The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Virginia's Shenandoah down to the Great Smoky Mountains, and the stretch closest to Boone is one of the most scenic on the entire road. From overlooks like Thunder Hill and Yonahlossee you look out across ridges that recede in fading shades of blue — the haze that gives the mountains their name.
The Parkway is closed to commercial traffic and has a 45 mph speed limit; the point is to drive slowly. Plan to stop often. Within twenty miles of Boone you can reach the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park (with miles of carriage trails), the Julian Price Memorial Park (lake and easy walks), and the engineering wonder of the Linn Cove Viaduct, which curves elegantly around the flank of Grandfather Mountain.