Prime Journey Cities 2023

Readers choose the very best locations to stay and play within the Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge holds an abundance of vibrant cultural hubs nestled up towards pristine wild lands which are ripe for journey, and this 12 months we as soon as once more requested readers to choose their favorites. Hundreds of votes have been forged in our annual Prime Journey Cities contest, as 100 editor-selected nominees have been whittled right down to winners in 4 classes: tiny, small, medium, and huge cities. Combining world-class outside recreation, beautiful surroundings, and thriving native companies, these areas are a few of greatest locations to stay, go to, and play within the area. Learn on to be taught extra about this 12 months’s winners.

Giant City 

Winner: Roanoke, Virginia (pop. 98,865)

A Prime Journey Cities champ three of the final 5 years, it’s no secret that the Star Metropolis has a wealth of outside alternatives. That chance is among the many most accessible within the area, too. The town’s quickly increasing path community simply surpassed over 100 miles of trails, together with the absolutely wheelchair accessible Roanoke River Greenway, including accessibility to a area infamous for its ruggedness.

“Roanoke is a type of locations the place you will get a real introduction to the mountains, and see what being in nature actually appears to be like like,” stated Xavier Duckett, who grew up on the town and now serves on the Roanoke Outdoors Advisory Board. Duckett moved again to Roanoke in 2016, and shortly after based the nonprofit Humble Hustle, Inc., which helps Roanoke’s underrepresented communities get into the outside. 

Whereas staples just like the uber-photographed McAfee Knob and Mill Mountain are famously scenic, Roanokers rave about lesser-known gems like Carvins Cove, a 12,000-acre municipal park that gives alternatives for boating and fishing, and over 60 miles of mountain biking trails. The cove is a major motive Roanoke has turn out to be one thing of a Mecca for mountain bikers lately.

Inside metropolis limits, Roanoke’s bustling tradition scene goes along with the outside. Whereas the up-and-coming Wasena neighborhood has River Rock Climbing Gymnasium and kit and consignment store Roanoke Mountain Adventures, it additionally contains native meals favorites like RND Espresso and Bloom Restaurant & Wine Bar. The town additionally has plans for an in-river kayak park close to Wasena, including distinctive accessibility to the realm’s prime notch paddling alternatives.

Runners Up

Asheville, N.C.

Some of the well-known journey hubs within the area, Asheville is in style for good motive. World-class mountain biking is close by within the Pisgah Nationwide Forest, whereas hikers escape to favorites just like the Artwork Loeb Path.

For post-adventure enjoyable, town is flooded with killer breweries and stay music venues that herald a gradual stream of nationwide acts.

Lynchburg, Va. 

Set simply east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and proper alongside the James River, Lynchburg has entry to 40 miles of city trails, together with the RiverWalk path, which runs proper via downtown. One other sizzling spot is Rise Up Climbing, a big health club with top-rope and bouldering routes, recognized for beginner-friendly instruction. 

Medium City

Winner: Boone, North Carolina (pop. 18,036)

Greatest often called the homebase for younger adventurers at Appalachian State College, Boone has lengthy been probably the greatest faculty cities within the nation for outside-minded college students. However with loads of locals who keep for the city’s entry to the New River and the Linville Gorge Wilderness, Boone boasts a strong outside neighborhood that extends effectively past the school children.

In reality, the neighborhood is an enormous a part of what retains individuals coming to Boone. “The issues that make Boone particular are the individuals who work to make it particular,” stated Kristian Jackson, who teaches outside training at App State and has lived in Boone since 2005. Jackson praises the city’s many small enterprise homeowners, like these at Booneshine Brewing Firm, who typically collaborate with native nonprofits and outside rec organizations. 

Boone’s received loads of choices for supporting these small companies. For espresso, people can get pleasure from regionally roasted beans at Bald Man Brew simply exterior of city, or head into city for acclaimed hole-in-the-wall Espresso Information. Boone’s meals scene advantages from the culinary college at Caldwell Group Faculty, which feeds adventurous cooks into native eating places with a historical past of doing nice issues with Appalachian substances like ramps, pawpaws, and morels. Favorites amongst vacationers and locals alike embody Dan’l Boone Inn and Vidalia.

Boone can be residence to a humbly prolific music scene—artists from Outdated Crow Drugs Present to Rainbow Kitten Shock all have roots right here. Followers can take a look at native bands at intimate venues like Black Cat Burrito, on larger levels at Appalachian Theatre, or in full pageant glory at Boonerang, a downtown pageant designed as a homecoming for artists bred in Boone.

Runners Up

Charlottesville, Va.

Charlottesville sits simply east of Shenandoah Nationwide Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Path, and there’s loads of recreation on the town, too. The 20-mile Rivanna Path, loved by runners, hikers, and bikers, traverses the small metropolis, whereas simply south Walnut Creek Park has 15 miles of twisty, wooded singletrack. 

Bristol, Tenn./Va.

Roots run deep on this border metropolis that sits proper on the Tennessee/Virginia line. It’s greatest often called the Birthplace of Nation Music, being the place the style’s first recordings occurred, and that tradition is widely known yearly on the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion pageant within the fall. And this Southern city additionally has a lot for adventurers to discover, together with the newly developed Mendota Path and close by Holston Lake, which holds over 7,500 acres of open water.

Small City

Winner: Bedford, Virginia (pop. 6,642)

Bedford is a city the place outside alternatives are so quite a few—world-class mountain climbing, biking, fishing, disc golf, and ultrarunning, to call just a few—one of many largest jobs of the native Parks division is letting individuals know that all of it exists.

“So many individuals don’t know what’s proper of their yard,” stated outside occasions coordinator Lee Wittekind, who first explored Bedford when he moved right here in the course of the peak of the pandemic. With loads of time to be alone within the outside, Wittekind discovered greater than sufficient materials for the brand new gig. “My objective with this job is simply to be like, ‘hey everybody, all this superior stuff is excellent right here.’”

Amongst all that superior stuff are the Peaks of Otter, which tower over the city’s north finish. Sharp Prime and Flat Prime are strikingly distinguished—with few different mountains of their manner, the Peaks supply a number of the most sweeping 360-degree views you’ll discover on the east coast and are accessible by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway year-round.

Moreover, a burgeoning ultrarunning neighborhood has grown right here, with the Hellgate 100k and the Promised Land 50k held within the mountains close by. Mountain bikers can check their abilities at Montvale Park or Falling Creek Park, the place a rising variety of races, many for younger riders, are held from January to November.

There are many choices for much less excessive experiences, too. Walkers can get pleasure from “the loop,” an unofficial route of about three miles on the north facet of city that’s been a favourite of locals for generations. Disc golf has additionally caught on in an enormous manner. Bedford County’s New London Tech DGC will host to Disc Golf World Championships subsequent 12 months, but it surely’s one in all a number of nice programs open to the general public for play year-round.

On the town, people can discover a thriving meals and humanities scene that rivals the large cities close by, highlighted by native favorites like Beale’s, a woolen mill-turned brewery with good beer and even higher service; ElectricCoBistro, an acclaimed eatery that hosts stay music and an artwork gallery; and the storied Bower Heart for the Arts.

Runners Up

Abingdon, Va.

This southwest Virginia small city holds the southern terminus of the Virginia Creeper Path, a 34-mile rails-to-trails path that’s turn out to be a preferred regional vacation spot for bikers and hikers. Locals may also be discovered fishing and paddling at Hidden Valley Lake earlier than grabbing beers at Sweetbar Brewing Co. or catching a present on the famend Barter Theater. 

Lexington, Va.

Lexington is a quaint faculty burg—with Washington and Lee and the Virginia Navy Institute on the town—situated within the southern finish of the Shenandoah Valley, not removed from the George Washington and Jefferson Nationwide Forest. The scenic mountain climbing routes of Home Mountain might be accessed near downtown, whereas cyclists favor the 45-mile Lexington-Goshen Loop that features a robust climb up North Mountain. 

Tiny City

Winner: Blowing Rock, North Carolina (pop. 1,397)

With a legendary namesake, a close-by ski hill with world class terrain parks, and an in-town mountain bike pump monitor, it’s onerous to think about a extra thrilling place to be exterior proper now than Blowing Rock.

Named for the storied outcropping that overlooks the close by Pisgah Nationwide Forest, Blowing Rock is a particular small city surrounded by rugged terrain. Sitting atop the Jap Continental Divide, the panorama makes it simple to get away from the crowds most WNC hotspots have gotten used to, and it additionally supplies a number of the most thrilling outside alternatives within the area.

Lots of these alternatives lie a stone’s throw away from city. Locals rave concerning the Glen Burney Falls and China Creek Trails, which plunge 600 and 1,600 ft, respectively, into the Johns River Gorge, passing by waterfalls via previous progress forest typically described by locals as “primordial.” The perfect half? Each trails start on the town: China Creek begins in a western neighborhood, whereas Glen Burney Falls begins a block from downtown.

It’s terrain like this that retains locals right here. “It simply looks like residence,” stated Drew Stanley, who serves as director of terrain parks at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Generally known as “App” to locals, it’s one in all solely a handful of ski resorts within the state, and sits only a 10-minute drive from city. 

Stanley has skied mountains throughout North America however has since returned to his hometown. “Blowing Rock is simply particular,” stated Stanley. “There’s a lot consideration to element right here, and the city’s actually gone above and past to maintain the quaint, well-kept environment it’s at all times had.”

Contributing to that environment are previous mainstays like Blowing Rock Brewing Firm and Blowing Rock Artwork & Historical past Museum, in addition to newer faves like Hellbender Mattress & Beverage. With a tightly packed downtown—the entire city solely covers about three sq. miles—your subsequent hike is rarely far out of your subsequent drink, chunk to eat, or mattress.

Runners Up

Damascus, Va.

Damascus is rightly often called Path City, USA, as a number of pathways—together with the Appalachian Path—go proper via city. Past the plentiful mountain climbing, adventurers additionally come to trip bikes on the Virginia Creeper and discover the huge and scenic Mount Rogers Nationwide Recreation Space. Each Might, the city hosts Path Days, a vibrant pageant that celebrates outside tradition and serves as a reunion for A.T. thru-hikers.

Floyd, Va.

Set within the southwest Virginia stretch of the Blue Ridge, Floyd mixes old-school mountain city allure with a thriving arts scene. The agricultural environment are ripe for recreation, together with mountain climbing Buffalo Mountain Pure Space Protect or paddling the Little River, whereas again on the town a must-do is catching bluegrass tunes on the Floyd Nation Retailer’s Friday Evening Jamboree. 

Blue Ridge Open air’ annual Prime Journey Cities contest is sponsored by Lowa.

Cowl Photograph: Bikers in Roanoke, Va. Photograph by Jennifer Griffin/courtesy of Go to VBR

Prime 100 Cities

LARGE TOWNS 2023

Alexandria, Va.

Asheville, N.C. 

Atlanta, Ga.

Augusta, Ga.

Bowling Inexperienced, Ky.

Charleston, S.C.

Charlotte, N.C.

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Chesapeake, Va.

Clarksville, Tenn.

Columbia, S.C.

Frederick, Md.

Hampton, Va.

Knoxville, Tenn.

Lexington, Ky.

Lynchburg , Va.

Philadelphia, Pa.

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Raleigh, N.C.

Richmond, Va.

Roanoke, Va.

Roswell, Ga.

Virginia Seashore, Va.

Wilmington, N.C.

Winston-Salem, N.C.

MEDIUM TOWNS 2023

Alpharetta, Ga.

Annapolis, Md.

Beckley, W.Va.

Boone, N.C.

Bristol, Va./Tenn.

Charlottesville, Va.

Cumberland, Md.

Danville, Va.

Frankfort, Ky.

Fredericksburg, Va.

Georgetown, Ky.

Greenville, S.C.

Hagerstown, Md.

Harrisonburg, Va.

Johnson Metropolis, Tenn.

Maryville, Tenn.

Morganton, N.C.

Morgantown, W.Va.

Mount Holly, N.C.

Sevierville, Tenn.

Spartanburg, S.C.

Staunton, Va.

Waynesboro, Va.

Winchester, Va.

Woodstock, Ga.

SMALL TOWNS 2023

Abingdon, Va.

Bedford, Va.

Black Mountain, N.C.

Brevard, N.C.

Clifton Forge, Va.

Dahlonega, Ga.

Dawsonville, Ga.

Elizabethton, Tenn.

Elkin, N.C.

Franklin, N.C.

Galax, Va.

Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Hendersonville, N.C.

Lewisburg, W.Va.

Lexington, Va.

Marion, Va.

Norton, Va.

Prestonsburg, Ky.

Shepherdsville, Ky.

Somerset, Pa.

Summersville, W.Va.

Thurmont, Md.

Vacationers Relaxation, S.C.

Woodstock, Va.

Wytheville, Va.

TINY TOWNS 2023

Banner Elk, N.C.

Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

Blowing Rock, N.C.

Blue Ridge, Ga.

Bryson Metropolis, N.C.

Cape Charles, Va.

Cherokee, N.C.

Damascus, Va.

Davis, W.Va.

Edisto Island, S.C.

Fayetteville, W.Va.

Floyd, Va.

Halifax, Va.

Helen, Ga. 

Scorching Springs, Va.

Marlinton, W.Va.

McHenry, Md.

Outdated Fort, N.C.

Park Metropolis, Ky.

Pearisburg, Va.

Powhatan, Va.

Shepherdstown, W.Va.

St. Paul, Va.

Sylva, N.C.

Townsend, Tenn.