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Smokies Plates: 20 Years, $15 Million
Drivers in North Carolina and Tennessee who buy the “Friends of the Smokies” specialty license plate have raised more than $15 million since the program started 20 years ago Read more
Efficiency Eliminates Gas-Fired Plant Need
Thanks to a community-driven effort in Buncombe County, North Carolina to reduce energy use, Duke Energy said in April it would shelve a proposed new natural gas fired power plant at Lake Julian. Read more
Open Every Day (For 35 Years Straight)
Poor Farmer’s Market is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway Read more
Bats Protected in North Carolina
Prompted by somewhat unusual circumstances, the Blue Ridge Conservancy has protected 174 acres in Watauga County that include key habitat for the federally endangered Virginia long-eared bat. Read more
World’s Only Ramp Farmer Ramps Down
Glen Facemire, the “Ramp Man” of Richwood, West Virginia, says it’s time for him to sell what may be the world’s only ramp farm. Read more
Gatlinburg Skylift Reopens (And It's Longer Than Ever!)
The longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America is open in the Smokies. Read more
Joseph Mackareth
Mill Creek Stories: Swimming Lessons
And then there was that canoe trick. Read more
Ryan Hagerty/USFWS
Creature Feature: Holy Carp!
This aggressive fish is a formidable threat to native species. Read more
Leonard Adkins
The Good Walk: The Oconaluftee River Trail in Cherokee, North Carolina
The easy 1.5-mile walk to town can be augmented with a bit of exploring once you get there. Read more
Erik Larsen
Our Blue Ridge Towns: 4 Towns, 2 States - One Great Experience
Our columnist went to Landrum, in search of a small town on the rise in Upstate South Carolina. What she didn’t know was that she’d find four such towns in the Carolina Foothills. Read more
Fred & Jill Sauceman
Flavors: Soup, Beans and Emu Burgers
Tradition and Change Mingle at the Hob-Nob Drive-In Read more
Singing in the Garden: A Feast of Flowers
It’s summer, so let the feast of flowers begin. You read that right. Eating flowers is a thing. Go ahead. Sprinkle some petals on your plate and add a little variety and a great deal of color to your meal. Read more
Guest Column, Will Griffin - Floyd, Virginia, and its Sense of Community
Will Griffin has served as the mayor of the small town of Floyd, Virginia, for 10 years. During that time Floyd has received national recognition from USA Today and Southern Living magazine as one of the best small towns in the South. Read more
Guest Column, Fred Alsop of East Tennessee State University
Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Fred Alsop joined the faculty of East Tennessee State University in 1972. The author of 18 books on the birds of North America, he is the director of the EagleCam Project that has live-streamed around the world. Read more
Mountain Report: More Elk Viewing in Virginia
Elk viewing is to be improved in the Virginia mountains. Read more
Erik Gerhardt
Mountain Report: Tennessee Acreage Protected
Almost 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest officially became part of America’s protected wilderness on March 12, when the president signed into law a package of wilderness bills totaling 1.7 million acres nationwide. Read more
Gerri Wilson/USFWS Volunteer
Mountain Report: Less W.V. Logging
The Canaan Valley of West Virginia is home to some 580 plant species. Read more
‘Fortnite’ Creator Works to Preserve North Carolina Lands
“Fortnite” creator Tim Sweeney is helping create a different kind of landscape in the North Carolina mountains. Read more