Features

CURRENT Features

A happy 8-year-old Eula Mae standing in front of her father, Woodrow, in this Golding family photo taken in 1952.

My Beloved Scenic

Before it became America’s Favorite Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway was a farm family’s front yard, playground, and memory lane.
Portrait of Stuart Gay and Mabel Pendleton centered on the front of their shared tombstone.

Beneath the Swinging Bridge

The Shakespearean tragedy of Stuart Gay and Mabel Pendleton is still remembered in the small railroad town of Clifton Forge.
A bee clings to the center of a sunflower at Mill Springs Farm, located just up the road from historic downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee. From the photographer: “The farm grows a yearly crop of a variety of sunflowers. The bees love them!” Photo by Jay Huron

Among The Blooms: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers wandered the mountains in late spring and early summer to capture critters big and small frolicking, nibbling, and buzzing about.
Hikers willing to take on a moderate climb are rewarded with incredible panoramas from the summit of Marys Rock.

An Insider’s Guide to Shenandoah National Park

This year is a landmark one for this treasured piece of mountain land in Virginia: the 100th anniversary of Congress authorizing its establishment and the 90th anniversary of its dedication.
Christmas at Biltmore, November 6-January 10, Asheville, North Carolina.

Holiday/Winter 2026 Festivals & Events Guide

From the Virginias and the Carolinas to Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, our annual compendium is the perfect travel companion. Inside, you’ll find gatherings celebrating food and drink, the arts, music, and more—all worth building a mountain road trip around. Pick your favorite festival theme and start planning!

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.

©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.

Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS