Vicki and Michelle Experience the Beauty of Blue Ridge Country
"Flying into Knoxville and seeing the mountain view from the airplane had us so excited to explore this beautiful area during our Blue Ridge Country run through. Once we arrived, we headed to the Hilton Airport Hotel Knoxville, which is conveniently attached to the airport by a covered walkway. This hotel has great meeting spaces, a nice restaurant, a bar area, and friendly helpful staff members.
After enjoying the breakfast buffet and Tailwinds coffee shop right in our hotel, we headed out to see the construction underway on the new Buc-ee’s in Sevierville, TN, scheduled to open June 26, 2023. Buc-ee’s is a quirky gas station and convenience store known for having amazing snacks and the cleanest restrooms in America! This is a massive location that will prove to be just as terrific as its Texas counterparts. Clean restrooms and delicious brisket are in the near future for this part of Tennessee!
Bristol was our next stop of the day. We noted the perfect location of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. We crossed back and forth from TN to VA as we walked across State Street and snapped our picture at the famous Bristol slogan sign.
On to Damascus, VA on the Appalachian Trail or as locals say “the AT”. We met Donna, one of the Trail Speakers that will be meeting with our travelers in October. She told us about life in Damascus and her experience hiking the Appalachian trail over lunch.
From there we checked out the beautiful setting on the Laurel River at the Old Mill Inn, where we’ll be having lunch in October. Erica, the manager, is super excited for our groups to come visit and spend some time with them! They have guest rooms above the restaurant and across the street in the Fortune House, which they’re currently restoring. The green leaves of Spring will be brilliant in October for the drive from Damascus to Roanoke.
Next, we were off to Natural Bridge State Park to get our hearts beating with the beautiful views! The cool trail under the canopy is truly a hiker’s paradise.
From the Natural Bridge we trekked on to Meadowcroft to meet Bill Croft and Judy. We met in the beautiful inn and discussed options for our lunch. Bill showed us an adjacent cabin lovingly restored. We then went to see the cannery operation where we did a little taste test and Michelle purchased a case of tasty canned goods. We took in the lovely views on the farm where Bill also raises Black Angus. Bill has so many great stories to share and I can’t wait for our travelers to hear them!
This afternoon we enjoyed lunch at Remedy Burger on Beverley Street in Staunton. It was DELICIOUS! You must try the truffle fries! After heading up the hill to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, we met with Cynthia Polhill, the Visitor Services Coordinator. Cynthia was a wealth of knowledge that flowed like a story.
The following morning, we met with Laurie from Trinity Episcopal Church (Staunton’s oldest church) who gave us a tour and told us about their amazing Tiffany stained-glass windows. They even have one signed by Tiffany himself!
Then we were on to Harrisonburg VA for the Virginia Quilt Museum. This museum is in a home built in 1856 and includes beautiful rotating exhibits on contemporary and traditional quilts.
The Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center (BMHC) was a deeply interesting stop. We learned about the innovation and foundational beliefs of the Mennonite community. Did you know that a Mennonite man discovered how to incubate chickens and turkeys?
Next, we went underground for some other worldly views at Luray Caverns. We even listened to a stalactite organ play a tune! It’s hard to imagine people’s the reactions when the explorers first discovered this amazing place.
Our day ended with a climb through the clouds to Skyland Resort in Shenandoah National Park. The sky was changing constantly while we were here. A beautiful sunset was our reward at the end of the day along with a delicious dinner served in the relaxing rustic dining room.
Our next day began with a view above the clouds at Skyland in Shenandoah National Park. After a hearty breakfast, we hit the road and headed to Monticello. The home of Thomas Jefferson reminds us of the ingenuity of our 3rd President! Lovely gardens and architectural detail are highlights of this stop.
Charlottesville, VA is also home to Michie Tavern (pronounced Mickey). This circa 1784 eatery and pub didn’t disappoint! You’ll want to come hungry to this establishment as Southern fare is in store for us here. The stewed tomatoes, black eyed peas, and crispy chicken made it hard to leave room for the desserts. Peach cobbler ala mode has to be my favorite!
Appomattox Courthouse rounded out our adventures for the day. The peaceful setting at this National Park gave us a chance to ponder the reunification of our county after 4 years of Civil War. Michelle pondered how she had just been at Fort Sumter on our Charming Charleston and Savannah South tour where the first shots were fired in this war. History coming full circle through my experiences in travel!
We felt like we were stepping back in time as we strolled the lawn of Biltmore estate. The home tour was even more fascinating than I imagined. This is a pristine attraction with attention to the details. The audio tour was really well done with just the right amount of information to allow you sufficient time to take it all in. The flower gardens and greenhouse area were manicured with a violinist setting the mood.
Our overnight stay in Dillsboro was really relaxing. The Best Western Plus River Escape hotel overlooks the river with the sound of rushing water making you want to settle in for a while. We had a short walk to the small downtown area for dinner. It’s really a charming little area dotted with many restaurants. We found a great little place on the river for some farm to table delights. Blackberries are in everything from your tacos to your lemonade and of course, some blackberry cobbler kept showing up on the menus too.
Time sure flies when you are having fun! On our seventh day we headed to Bryson City for the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. We traveled along the Nantahala River for beautiful views of rivers, gorges, and Fontana Lake. Fontana Lake is dotted with unique houseboats. We even saw a few kayakers paddling on the river during our layover.
After our train trip we headed on to the Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This is a great place to pick up information and enjoy the displays. We even met a chicken from the little Mountain Museum Farm that wandered over to greet us. Shortly after we pulled out of the Visitor’s Center, we encountered four elk along the roadside! We also saw so many wild turkeys we lost count! Both sides of the Newfound Gap Road had breathtaking views as we climbed to the summit. We were back in the clouds again just like at Shenandoah. At the crest we crossed the Appalachian Trail again.
We made our way down the mountain towards Pigeon Forge to spend the night along the Little Pigeon River. No lack of dining and attractions conveniently located around our hotel. We even took a stroll through the humongous Christmas store which has any Christmas items your heart might desire!
Our run through of the tour ended with meeting Brian Hoffman and learning about his tribute show to Red Skelton. We heard his story of performing for many years in Las Vegas and his move to Pigeon Forge. He even shared all of his memorabilia with us, many of these items were from Red’s Widow herself.
We can’t wait for you all to sit back, laugh and enjoy his show on our last morning together on our Blue Ridge Country Tour."
- Tour Planner Vicki Madsen
- Tour Director Michelle Amich
