Ronnie was a correspondent and producer in Latin America for both CNN and CBS and lived and worked in Latin America for more than 20 years. She also traveled with the Carter Center for a peace education project in Colombia as the country began its transition to peace. These days, she is at home in Gainesville, Florida, and getting to know the delights of the state's First Coast. But that doesn't stop her from wandering up the road to Western North Carolina, where she’s made her debut as a travel writer.
A ride down U.S. Highway 64 in North Carolina, in whatever direction you choose to go, is a delightful way to spend an hour, a couple of hours or an entire day. We often start in Brevard, a small college town with a delightful historic downtown strip. From there you can go to Franklin with its Scottish Tartan Museum or Ruby...
North Carolina’s Appalachian Trail includes about 90 miles of the trail through Western North Carolina, and of course people here think it’s some of the best the trail has to offer. Even if you are not a big-time hiker, it is a thrill to actually step foot on what distance hikers simply refer to as the “AT.” North Carolina’s Appalachian Trail: Where...
North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains will capture your fancy in winter, spring, summer or fall. It’s Western North Carolina 101. You can take it all in from the comfort of your car. Drive the North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Milepost 216.9 at the Virginia/North Carolina State Line to Milepost 469.1. Approach the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Take...
North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the best routes for exploring Western North Carolina year-round. It’s 469 miles of highway that runs through Virginia and North Carolina connecting the Shenandoah and Great Smoky National Parks. Take it down to its southernmost end at Milepost 469 and you will dead end on Highway 441. Turn right into the Great Smoky National Park. Take a...
Train. You meet people, you can look at the window and see everything that is around you — towns, cities and nature and get a sense of it all. And you can get up and walk around anytime you need to do so.
There’s never a wrong turn.
The one that hasn’t happened yet.
Turn around and make a new plan.