2025

The Tug River flows the length of Matewan between West Virginia and Kentucky.

Matewan, West Virginia: Mining Its Past, Building Its Future

Home to the largest collection of West Virginia Mine Wars artifacts in the country, Matewan is a must-see in southern West Virginia.
Karolina Kremes, the sixth stop on the Hendersonville, NC Ice Cream Trail

SCOOP!

Hendersonville, North Carolina’s ice cream trail has 13 stops.
Fireflies light up the night in synchronous display at Rocky Fork State Park in Unicoi County, Tennessee.

Blue Ghost Fireflies: Light Show in Tennessee

There's a lottery for a chance to witness a unique spectacle.
Virginia State Parks Director, Dr. Melissa Baker

The Mountain Q&A – Dr. Melissa Baker: Director of Virginia State Parks

She leads Virginia State Parks, the first state in the nation to open a system of parks. “From the mountains to the piedmont, you can get just about anything you want in Virginia.”
Gem-studded puffballs can be found growing by themselves or in clusters.

May’s Wild Edible: Gem-Studded Puffball

Numerous species of puffballs are native to the Blue Ridge, and certainly one of the most common ones is the dull-white gem-studded puffball.

Departments

Behind Blue Ridge Country

Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes

Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it

CALENDAR OF EVENTS