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Of Science and ‘Spring Lizards’: The Joy of Salamanders

Jon Davenport is so enamored with the amphibians that he has his three daughters on a life quest to find a 10th species at their own house.

Wows and Donations from “Fantastic” Christmas Shows

The Glovers dazzle drive-through visitors with their annual Christmas Wonderlands.

The Stone Cutter’s Tools: A CCCer at Work in the ‘30s

Simple tools and simple times make for poignant memories on a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Photo Essay: 25th Annual Calendars Celebrate Iconic Parks

Johnson City, Tennessee’s J. Scott Graham has been capturing the beauty of the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway with 25 years of wall calendars.

The Kentucky River Giant: Martin Van Buren Bates Claimed 7′ 11″

The native of Kona, Kentucky, near Whitesburg in Letcher County, became an international circus star, especially after his marriage in 1871 to a woman even taller than he was.

Current Issue

Jon Davenport: “I am kind of biased with salamanders. I mean, they are everywhere, but people just don’t realize how special it is to find one, and to see so many different ones, especially in the Appalachians.”

Of Science and ‘Spring Lizards’: The Joy of Salamanders

Jon Davenport is so enamored with the amphibians that he has his three daughters on a life quest to find a 10th species at their own house.
From left to right: Keith Glover, Mikki Glover Hale and Josh Glover. Collectively, they may well be the first family of outdoor Christmas displays.

Wows and Donations from “Fantastic” Christmas Shows

The Glovers dazzle drive-through visitors with their annual Christmas Wonderlands.
Condia Lynch was a prim soldier in World War I; thus by the time of his Civilian Conservation Corps service in the 1930s, he was older than most of the workers in the program.

The Stone Cutter’s Tools: A CCCer at Work in the ‘30s

Simple tools and simple times make for poignant memories on a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
April along the parkway. Historic structures at E.B. Jeffress Park (Milepost 272.5) include a springhouse, Cool Springs Baptist Church and this one, the Jesse Brown Cabin. E.B. Jeffress was, in 1934, chairman of the North Carolina Highway Commission, and in that role helped persuade the federal government to place the Blue Ridge Parkway on the route it follows today.

Photo Essay: 25th Annual Calendars Celebrate Iconic Parks

Johnson City, Tennessee’s J. Scott Graham has been capturing the beauty of the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway with 25 years of wall calendars.
This photo of Martin and Anna Bates is dated June 17, 1871, the day they were married.

The Kentucky River Giant: Martin Van Buren Bates Claimed 7′ 11″

The native of Kona, Kentucky, near Whitesburg in Letcher County, became an international circus star, especially after his marriage in 1871 to a woman even taller than he was.
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Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

August 26, 2026
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

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