The Parkway Blues

Fall is the time of the year when the days get shorter, colder and you long for the warm confines of your home instead of venturing outside.

It’s also that time of year when the leaves on the trees turn a robust color and really show off their true beauty before falling to the ground.

In North Carolina there is no better place to witness this transformation than the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Parkway spans 469 miles from the Southwestern part of North Carolina, near Cherokee, into Virginia, where it becomes Skyline Drive.

Construction on the Parkway started in 1935 during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, receiving support from some of the New Deal agencies. It took fifty two years to complete, criss-crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains over 168 bridges and six viaducts and diving through the mountains by way of 26 tunnels.

All in all, it’s a beautiful drive that can be enjoyed just about any time of the year: fall - when the leaves are at their peak, spring - when the wildflowers begin to bloom after winter hibernation or summer - when other flowers like daisies and aster show their colors.