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Our Blue Ridge Towns

CURRENT Our Blue Ridge Towns

Top 28 Mountain Town / State Park Trips In The Blue Ridge

Outdoor days and downtown stays: our readers pick the best trips to mountain towns with a nearby state park.

Top Town/Park Pairs: Population 50,000+

Our readers pick the top 4 trips to mountain towns with a nearby state park and populations of over 50,000.

COVID Comeback: One Old Town’s Rebirth

The COVID year was hard in Fries, Virginia, as it was everywhere, but the green shoots have been surprising and substantial.

Toccoa, Georgia: End of the Blue Ridge Line

Labeled the “Heart of Northeast Georgia,” the little city of Toccoa knows what it means to be a big-hearted hometown.

Walhalla, South Carolina: Deep in Cherokee and German Pasts

Rivers and mountains and waterfalls surround a town with deep German roots.

Current Issue

The rugged upper reaches of Grandfather Mountain State Park make a great pairing with Blowing Rock or Banner Elk, North Carolina.

Top 28 Mountain Town / State Park Trips In The Blue Ridge

Outdoor days and downtown stays: our readers pick the best trips to mountain towns with a nearby state park.
What’s a visit to Asheville, North Carolina without a stop at the Biltmore Estate?

Top Town/Park Pairs: Population 50,000+

Our readers pick the top 4 trips to mountain towns with a nearby state park and populations of over 50,000.
After a storm, a dramatic cloud-scape wreaths the town of Fries. Each season has its own distinct beauty. INSET: Spring is a good time for visiting along Chestnut Creek, part of the 57-mile New River Trail State Park. Numerous access points dot the trail.

COVID Comeback: One Old Town’s Rebirth

The COVID year was hard in Fries, Virginia, as it was everywhere, but the green shoots have been surprising and substantial.
Toccoa native Paul Anderson, 1956 Olympic gold medalist, is honored in downtown Toccoa not only for “his outer strength, but his inner strength and faith in Christ.”

Toccoa, Georgia: End of the Blue Ridge Line

Labeled the “Heart of Northeast Georgia,” the little city of Toccoa knows what it means to be a big-hearted hometown.
Main Street Walhalla circa 1900.

Walhalla, South Carolina: Deep in Cherokee and German Pasts

Rivers and mountains and waterfalls surround a town with deep German roots.
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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