Has anyone here driven the Blue Ridge Parkway?
My wife and I want to drive it from Rockfish Gap, Virginia, to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We'll be arriving in Sterling, Virginia on the 15th of May and starting the drive the next day.
Any suggestions, warnings, advice? I am a bit concerned about what weather and traffic may be like, but I'm sure there are other things I've not thought of.
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Weather will be great: SPRING in this part of the world is fine.
Wouldn't worry about traffic; isn't/wasn't very highly trafficked, NOTHING like rush hours.
Should be great! PLEASE let us know how it goes.
I'll definitely give a report on the trip. Anything in particular you recommend seeing?
Thanks for making me aware of that!
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The wife and I have empty-nest syndrome...no kids at home anymore. 
I appreciate the heads-up on the time factor. We have 13 days driving time for our whole trip (driving from Dulles to Savannah, and back) and no real schedule for the time in between.
Since I originally posted I have thought of starting the trip at the upper end of Shenandoah National Park (at the Front Royal entrance) and driving the Skyline Drive down to its intersection with the Blue Ridge parkway. In your opinion, is it worth the extra time involved to add the Shenandoah leg?
I really want to save 2 or 3 days to do some hiking around the battlefields at The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse, so I'm working on how best to budget the time. I figure we'll stop at Manassas at the start, since the Bull Run/Manassas battlefield is one I want my wife to see.
I've wanted to visit Antietam since I was a kid, but I'm afraid it might open a can of worms; after all, it's not far from Sharpsburg to Gettysburg...
I stopped at Manassas and Gettysburg on my way home. I had three weeks to get back and I was by myself, so I just sort of piddled along.
I hit Manassas battlefield on a gorgeous mid-July day; a bit humid, but not too hot. Enjoyed a very pleasant hike there.
I hit Gettysburg a couple days later on a day that was in the upper *90's, and the humidity couldn't have been much lower. Made the mistake of trying to walk the length of the Federal line and back, wearing cowboy boots (BIG mistake) and no water. I pretty much gave myself sunstroke and a case of nicely blistered feet. I can't begin to comprehend how those guys fought there for three days in that type of weather.
The cowboy boots were the result of a road trip with my younger daughter (now 21) the previous year to visit friends in Council Bluffs, Iowa. My feet can no longer handle them (the boots, not the friends... ).
I also stopped at Balls Bluff, New Market, and Shiloh. Shiloh was a lovely park, and a very nice hike.
Sun and surf for that girl.
I posted the original OP last year before our trip last May. We started the drive at Front Royal, and ended the Skyline Drive/BRP part of our trip down around Linville Falls (then we cut across to Savannah and spent the remainder driving back up the coast).
We thought Skyline Drive was every bit as nice as the BRP. 
We did a lot of hiking at Manassas, covering the ground fought over in both battles. I've been interested in the Civil War since I was a kid, but i was pleasantly surprised in how much my wife enjoyed the tours. Later in the trip we went to Forts Sumter and Moultrie, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse battlefields, as well as Fredericksburg.
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the trip.
We ended up having a fantastic trip! It was actually the most absolutely flawless vacation we've had in 35 years of vacationing together.
The weather was perfect, as we define perfect, obviously a subjective thing It was the last two weeks of May, weather was warm (low-upper 80's with a couple of low 90's days) but very mild humidity. It only rained twice (both times in the evening after we had checked in to our night's lodgings) and both times were wonderful thunderclap-filled downpours which had fully cleared by the time we arose next morning, leaving the skies clear and fresh.
The car we rented was very comfortable, lodgings and meals were great, people were friendly.
Anyway....suggestions I would make off the top are:
1. Try and time your drive for the best wildflower and azalea/rhododendron blooming. Spring broke a bit early and we missed the most prolific period; still, we saw lots of flowers, and the variety and amount of rhodies and azaleas was incredible. The season varies according to where you are on the Parkway, and there are sites on the web that will give you a heads up; for instance: http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/ is one, but there are several.
2. Check for road closures. The stone walls built by the WPA/CCC are being restored/repaired in places. There were a couple of small sections that were closed and necessitated relatively short detours, primarily down toward the southern half, in the Linville Falls area.
3. Speaking of falls...be sure to plan for time to make some of the hikes to the various waterfalls along the way. A few are visible from the road, but some of the best are short hikes off the road, although some can be strenuous (I can't speak for the section below the Linville Falls area; we traveled North to South, and exited the parkway just below Linville Falls in order to visit friends in the Seven Lakes area of North Carolina). Linville Falls is gorgeous, and well worth the hike. The road up to, and around, Grandfather Mountain has several beautiful falls that run along the road and don't involve any hiking, and Grandfather Mountain is also cool.
4. Be prepared to take your time. The max speed limit along the BRP is usually 35 mph, and they mean it. I'm told it can be fairly crowded, depending upon the time you travel. We drove it just before schools got out for the summer, so we missed the heavier vacation traffic. Be prepared for motorcycles, as it's a popular ride.
5. There are some places on the BRP to get fuel and food, but you'll generally need to exit the Parkway for those commodities. IIRC, you travel in an RV, so maybe it won't be an issue for you.
6. Don't forget Skyline Drive in Virginia; we enjoyed it every bit as much as the BRP.
We will be there about the third week in May and I haven't decided exactly how many days we will actually be on the Parkway. Sounds like right around the time you went.
I love meandering, slow drives with frequent stops for walks, so I think this will be perfect. I made this trip, or parts of it, several times as a child, so I am hoping for some nostalgia as well.
We will be in a Prius, so will need to stop.
I am also looking a Skyline Drive.
Any specific recommendations for accommodations or food? We try to go "not chains" as much as possible, greatly preferring small mom and pop places.
Thanks so much for this. I am in full throttle trip planning and just loving it.
I love mountain driving and we have been all over the Rockies. IIRC, the Eastern Mountains are much gentler rides.
Is full of mom and pop places. In fact, I don't remember seeing any chains, but I didn't get to Front Royal or any of the bigger towns along it. Also, a place to stay was not an issue since I was staying with friends at the time, but I do remember motels in the valley. The rest stop we visited (primarily to use the bathrooms) along Skyline Drive http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/lodging.htm was Skyland.
http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm
As we will be there before Labor Day, I don't think we will need reservations, but I like to at least have a few places in mind along the route.
We will be heading out from DC, so will probably want to stop somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Have just added Skyline Drive to the trip. Found this great website that seeks out scenic drives along your route.
It's a spectacular drive. When I visited there four years ago in the fall, a drought had dried up many of the streams so I didn't see any waterfalls. I don't know if that's changed in the last four years. My friends (he's an avid fly fisherman) went there often and had some kind of year-round pass for unlimited entry into the park. I am sure that there is a pass that allows similar entry for a shorter period of time.
There's a town in there on the east side of the Drive called Culpeper. It's very historic and picturesque; not far enough for an overnight, but worth a visit, IMO.
Afton Mountain B&B outside Afton, Virginia: http://www.aftonmountain.com/
This one is out in the countryside outside Afton, Virginia. Lovely area, and just a few miles (about 7, iirc) from the confluence of the BRP and Skyline Drive.
Sitting on that front porch early on a nice spring morning is to die for. The owners are a wonderful, progressive younger couple. Breakfast there is very good, and the place is very nice. If you decide to stay here: watch carefully for the sign, as it can be easy to miss.
We had dinner the evening of our stay at Blue Mountain Brewery: http://www.bluemountainbrewery.com/
The food, and general ambiance, were very good. Casual, nice large patio area for outside dining with a lovely view, if the weather is right. We enjoyed a warm evening there watching a thunderstorm off in the far distance over gently rolling hills/valley.
In any case, there are several very nice restaurants in the area which the B&B recommends.
Another place we really enjoyed was the General Francis Marion Hotel, in Marion, Virginia:
http://gfmhotel.com/blackrooster/
This one might be a bit out of the way for you, but it's a quick drive. Accommodations are very nice, and a great value. The Black Rooster is the Hotel restaurant, and the dinner there was truly outstanding (good enough that we sent our regards to the chef, who came out and talked with us for awhile). Very nice younger man, and excellent cook.
Now that I've recommended these places I've no doubt jinxed them...
Widows Creek Falls and Stone Mountain Falls are both located within Stone Mountain State Park. Very pretty area, lots of hiking w/varying degrees of difficulty.
You might also want to plan for an hour or so at Humpback Rocks: http://www.accessiblevirginia.org/shenvalcities/bluerideparkwayshenval/attractions/humpbackvc.htm
It's either at the end or the beginning of the BRP, depending on where you start from. Very pleasant walk through a restored mountain farmstead. I posted some photos of it on Trip Advisor (Curt T): http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g28954-d108331-r132071228-Humpback_Rocks_Visitor_Center_and_Mountain_Farm-North_Carolina.html#REVIEWS
I am not a fan of the B & B, but I really like little boutique hotels.
The farm really appeals to me. Great review on TripAdvisor. I make it a point to post on that and a couple of other sites when traveling.
Thanks so much for all of this. Greatly appreciated.
