Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor AdventureChimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park
Under $25Ride an elevator up a 315-foot rock monolith for gorge views, then hike to the base of 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls.
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor AdventureFree
Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, Milepost 384 · Asheville, NC
Why you should go…
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains, from Rockfish Gap in Virginia to US 441 near Cherokee, North Carolina. No fee is charged to travel it. Near Asheville you can stop at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center at Milepost 384 and the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382. The road passes through 26 tunnels, and the speed limit is never higher than 45 mph.
- #scenic drive
- #mountain overlooks
- #hiking
- #fall foliage
- #national parkway
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Blue Ridge Parkway, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
16 mi awayMore like this
- SightseeingHistory Buff
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
FreeWalk the farm where poet Carl Sandburg spent his last 22 years, tour his house and meet the dairy goat herd in the barn.
20 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
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DuPont State Recreational Forest
FreeHike or bike forest trails to a string of waterfalls, including Triple Falls, High Falls and Hooker Falls.
27 mi awayMore like this
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Caesars Head State Park
Under $25Take in the Blue Ridge Escarpment from a rock overlook at 3,208 feet, then hike to the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls.
33 mi awayMore like this
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Falls Park on the Reedy
FreeCross the pedestrian Liberty Bridge above the Reedy River falls and wander 32 acres of gardens in downtown Greenville.
50 mi awayMore like this
- SightseeingQuirky Fun
Peachoid
FreeSpot a 135-foot water tower painted as a giant peach, a roadside landmark beside I-85 in Gaffney.
56 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
