Some weekends, you just need to get out of town and take in the beauty of the North Carolina Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway is the ideal place to do just that. Established in the 1920s, the Blue Ridge Parkway was a first of its kind. Stretching from Virginia to North Carolina, it offers outstanding views, as well as many stops along the road that can be both recreational and educational. On a beautiful Saturday, we headed to Blowing Rock to visit two of the many popular stops along the Parkway, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park at Milepost 294 and Julian Price Park at Milepost 297.
Moses H. Cone was an American textile entrepreneur during the early 1900s whose philanthropy and business savvy left an enduring impression on our state. His getaway home, Flat Top Manor, has been preserved as a National Park and now holds the Parkway Craft Center. On our visit, we were able to talk with and observe the work of an artisan who had captured the natural beauty of the Carolinas in her intricate tapestries. In addition to the art available for purchase, there are also ranger-led tours of the second floor of the home seasonally. The Home and Craft Center are open daily 10:00am-5:00pm. While the exterior of the home is currently under renovation, there is still much to enjoy in the park, which holds 25 miles of horse and carriage trails for hiking. With our little ones, the half-mile Figure Eight Loop was a perfect walk through the woods, with informational plaques along the way describing life for the Cones and their love of nature. The view of Bass Lake from the front of the house was incredible. We purchased a souvenir patch from the gift shop and made our way to our next destination, Julian Price Memorial Park.
With fishing, canoeing and hiking, the 4,200-acre Julian Price Memorial Park is a popular stop for campers and day-trippers alike. Julian Price, famed insurance mogul, purchased the land as a recreational destination for his employees. After his passing, the acreage was donated to the National Park System in 1947. Price Park Boat Rentals offer kayak and canoe rentals on peaceful Price Lake, or take a stroll around the 2.7-mile Price Lake Trail. We also enjoyed the provided scavenger hunt that allowed us to find many plants and animals along the trail. If wading and tubing is more your style, the Bee Tree Creek which flows through the picnic area may be the stop for you. After a picnic, enjoy splashing in the creek with other park goers. For our visit, the kids had biking on the brain (even though the training wheels are still on; what they lack in skill they make up for in persistence). There are no explicit bike trails at the park, but we made do with a lap around the camping area.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is truly a national treasure. For more information on the many sights and experiences available along the parkway, visit blueridgeparkway.org or call (828) 670-1924.
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