwest. She recently criss-crossed the contributed to more than 50 Lonely Planet titles, Great Plains in search of the region’s best burgers and covering destinations across six continents. His travels barbecue. have taken him from the mountains of Kamchatka to remote island villages in Melanesia, and to many grand VIRGINIA MAXWELL urban landscapes. When not on the road, he lives in Although based in Australia, New Orleans. Virginia spends at least half of her year updating Lonely Planet GREG WARD destination coverage across the Since whetting his appetite for globe. The Mediterranean is her travel by following the hippy major area of interest – she has trail to India, and later living in covered Spain, Italy, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, northern Spain, Greg Ward has Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia for LP – but she also covers written guides to destinations Finland, Bali, Armenia, the Netherlands, the US and all over the world. As well as Australia for LP products. Follow her @maxwellvirginia covering the USA from the Southwest to Hawaii, he on Instagram and Twitter. has ranged on recent assignments from Corsica to the Cotswolds, and Japan to Corfu. See his website, www. gregward.info, for his favourite photos and memories.

Published by Lonely Planet Global Limited CRN 554153 Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason- 1st edition – Mar 2019 able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about ISBN 978 1 7886 8274 9 the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi- © Lonely Planet 2019 Photographs © as indicated 2019 mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in China All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

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