Plan Your Visit

For visitors in search of novelty and adventure, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area provides an unparalleled diversity of experiences. There’s so much to see and do that no two visits are ever the same.

Nature lovers will find majestic mountain vistas and scenic drives, outstanding hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, world-class whitewater and waterfalls, excellent campsites and fishing streams, and an incredible diversity of plant and animal life in the region’s abundant protected forests and parks.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is home to the two most-visited National Park lands in the country:

• Blue Ridge Parkway – 252 miles of scenic roadway winding through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park – a half million+ acre park renowned for its biodiversity, old growth forests, historic farm sites, and abundant recreation opportunities.

Those searching for cultural experiences and historical connections will discover a land rich in living traditions of music, craft, agriculture, and Cherokee culture. These come to life at many fine and distinctive museums, historic sites, outdoor dramas, and cultural centers throughout the region.

For details about individual sites, thematic trails, news from our National Heritage Area and upcoming events, click here.