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The Top 61 Happiest Mountain Towns in the Blue Ridge
Our quest to have our readers select the happiest towns in the mountains began with a set of criteria applied
April 2, 2026
People of the Mountains
Tracy Swartout, the Blue Ridge Parkway’s first female superintendent, was deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park, superintendent at Congaree National Park and was the southeast region’s superintendent of the year in 2012.
As executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation, Carol Evans helps East Tennesseans get outside and play by connecting the urban and the wild.
Harris Prevost is former vice president of Grandfather Mountain and continues to serve after 50 years, saying “running the mountain was never work.”
Trevor Saville has transformed the land his family has owned since the 1700s toward good stewardship both upon it and beyond.
Alex Gibson is executive director of Appalshop—home to the largest body of creative work on Appalachia in the world. He’s taking the Whitesburg, Kentucky, nonprofit into its next 50 years as an arts, culture and media education center.
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Web Extras
Photo Recap: Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 2023
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (BRRR) is a musical festival held annually in September that celebrates the heritage of country
September 1, 2023
Behind Blue Ridge Country
“Virginia” in Virginia: Discovering Patsy Cline in Winchester
Walking Winchester in the relentless rain of a soggy spring could not dampen my enthusiasm to see the home of
August 10, 2018
Behind Blue Ridge Country
Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes
Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it
April 12, 2018
