Blue Ridge Parkway

Day 1: Arrive Washington DC

Hot and happening! That’s what they call Washington, DC. The city has always been rich in history and the American experience and now is even more interesting with cutting edge culture and fabulous food and wine. Built more than two centuries ago, Washington is one of the youngest and most powerful capital cities on the globe. It is peppered with impressive and moving monuments and memorials and broad tree-lined avenues that are more like Paris than a modern American city. Even if you’ve visited before, new monuments are always being added and many museums have recently expanded.
Standard hotel: Best Western Georgetown Hotel and Suites
Deluxe hotel: Capitol Hill Suites

Day 2: Explore Washington DC

If this is your first visit to Washington, we recommend you begin at the US Capitol Complex which includes the Capitol Building, House and Senate Buildings and the US Botanical Gardens. Standing on the Capitol steps looking, the expansive two mile National Mall between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, lined with monuments and museums lays at your feet. The Washington Monument stands in the center, while the cross axis of the Mall is anchored by the White House on one end and the Jefferson Memorial on the other.

Day 3: Washington DC

To help you maximize your time in Washington, you have the option to select the locations you want to visit or are particularly interested in, in advance, and we’ll provide complete detailed walking and transportation directions from one to the other, so that you can spend your time exploring instead of wayfinding.

Day 4: Washington to Skyline Drive to Staunton

It’s a short drive from Washington DC to the start of the Skyline Drive, which meanders from the northerm reaches of Shenandoah National Park to the official start of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Waynesboro. There are hundreds of places to get out and walk or hike and a great restaurant at Big Meadows where you can have lunch overlooking a one of a kind landscape. Enjoy the Blackfriar’s Shakespeare Theater in the evening in Staunton.
Standard hotel: Best Western Staunton Inn
Deluxe hotel: Stonewall Jackson Hotel

Day 5: Explore Charlottesville to Roanoke

Taking a side trip into Charlottesville today is a must to visit Monticello, the renowned home of Thomas Jefferson, designed by the United Nations as a World Heritage Treasure. Take some time to explore the University of Virginia campus, also designed by Jefferson and the deslightful Downtown Pedestrian Mall that replaced Main Street, before leaving town. From there, you can savor the first leg of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The drive hugs the side of the mountain as the vast vistas looking off into the blue haze alternate from side to side. Leave plenty of time to stop, gaze and savor. Be sure to visit Lexington, Virginia, which looks like General Robert E. Lee left just yesterday.
Standard hotel: Best Western Valley View Inn
Deluxe hotel: Hotel Roanoke

Day 6: Roanoke to Boone

The drive between Roanoke and Boone will take up most of your day when observing the 35 mile per hour speed limit on the Parkway. But what a drive it is. The gentle rolling mountaintops of Virginia where the road winds through the lush green hills give way to the majestic, rugged mountain landscapes of North Carolina. There are many developed sites and landscapes to explore along the way.
Standard hotel: Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza
Deluxe hotel: Lovill House Inn

Day 7: Explore Boone

The Boone area is home to two of the most interesting natural attractions in the US. Grandfather Mountain, a biosphere reserve, was created 740 million years ago when two of the earth’s plates slammed together. It encompasses the highest mountain peak in the Blue Ridge. Blowing Rock gets its name from the natural currents of air that flow upward, causing snow to fall upside down. The area is also rich in Native American legends and Appalachian culture.

Day 8: Boone to Asheville

On your way to Asheville, you’ll soon be mesmerized by the same landscape that enticed Mr. Biltmore to construct the largest house in America here in 1895. A visit to the Biltmore Estate transports you into another world of luxury and opulence where art collections and priceless antiques fill the mansion’s 250 rooms. Stroll the gardens and also visit the winery while you are there.
Standard hotel: Best Western of Asheville Biltmore East
Deluxe hotel: Beaufort House Inn

Day 9: Explore Asheville

If you visited Biltmore yesterday, spend today taking the Urban Art Walking Tour of Asheville, having lunch at the Grove Park Inn and shopping at Historic Biltmore Village. There’s also the Southern Folk Art Guild which features the work of 700 juried artisans from the southeast and the North Carolina Arboretum, where something’s always blooming, Appalachian style.

Day 10: Asheville to Cherokee

Today, you can dash or meander through Blue Ridge Country to Cherokee, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Explore the Cherokee Heritage Museum and Oconaluftee Village and shop at the Qualla Arts Cooperative. In the evening enjoy the outdoor drama of Unto These Hills, in its 57th year,
Standard hotel: BW Great Smokies Inn
Deluxe hotel: Folkstone Inn

Day 11: Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The most visited National Park in America will impress you as much as it does several million visitors a year. In spite of the visitation, Cades Cove is one of the most serene places on earth. Clingman’s Dome is a dramatic landform and there are miles and miles of hiking trails. A scenic route takes you through the entire Park on a day-long drive. If you want to ride instead of driving, take the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad into backcountry reached only by train.

Day 12: Cherokee to Charlotte

Get an early start this morning, we guarantee you’ll want to spend some time exploring Charlotte, one of the most happening cities of the New South. Next to Atlanta, Charlotte is the most energetic, well designed and pleasant tree lined city in the south. Historic buildings have been gracefully blended with steel and glass skyscrapers downtown and the mild climate delivers lush gardens at every turn. Be sure to take the Urban Art Trail and visit the Museum of the New South to get a good perspective in the region’s transition from the Old South to the New South.
Standard hotel: Best Western Sterling Inn
Deluxe hotel: Duke Mansion

Day 13: Charlotte to Atlanta

We are confident that you’ll agree that Atlanta is the true capital of the New South. The impressive gold dome of the Georgia state capital presides over the fastest growing center for young professionals and multicultural residents in the country. You can find glimpses of the Old South, but they are greatly overshadowed by the city’s sophistication. Take the Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour to watch the anchors and producers who changed how news is broadcast around the world. Explore Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium and Buckhead, where some of the best shopping in America is at Lenox Square.
Standard hotel: BW Atlanta Airport
Deluxe hotel: Westin Atlanta

Day 14: Depart Atlanta