a day / 467 miles / 15 hours 34 minutes
The Parkway provides spectacular mountain and valley vistas, quiet pastoral scenes, sparkling waterfalls and colorful flower and foliage displays as it extends through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina.
Day 1
9:00 - 0 miles / 0 - 9:00
If you are interested in learning about the Cherokee culture, there is no better place to do it than Cherokee, North Carolina. Visit the Oconaluftee Indian Village and make your own arrowheads as you learn about the different tribes. Women of the village will show you their original beadwork. As you relax against the fire, learn how the slow-burning fire will help create a canoe. Many other aspects of the Cherokee culture can be discovered here; plan to spend more than just a few hours to enjoy it all.
9:00 - 55.6 miles / an hour 51 minutes - 10:51
Located in the Pisgah National Forest, the Cradle of Forestry in America is an information and discovery center dedicated to the beginning of forestry in the United States.
The Cradle of Forestry is the site of the first forestry school in America – the Biltmore Forest School, founded in 1898 by Dr. Carl Schenck, chief forester for George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate. Until 1913, this school taught the new science of caring for forests.
Today, the Cradle of Forestry includes several enticing activities for visitors to western North Carolina. Visitors will learn all about the forest through informational movies, programs, and special events. Hikes and trails around the facility lead to historic buildings and to scenic places in the forest. Discover the roots of the forest at the Cradle of Forestry.12:51 - 5.8 miles / 11 minutes - 13:02
Little Switzerland brings a taste of the European mountain
cultures mixed with the culture of the Appalachians. Set high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the area offers panoramic views resembling the Swiss Alps. Visitors
will find resorts in this area that follow a Swiss theme in
architecture, dining, and shopping styles.13:02 - 168.3 miles / 5 hours 36 minutes - 18:39
Old-time and traditional mountain music, along with their many contemporary variations, are showcased here through summer concerts and exhibits. The rural communities that adjoin this section of the parkway have an extraordinarily rich musical heritage. Visitors can browse the rotating exhibits at the interpretive center, which include a staffed information desk, a music and book shop, and an auditorium for special programs and small concerts.
18:39 - 62.0 miles / 2 hours 3 minutes - 9:43
The Peaks of Otter offer spectacular views of the Abbott Lake and Sharp Top peaks. The three mountains that make up the Peaks of Otter are by most accounts the most famous peaks in Virginia. The site offers a lodge, restaurant, picnic area, visitor center and campground. Trails offer a view of three closely spaced mountains and a small valley with a lake. Living demonstrations and tours are given of Johnson Farm, which was built in the 1850s.
9:43 - 175.5 miles / 5 hours 51 minutes - 15:34