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Behind Blue Ridge Country

CURRENT Behind Blue Ridge Country

When Water is Tight

Often recognized for their beauty and recreational opportunities, the reservoirs of the southern mountains fuel local economies, provide clean drinking water, power homes and businesses, and protect countless acres of farmland from flooding.

A Piece of Country Music’s Big Bang

It began on the first two days of August, 1927, with the recording of six songs on the second floor of a warehouse on Bristol’s State Street...

Riding The Wind at Lookout Mountain

Summer Intern Sarah Cumming pays a visit to Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, Ga.

Bushwacking Through Shenandoah History

Some people came to find the murder site. Others wanted to glimpse remnants of the old still, hidden in the woods where mountain men made moonshine. I had never attrelended an organized hike with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club before...

The Smokies You Haven’t Seen

It’s one of those typical days in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My husband and are stuck behind a line of slow-moving cars taking the popular and almost always overcrowded Cades Cove loop tour.

Current Issue

Tennessee Valley Authority has flooded more than 640,000 acres of land over the years with dams such as this one at Fontana Lake in North Carolina.

When Water is Tight

Often recognized for their beauty and recreational opportunities, the reservoirs of the southern mountains fuel local economies, provide clean drinking water, power homes and businesses, and protect countless acres of farmland from flooding.
The cover from a Carter Family songbook.

A Piece of Country Music’s Big Bang

It began on the first two days of August, 1927, with the recording of six songs on the second floor of a warehouse on Bristol’s State Street...
Lookout Mountain Flight Park

Riding The Wind at Lookout Mountain

Summer Intern Sarah Cumming pays a visit to Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, Ga.
Dogwood and redbud blooms along the Skyline Drive in spring.

Bushwacking Through Shenandoah History

Some people came to find the murder site. Others wanted to glimpse remnants of the old still, hidden in the woods where mountain men made moonshine. I had never attrelended an organized hike with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club before...
A creek runs along the 10-mile, grave Parson Branch Road.

The Smokies You Haven’t Seen

It’s one of those typical days in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My husband and are stuck behind a line of slow-moving cars taking the popular and almost always overcrowded Cades Cove loop tour.
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Departments

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS