In a new, updated edition, this comprehensive guide offers full coverage of both sides of the Tennessee–North Carolina divide. In a new, updated edition, this comprehensive guide offers full coverage of both sides of the Tennessee–North Carolina divide. Spend some time in the woods in two of the most popular national parks in the country—Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll find the best scenic drives, boating, horseback riding, fishing, rock climbing, skiing, and golf, and great local produce, crafts, music, historic homes, and museums in brick-fronted downtowns and bucolic artists’ colonies.

Details the attractions, historic sites, accommodations, restaurants, and outdoor activities of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.

In this new guide to the mountain regions of North Carolina and Tennessee, Hargan reveals where to find local produce, crafts, and music. He recommends scenic drives, walks in the mountains, outdoor activities from whitewater rafting to bicycling to hiking the Appalachian Trail; and distinctive dining, lodging, and shopping.

With Explorer’s Guides, expert authors and helpful icons make it easy to locate places of extra value, family-friendly activities, and excellent restaurants and lodgings. Regional and city maps help you get around and What’s Where provides a quick reference on everything from tourist attractions to off-the-beaten-track sites. From America’s most popular national parks to the sands of the Outer Banks to the cool peaks of the tallest mountains in the East, writer/photographer Jim Hargan covers everything worth seeing and doing in his home state. Explore wilderness areas on bicycle or by kayak, visit sleepy hamlets or lively downtowns, enjoy fine dining or country cooking on your quest for the authentic Tarheel experience.

Find countless opportunities to capture the beauty and natural diversity of America's most visited national park. On the border between North Carolina and Tennessee lie the forests and mountains of America’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life—the most biological diversity of any area in the world’s temperate zone—this beautiful place also boasts some of the last remaining pockets of Southern Appalachian mountain culture. The park offers countless opportunities to capture its beauty and diversity on film, and in this book professional photographer and writer Jim Hargan leads you to some of the best photo sites throughout this 800-square-mile wonderland.

A lively, comprehensive guide to the southern Appalachians, from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia. With visitation levels that rival Orlando and New York City, the southern Appalachians draw a huge array of weekenders, adventurers, and long-term visitors. This book offers historical insight, outdoor adventure, and all the information most travelers need to plan and enjoy their journey. This guide also serves as an insider's handbook to the nine national parks, offering active travelers the best access points and trailheads for kayaking, biking, and hiking excursions. In addition, this comprehensive guide to the region includes opinionated listings of inns, B&Bs, hotels, and vacation cabins; hundreds of dining reviews, from barbecue to four-star cuisine; up-to-date maps; an alphabetical "What's Where" subject guide to aid in trip planning; and handy icons that point out family-friendly establishments, wheelchair access, places of special value, and lodgings that accept pets.

Using full-color photography and expertly crafted prose, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains turns a day hike or drive through our nation's most beautiful and rugged expanse of forested mountains into an object lesson in the stunning beauty of nature.