Fabric Absorbent Coasters – black & white images with official logo, non-skid neoprene base

75th Logo Poster – official anniversary logo, available in 9×12 or 11×14

Anniversary Key Ring – durable plastic, two sided logo

Front License Plate – official logo displayed on scenic background

75th Anniversary Ornament – 75th logo on decorative ornament

Sticker Decal – 5″ x 6″ vinyl sticker

» Shop now for all Official 75th Anniversary Products

Find Parkway hats and caps at 10% off!

Shop clearance prices on all Share the Journey Signature Series items!

New Adventure Guides Gift Set!

Also, take advantage of this special offer. Spend over $40 between now and August 20th and receive a set of 10 FREE J. Scott Graham postcards!

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Online store is your one-stop shop for everthing Parkway related. They have guidebooks and maps to help you plan your journey, apparel to wear on your trip and a great selection of souvenirs to help you commemorate your vacation. It is also the official online store for 75th Anniversary merchandise.

Shop today and remember that each purchase directly supports the Foundation in its goal of preserving the Parkway for future generations.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store got involved by donating an official “Parkway Guide Kit” to help Katie prepare for her amazing trip. This kit included the popular book Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway by Victoria Louge, a laminted Parkway map and a Virtual Blue Ridge CD-ROM.

Thanks to everyone who entered! Keep your eyes peeled for more chances to win, our next giveaway will be announced within the month! Giveaway information is posted at www.virtualblueridge.com/giveaway.

This official 75th Anniversary product is now available online at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store and in visitor centers along the Parkway.

Don’t forget that proceeds from the sale of all 75th Anniversary products directly benefit the Blue Ridge Parkway and BRP 75th Anniversary programs.

Purchase your patch online today!

Other Official 75th Anniversary products include:

• Signed and Limited Edition Serigraph
• Lapel Pins
• Apparel
• Coasters and Mug
• Fleece Throw Blanket
• Hiking Stick Medallion

» Browse all Official Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary merchandise

Anne’s appearance is part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is sponsored by ASU’s Belk Library and Information Commons. It is also part of the library’s Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Lecture Series. Parking for this event is available on campus in the parking deck on College Street. For more information please contact Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087.

A little about Anne:  She has earned degrees from Birmingham Southern College and UNC-Chapel Hill. She currently teaches state and public history at UNC-CH. Anne has been a consultant to the National Park Service and a member of the Board for both the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the BRP 75th, Inc. She is also a member of our Blue Ridge Parkway Blog Community. Visit Anne’s profile.

Along with the popular “Super-Scenic Motorway”, Anne has also published the first-ever Parkway children’s book. This book, titled “When the Parkway Came”, is a unique look at the impact the Parkway made on local families and farms when it was first being built.

You can find both of Anne’s books for sale at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Online Store.

To commemorate the event, Dr. Ward presented her with a watercolor painting of a sacred Cherokee location and a very special “soul tree” created by Houck Medford, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

He stated “this adds a whole other dimension to the Parkway experience. The Parkway is so visual but its rhythms can easily be conveyed in poetic language. We look forward to hearing and ‘seeing’ this new imagery as it becomes part of our Parkway visitors’ journeys.”

To learn more about Laura, her work and this exciting announcement please visit Virtual Blue Ridge.

Check out Laura’s book, The Soul Tree, at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store.  Her collection of contemporary poetry is set to beautiful images of the Southern Appalachians by local photographer, John Fletcher.

Preview or Purchase The Soul Tree 

Twenty seven of  my years as a National Park Ranger were spent working on the Blue Ridge Parkway and many of the tales have the Parkway as their setting.

What is a park ranger’s life?

• A wild bear who favors Kentucky Fried Chicken
• A fugitive wanted in eight states
• A dog that saves his owner’s life
• Wildland firefighters battling nature and fire
• A ghost haunting a colonial mansion
• Hikers who stay lost because they think searchers calling their names are wild animals
• Being willing to risk your life to make our parks safe and help preserve them for the future

These are just a few experiences you will read about in A Park Ranger’s Life. Drawn from the thirty-two-year career of National Park Ranger Bruce W. Bytnar, you will discover what it takes to be a park ranger, what threats to visitors and resources they deal with on a daily basis, and what you can do to help protect and preserve our national heritage.

A typical soundtrack for this type of video would be what I like to call, “elevator music” but this DVD takes a different approach. The whole video is narrated by people on the streets of Asheville. The people interviewed talk about what they love about the city and what makes it special. Some of the individuals interviewed have lived in Asheville their whole lives while others are new to the community and share what it is that brought them there.

The Spirit of Asheville does a good job portraying the cultural diversity of the city but at the same time emphasizing the attitude of acceptance that is found there. It’s a great review of this unique city and I would recommend it for people interested in relocating or visiting the Asheville area.

We wrote this book to share some of the joy we have had traveling and learning about the Parkway with our two young sons while Anne was researching and writing (and later speaking about) her book, Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History (University of North Carolina Press, 2006). We were surprised to find that there had never been a book on the Parkway written for children and young people. We wanted to find a way to engage, delight and help a new generation of travelers understand the Parkway’s history and commit to preserving the road.

As a starting point for the book, we took a letter that an Ashe County, North Carolina farmer wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Depression years of the 1930s, which Anne found preserved in the National Archives. The letter described how the farmer’s land lay in the path of the Parkway, then under construction. Spinning a fictional story from that letter, we wrote “When the Parkway Came“. In the book, the farmer’s son — now a grandfather himself — shows his granddaughter Ginny where the Parkway passes through what used to be his family’s land. He remembers how losing part of their farm made the whole family sad, but he tells her how proud he is of the beautiful Parkway that now belongs to everyone.

In writing the book we had to figure out how to tell a story about one family that would personalize and illustrate larger issues faced by many: the hardships of the Depression, the visions and hopes of Parkway designers and proponents, the benefits brought to the mountains by Parkway jobs, and the wrenching challenges of balancing private property rights and a larger public good. To make those issues accessible and compelling for young readers and to introduce the primary sources from which we learn about history, we illustrated the book with historical photographs, documents and advertisements as well as contemporary color photographs. We hope that this approach will make it a book that will appeal to young readers and also to their parents and grandparents. We would love to see it help families talk about their own memories of “when the Parkway came” and their own hopes for its future.

The book is called When the Parkway Came, and its main story is based on a 1937 letter in the National Archives that I discovered while doing research for Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History (UNC Press 2006). In the letter, an Ashe County, NC farmer writes to President Roosevelt to ask for help when he learns that the Parkway is going to come through the middle of his farm. When the Parkway Came features a fictionalized account of this family’s experience as told by the farmer’s son to his granddaughter many years later as they travel the Parkway and see where the family farm used to be. To convey the feel of the mountains in the 1930s, the coming of the Parkway, and its stunning beauty, we illustrated the story with contemporary photographs as well as historic photographs and documents. The book is appropriate for approximately ages 7 or so and up. We think it will be something that parents, grandparents, and children will enjoy reading together.

When the Parkway Came was beautifully designed by longtime UNC Press lead book designer Rich Hendel (who also did the design for Super-Scenic Motorway and David’s previous UNC Press books), and we have published it ourselves. We chose to go this route in order both to maintain editorial control (especially over the imagery in the book) and to assure that it would be available in time for the Parkway 75th next year.

The book is being distributed to retail sellers by John F. Blair Publisher in Winston-Salem (visit http://www.blairpub.com/alltitles/whenparkwaycame.htm), but individual orders may be placed directly with us. We have just received the first shipment of books, and have them available for mailing in time for Christmas. More information and a downloadable order form are available at our book website: http://www.whentheparkwaycame.com/.

Parker the Bear, the Bear That Shares - trademarked

My earliest memory of giving for a cause was as a sixth grader when I collected nickels, dimes, and pennies to save the USS North Carolina battleship from the scrap yard. The Save Our Ship campaign was conceived by Governor Terry Sanford and led by campaign chair, Hugh Morton. Over 700,000 children participated, demonstrating one of the most marvelous aspects of this campaign — the many small, heartfelt contributions of thousands school children adding up to save something so large.

Their contribution established a perceived “ownership” of the Battleship. No matter that the donations were small — a nickel, a dime, a penny — those youngsters in 1961, who are adults today, feel “ownership”. And that ownership translates into long term stewardship. When I return to Wilmington and see the great ship secured at its berth, I experience a surge of pride, although it is forty-seven years later. I would give again.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation wants to build the same kind of loving attachment for our national park. Parker the Bear introduces children to the wonder of nature and teaches children about park stewardship. A bear bank that is mission based; Parker’s purpose is to build a lifelong connection to the Blue Ridge Parkway. And, the Parkway needs the love. Long term budget constraints have made their mark. And without intervention, parts of the Parkway may eventually have to close.

This great national park site could be helped by a child’s investment of nickels, dimes, and pennies. And, when they “Journey” there 47 years from now, they will experience the thrill of being a part of something grand built upon generosity that came from the heart. Save the Journey.

On any given day on the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially during nice weather, there are often more motorcycles than there are automobiles. My wife and I are frequently talking to these folks in overlooks and after we tell them who we are and ask them if we can share any information with them, they are full of non-stop questions. This simply means they do not have the answers nor do not know where to go to find them.

One entrepreneur who I met this past weekend is making the most of this opportunity as he and his wife, Kim, have all the answers and are having fun sharing them – Mike and Kim tours between Blowing Rock and Gatlinburg. Mike is 60 or thereabout, was successful in the construction industry in Florida, sold out because he was “tired of making money” and traded it in for “a new quality of life.” He told me this weekend at the Quotations Coffee House in Brevard. “People love the opportunity to have a diverse experience which includes the ride, a tour, great food and even a raft trip down the Nantahala if you want and Mike will go with you!

No one else in western North Carolina is offering this service. Our Virginia neighbors have devoted a whole division of their tourism department to motorcycling, but North Carolina still remains asleep. The fruit is ripe!

If you are a do-it-your-selfer, there are excellent motorcycle guidebooks available. But if you enjoy the camaraderie of others, great food, stellar rides, and a personable and enthusiastic tour leader, Mike and Kim are highly recommended.

Share the Journey!

Saving the "Good Stuff" - The Historic Orchard at Altapass

The Historic Orchard at Altapass

When Kit Trubey purchased an apple orchard near Spruce Pine, NC in 1994 on a big sweeping balcony curve of the Blue Ridge Parkway, her intent along with her brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Judy Carson, was to save one of the Parkway’s most significant views. But from the beginning, there became more to the story and MORE to the story and MORE to the story.

On September 29, 1780, the location that is now the orchard saw the passage of the Overmountain Men, coming from settlements in Indian Territory, across Bright’s Trace and the Blue Ridge to defeat the British at King’s Mountain and change the course of the Revolutionary War.

In the next decade, a prolific procreating local by the name of Charles McKinney produced 48 children via 4 separate wives who lived in 4 separate houses but attended church as a passel of five plus kids.

Then the railroad came (which they all do eventually) in 1908 produced the Alta Pass Inn, a railroad station, and an apple orchard.

When Bill and Judy started trying to make some thing out of it, both on paper and in their heads, one of the old orchard managers (now deceased) said “you ought’ta have a feed and some music”. It took a rocket scientist (Bill was an engineer on the Apollo moon shot) to figure it out but as anyone who grew up here knows, when that you mix food and music, you have the ingredients for a meal with it own unique cultural and historical heritage which will sooth a man’s soul and weaken a woman’s heart.

Every major holiday during season – Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day – there is a community feed with BBQ and and an overabundance of covered dishes. It’s $10 or a covered dish to get in. The lit-up expressions on people’s faces, the lively chatter of kids underfoot, and an 8-sheet dance floor that is full for every dance says it all. This is as rich as it gets.

Check out Orchard at Altapass products available at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store.

Answer: Up until about 3 years ago (early 2005) this was a hard question to answer.  There simply weren’t any good maps of the Blue Ridge Parkway available.  Sure, the National Park Service provides a map of the entire 469 mile park, but it lacks a lot of detail that a traveler needs. This map is available at many locations along the parkway including visitor centers and parks.  The good thing about this map is that it is free.  You can even download it from the Internet here.

Recently, we started building a Blue Ridge Parkway map section on Virtual Blue Ridge that has even more information.  This new content includes several digital downloads that you can print on demand for your day-hikes or trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

In 2004, we were actually contemplating producing a map for the purpose of providing a better, commercialized version of the Parkway map for the avid Blue Ridge Parkway traveler.  At the same time, so were the people at Outdoor Paths Publishing.  They created the first Parkway map that we consider valuable to the Parkway traveler.  It was called the “Detailed Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina“.  Whew, what a long name to market.

The map only spanned the Parkway from Milepost 289 to 469, but man… what detail it provided.  Trails, Visitor Centers, Parks, restrooms, convenience centers, overlooks and more… it had it all.  We couldn’t really find anything that they needed to do other than provide a map for the other half of the Parkway.  They did that in 2007 and decided to shorten the names to “Detailed Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway: Northern Section“,  “Detailed Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway: Central Section“, and “Detailed Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway: Southern Section“.  Still a long name, but that was exactly what they produced.

Now, why did they need 3 maps?  Because that’s how much “stuff” there is to do along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  In all honesty, they really couldn’t have done a better job.  If they had tried to make one map, it would not have been nearly as valuable.

“Why,” might you ask, “did the National Park Service not create a map like this?” Two primary reasons:  a) budget and b) commercialization.  See, the National Park Service – Blue Ridge Parkway has chosen to keep the Parkway a thing of natural scenic beauty and won’t endorse any businesses.  Thus, they could not create a map that provided all the information that an avid traveler would need.

There are other maps on the Blue Ridge Parkway and they are all available on the Blue Ridge Parkway Store.  We don’t recommend them as much, but they each have their own benefits for different Parkway travelers.

You can find out more about all these maps through the links below:

• Blue Ridge Parkway Laminated Tour Map
  This map is produced by JSK Map Services and is a really good map that was introduced in the fall of 2006.  They are currently working on a second edition and when it’s available, we’ll update this post.  In the meantime, it won’t compete with the Detailed Guidemap series, but it has it’s own benefit.  Namely, it’s laminated and has the entire parkway in one folding map.  There’s not as much detail, but it also has an elevation profile that follows the map as you go from North to South.  I personally like laminated maps because you can mark on them with dry-erase markers to help plot your trip.
• Blue Ridge Parkway Viewfinder
  This map was produced by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and is a rather unique map.  It allows you to visit 8 of the finest overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway and identify the peaks as you look around at the panoramic mountainscapes.  It basically tells you where to stand in the overlook and then you hold it in front of yourself to make the identifications.
• Virtual Blue Ridge CD-ROM
  This is our own production and has it’s merit.  It would be listed first, but it’s not really a map in the conventional sense.  This is because it’s a digital product.  It integrates the NPS map and allows you to click on icons of overlooks, parks, and visitor centers to view 360 degree panoramas from your computer.  Unfortunately, there is not a print option, but it’s a great tool to plan your trip.
• Blue Ridge Parkway Folded Scenic Map
  I never have really understood why this map is as popular as it is, but it is.  The map is only of Western North Carolina, but it’s a souvenir pictorial map.  It’s illustrated in 3D and presents the general path of the Blue Ridge Parkway as it meanders through the cities and towns of western North Carolina.
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps
  Wow, what a series.  These are intended for the avid hiker, but you can’t really ask for more than National Geographic provides.  This series of maps highlights all the trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Shenandoah National Park.  Lots of the trails on these top maps are on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but there’s many more adjacent to Parkway lands to be found also.  A hiker could savor the journeys these maps create for years.  Last year (2007), they released a new product that is a CD-ROM version of all these maps of the Southern Appalachians.  From it, you can select any area you want and print it from your desktop printer on special map paper that is weatherproof.  I would consider the printed maps or the software product to be a must-have for any hiker in the Blue Ridge Mountain region.

Well, that’s about it for maps on the Parkway.

This spectacular book details all the easy hikes along the entire Parkway, with detailed trail maps, distances, and mileposts. This book is perfect for the novice hiker and families looking for an outing together on the Parkway that can easily meet the needs of everyone in your party from young to old.

Our latest addition to the club is Blue Ridge Parkway: America’s Favorite Drive by J. Scott Graham and Elizabeth C. Hunter. As the Parkway’s first-ever coffee table book, Graham and Hunter take the reader on a stunning ride along the National Park Service’s most popular park.