The finale to Our Year in Washington, D.C. was one last short road trip. Instead of heading straight back to Florida, we decided to take a little detour down the Blue Ridge Parkway. That wasn’t always the plan though.
Decisions
Originally I had planned for us to drive down the Eastern Seaboard with stops in the Outer Banks and Charleston. A hurricane changed those plans. Thankfully when I started planning that trip my travel mentors highly recommended that I have a Plan B. It was hurricane season after all.
Plan B, Blue Ridge
So, Plan B was created. It would take us west and down a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that we hadn’t visited. About 2 weeks before we were set to leave Washington, D.C. I canceled our eastern trip and focused on the Blue Ridge. Plan A is saved for a future trip.
Day 1
After saying our good-byes to our Arlington, VA apartment, and Washington, D.C. we hit the road. An early start wasn’t really possible so we took our time getting to Roanoke, VA, our first stop. Earlier in the year and back in 2018 we visited the Shenandoah Valley, the Skyline Drive, and the Upper Blue Ridge Parkway. So we drove on by those.
We arrived in Roanoke mid-afternoon and decided to let the kids run off some steam at a park close to our hotel. Walrond Park had a wonderful playground, ball fields, trails, picnic tables, and restrooms. It was a great find! There was also a Gander Mountain nearby. The kids loved exploring all the travel trailers. It sure made us miss our own Jayco!
Later we checked into the Country Inn & Suites. We had a 2 room suite on the 3rd floor. It had a nice view of the mountains. The room was a mixture of new and updated and old and rusted. Our kids loved the indoor pool and the complimentary cookies in the lobby. Breakfast needed some help. Most of the food was not hot enough.
Day 2, Blue Ridge Parkway
On day 2 of our short road trip, we drove to Boone, NC via the Blue Ridge Parkway. We jumped onto the Blue Ridge just outside of Roanoke. We stuck to the Parkway the majority of the day.
Rocky Knob
Our first stop of the day would be the Rocky Knob Visitor Center near milepost 169. It had just opened for the day and was very small. There were restrooms and a picnic area. While we were there we got our first National Park Passport stamp of the trip.
Mabry Mill
Next, we drove on to Mabry Mill (milepost 176). The gristmill and sawmill have been restored so you can experience a real mill and a working miller. The grounds also include other displays telling about the mountain industry, including a whiskey still, a sorghum mill, and a working blacksmith. The Matthews cabin was also open and had displays on tanning and shoe-making crafts.
Next to the Mill there is a restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms. It was a very busy area. Mabry Mill is another National Park Passport stamp location. During our visit, the stamp was found inside the Matthews cabin.
Cumberland Knob
Following Mabry Mill, we continued south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Cumberland Knob (milepost 217.5). This nice picnic area was just across the border in North Carolina. It has lots of tables and a restroom with running water. There was also parking for cars and RVs. If you have time to kill, there are 2 trailheads at this stop. Cumberland Knob Trail is paved and an easy 0.5 miles. The Gully Creek Trail is more strenuous and is a 2-mile loop.
The Cascades
After lunch, we drove about an hour south to the E.B. Jeffress Park area (milepost 272.5) to hike to The Cascades. This area has a pretty large parking area and restrooms. I hope you find the restrooms in better condition than we did. They were so gross!
The Cascades hike is a moderate 0.8-mile loop trail that begins at the north end of the parking area. During our visit, the trail was out and back because one side of the loop was closed. The trail is mostly downhill to the upper overlook. From here you can see about 20 feet of cascades above the overlook and a long slide below. After descending another 200 feet of mostly steps to the lower overlook you can get a full view of the slide. Then it is all uphill back to the parking area. Overall it was a nice short hike!
Hampton Inn & Suites
To end our day we drove on into Boone, North Carolina. We would be staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites for the next two nights. We had a very comfortable studio suite on the 5th floor. I was very impressed with this hotel and would highly recommend it. Our room was large, spotless, and very quiet. The elevators were fast and quiet. Our kids loved the indoor heated pool. The only flaw would be that they had a small breakfast area with lukewarm eggs and meat. That seems to be a reoccurring theme in most hotels.
Day 3, back on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Linville Falls
We start off bright and early on day 3. Our first stop along the Blue Ridge is Linville Falls (milepost 316.4). We were the first vehicle in the parking area. The Visitor Center doesn’t open until 10:00 am, but the restrooms were left unlocked. After a quick stop, we start down the Erwins View Trail. This trail is a moderate 1.6-mile round trip hike that has 4 overlooks to view different aspects of the Falls area.
The first overlook is about 0.5 miles from the visitor center. Here you get a close-up view of the upper falls to your left. On the right, the water then plunges 45 feet over the lower falls.
The next overlook is Chimney View and is about 0.2 miles further. This is the first point on the trail where you can see the upper and lower falls together. This point of the trail has considerable elevation gain.
The third stop is the Gorge View Overlook. Here you can see the Linville River cutting through the Linville Gorge Wilderness area.
The trail ends at the Erwins View Overlook, which is 0.8 miles from the visitor center. From here you can enjoy panoramic views of Linville Gorge and a distant view of the falls. From here you retrace your steps back to the Visitor Center. It is mostly downhill, thankfully! At the Visitor Center don’t forget to get your National Park Passport stamp.
Grandfather Mountain
After our hike, we headed to Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina. The park has various operating hours depending on the season. During our visit, they were open from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. Admission was $22 for adults and $9 for kids.
Grandfather Mountain consists of the famous mile-high swinging bridge, picnic areas, Sphinx & Split Rocks, a Nature Museum, animal habitats, and the Forest Gump curve. The road up the mountain is very steep and has many hairpin curves. There are many places to stop and look around.
We stopped at the Sphinx & Split Rocks first then headed to the top of the mountain to the swinging bridge. The top parking area was very crowded, as was the Top Shop. Instead of taking the elevator up to the bridge, we took the outside stairs. The bridge doesn’t “swing” much anymore but it was still a bit scary to walk across. On the opposite side, you can scramble out over the rocks for more of a view.
Then we started back down the mountain. Before checking out the Nature Museum we stopped to have a picnic lunch at the picnic area next to the Forrest Gump Curve. A portion of Forest Gump’s run across America was filmed on this portion of Grandfather Mountain. All the picnic areas have tables and trash receptacles. No restrooms!
A bit further down the mountain is the Nature Museum. It was more like a small dated visitor center with a gift shop, restaurant, and restrooms. Outside there is a nice loop trail with animal habitats. We saw black bears, otters, cougar, bald eagles, and elk. The kids enjoyed spotting the animals. Most were pretty active for mid-afternoon.
Linn Cove Viaduct
Back on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we headed to the Linn Cove Viaduct at milepost 304.4. This stop has a very small visitor center and restrooms. The visitor center had basically one exhibit on the viaduct and a video describing the building process. Don’t forget to get your National Park Passport stamp.
From the visitor center, we took the Linn Cove Viaduct Access Trail. This 0.16-mile trail is paved and very easy. It goes under the viaduct to an observation area. This trail is very handicap and stroller-friendly.
Moses Cone Memorial Park
After driving over the viaduct, our last stop of the day is the Moses Cone Memorial Park at milepost 294. Unfortunately, on the day of our visit, they weren’t doing tours of the house. We could only view 2 films, which were really good, and look through the gift shop. We also got our National Park Passport stamp. The Memorial park also has numerous hiking trails.
The Moses Cone Memorial Park was our last stop on the middle portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have visited the southern portion multiple times but not since I’ve started Simply Heartfelt.
Day 4, Congaree National Park
On day 4 we left the Blue Ridge Parkway and the mountains behind. We cut across North Carolina and South Carolina to check out Congaree National Park. This National Park is in South Carolina off of I-77 and pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
The Harry Hampton Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. It is closed on federal holidays. The park has free admission. Inside the visitor center, there is a small gift shop and exhibit area. Don’t forget your National Park Passport Stamp. Congaree National Park has hiking trails, two campgrounds, canoe or kayak trails, boat ramps, and fishing.
Congaree has 9 trails of various lengths, most of which begin at the visitor center. During our visit, we decided to check out the Boardwalk Loop Trail. It was 2.4 miles round trip and a very easy walk through different habitats. The boardwalk has benches along the way and is wheelchair and stroller-friendly.
If you go on this trail, be sure to pick up a Self-Guide Boardwalk Tour brochure at the visitor center. It consists of 17 stops each describing different natural and cultural aspects of Congaree. Take note that during times of high water, the low boardwalk portion can be underwater.
Santee, South Carolina
We ended our short road trip in Santee, North Carolina where we spent the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. The hotel looked brand new and was fairly empty. We had a large suite on the third floor right across from the elevator. Despite that location, we didn’t hear a thing all night long.
This hotel got breakfast right! Nice, hot eggs and coffee! We were very pleased with this Fairfield and would definitely recommend it.
The following day we finished our journey and completed our year in Washington D.C. We were back in Florida for good! Our next trip would be a week in our travel trailer at Disney World.
Want to read more about our adventures along the Blue Ridge Parkway?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post. We completed this road trip before the Covid-19 pandemic. Please double check that the destinations listed are in fact open.
Alysin, you did a beautiful job. Outstanding pictures. I really could feel the depth and height of the mountains. Just beautiful. I’m so glad you shared them with us.
Thanks, Venida!