Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is part of the National Park Service and links Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long and continues through Shenandoah as Skyline drive for another 105 miles.
Last Updated: May 2026
From Lake Toxaway we moved north to Asheville — arriving in a downpour, which is the correct way to experience western North Carolina in late April. The next morning the clouds had settled into the trees around the campground and stayed there, low and dramatic and completely worth looking at. We had the better part of a week, good weather eventually cooperated, and Asheville delivered on every front.
[Read more…] about Asheville, North Carolina: The Biltmore Estate, Linville Falls & the Most Impressive Flush Toilet of 1895