Connect With Us
Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Instagram

Travel

CURRENT Travel

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.

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.

Tennessee’s Red Clay: The Little State Park That Burns Bright

The 263-acre east Tennessee park has a history that goes back to 1830, and which, in 1984, completed a re-linking of Cherokee history.

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.
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.
Blue Hole Spring (right) was used by the Cherokee for their water supply. The Eternal Flame (left) was lit in 1984.

Tennessee’s Red Clay: The Little State Park That Burns Bright

The 263-acre east Tennessee park has a history that goes back to 1830, and which, in 1984, completed a re-linking of Cherokee history.
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.
VIEW MORE

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

CALENDAR OF EVENTS