What To Do

Highlights & Happenings

• Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility built to preserve and promote the historic music of Virginia and the Blue Ridge. The Blue Ridge region has produced more old-time and bluegrass musicians per capita than any o
• Craggy Gardens, MP 364
These high elevation summits are home to spectacular floral displays. June and July are usually prime times to view the pink and purple blooms of rhododendron, but don’t despair if you miss the peak bloom. Violets, blackberry, May-apple, a
• Rocky Knob & Mabry Mill, MP 169, 176.2
These Parkway treasures offer many opportunities for visitors including hiking, camping, picnicking, and one of the most-photographed structures along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
• Doughton Park, MP 240
Renew your senses amid this landscape of open meadows. Doughton Park is one of the best places along the Blue Ridge Parkway to view white-tailed deer, raccoons, red and grey foxes, and bobcats.  Flowers burst on the scene in late spring and crea
• Folk Art Center, Milepost 382
The Folk Art Center showcases the finest in traditional and contemporary craft of the Southern Appalachians. It houses the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s century-old Allanstand Craft Shop, exhibitions in three galleries, a library and an audit
• Julian Price Memorial Park, MP 297
A majestic 4,200 acres at the foot of Grandfather Mountain, named in honor of Julian Price, comprises this popular park and lies directly adjacent to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. Together these parks make up the largest developed area set as
• James River, MP 64
The James River crosses Virginia from the Alleghenies to the Atlantic Ocean and has been a major transportation artery through Virginia for centuries. Although originally planned to provide a navigable waterway from the Great Falls at Richmond to the
• Blooms & Wildlife Watching
Don't forget your cameras and binoculars when visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway! Learn when and where to see blooms along your journey.
• Hiking Trails
A journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway offers motorists spectacular views of Southern Appalachia’s diverse beauty for 469.1 uninterrupted miles.
• What To Do
The Blue Ridge Parkway is more than a road – it is a beautiful journey that entices visitors to explore a 469-mile gateway to America’s rich cultural heritage.
• Camping
Camping is one way visitors traveling through the Blue Ridge Parkway can spend the night under the stars in one of America’s most beautiful natural settings.
• The Blue Ridge Parkway Directory & Travel Planner
Explore the official Blue Ridge Parkway Directory & Travel Planner, 2012 Edition.