BEDH_Blue_Ridge

Mileposts 384.7 (US 74 at Asheville) to 469.1 (US 441 at Great Smoky Mountains NP)

Literally the loftiest part of the Parkway, the section from US 74 in Asheville (Milepost 384.7) to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Milepost 469.1) has a feel all its own. It soars across the highest landmasses traversed by the high road. Add to that the sheer acreage of surrounding national forest lands, and you have a high and away-from-it-all experience that’s second to none.

This is where the Blue Ridge meets the jumble of mountain ranges that make up the vast heart of the Southern Appalachians. On your way to Cherokee, North Carolina, and a memorable meeting with the massive wall of the Great Smokies, the mountaintop route surveys a mountain empire unmatched in eastern America. But off-Parkway options are nearby and noteworthy.

Asheville must lead that list—indeed, more Parkway visitors enter and exit the Parkway in Asheville than at any other place. Try the city’s Urban Trail for an introduction to its vibrant downtown culture.

The biggest attraction is Biltmore House and Gardens, George W. Vanderbilt’s 250-room summer place that is the United States’ largest home. Its breathtaking gardens, interiors, and artwork are simply a must-see part of a Parkway experience. There’s bike and horseback riding and kayaking, and the new Inn on Biltmore Estate is a perfect platform for estate-raised foods and wines.

Festivals are an Asheville forte, with crafts and music as a focus. July’s Belle Chere is the state’s largest street fest. And August boasts the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the nation’s oldest event focused on mountain music.

The literary heritage of the Appalachians and the increasing popularity of modern fiction about the mountains are most apparent here. Visit Thomas Wolfe’s boyhood home before you, yourself, go home again. Both Wolfe and O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) are buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery. You can make the short side trip to Carl Sandburg’s home, Connemara, at nearby Hendersonville. Later, from the Parkway gaze at Cold Mountain, setting of the National Book Award–winning best seller.

Parkway travelers can literally check into local literary heritage at the Grove Park Inn, among the most quintessential Appalachian hotels. The preserved historic heart of the inn, with its massive fireplace, has a room that was frequently occupied by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a favorite with readers. The hotel is renowned for top-notch facilities, including a new and nationally significant spa.

Once you’re out of the city, this southernmost section of the Parkway has classic mountain towns that are at their liveliest during summer. Drop in (literally, from the Parkway) on Highlands, Cashiers, Rosman, and Brevard (with its internationally known summer music festival, held June to August).

Indeed, this is one of the best places to hop off the Parkway and take side loops.

After driving this National Park Service route, the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway is a perfect way to sample the best of the national forests flanking the road. One of the United States’ most popular scenic byways, this 79-mile national forest circuit crosses the Parkway on both sides of Shining Rock Wilderness and follows US 276, NC 215, and US 64 in the vicinity of Brevard. The trip includes the “Cradle of Forestry” facility, the nation’s earliest forestry school.

This is the “Land of Waterfalls.” Looking Glass Falls is one of the roadside attractions of the Forest Heritage Byway, as is the national forest’s natural water slide, Sliding Rock. Many national forest campgrounds and picnic areas line the route.

Other tours from town include Handmade in America’s seven craft heritage routes. From Asheville’s eateries, with a focus on locally grown seasonal produce, to the newly opened Grove Arcade Market downtown and on to out-of-the-way craft shops and galleries, these mountains are a hotbed of tradition.

This is the city where the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild was born, and the Parkway’s Folk Art Center, just north of the city, is a showcase for the work of its members. Many, many other galleries are all over town, some in unique shopping settings like Biltmore Village, a multiblock neighborhood of historic homes converted to distinctive shops. Here also is the Parkway Visitor Center (Milepost 384). The brand new, primary visitor center for the road is just in time for the Parkway’s seventy-fifth anniversary. The green building has a meadow-covered roof and exhibits on the Parkway’s vistas, history, geology, and culture. An interactive wall map covers the entire journey. And there’s a large bookstore, theater, and restrooms.

Save time for Cherokee. The tribe’s stirring culture and history come alive at Unto These Hills, an outdoor drama that tells the Trail of Tears saga (early June to late August). The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has top-notch interactive exhibits. Oconaluftee Indian Village re-creates a Cherokee town. Craft and fine artworks by members of the oldest Native American art organization are available at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc.

Between the French Broad and Nantahala Rivers, and many other watercourses, this is the best part of the Parkway for canoeing, kayaking, or whitewater rafting.

The Asheville area is full of film locations. Not far east of town is scenic Lake Lure (Dirty Dancing) and Chimney Rock, the latter a trail-laced natural area where the most memorable scenes from The Last of the Mohicans were filmed. Anywhere you go in Asheville—and especially as you take the Parkway in and out—you’ll marvel at the city’s cinematic setting.