Take a ride on America’s Favorite Drive, in the state where it began

The Blue Ridge Parkway — affectionately known as America’s Favorite Drive — spans 252 miles through the North Carolina mountains. Parkway construction started and ended here, spanning a 50-year timeline that concluded when the Linn Cove Viaduct (a.k.a. “the missing link”) was completed at Grandfather Mountain in 1987. Visit the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center to learn about the history of the area, or stay at the home of the congressman who was instrumental in the road’s creation at the Doughton-Hall Bed and Breakfast in Laurel Springs. The Parkway stretches from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the North Carolina-Virginia border, encompassing a region called the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. With more than 14 million visitors in 2018, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the second most-visited attraction in the National Park Service, welcoming more guests than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks combined.