Virtual Blue Ridge News

Some of you may be asking "What is a Go Blue Ridge Card?" It just so happens that this special card not only fits snugly in your wallet, but it can keep your family vacations from burning a hole in your wallet, too!

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Virtual Blue Ridge concluded its latest giveaway on April 30, 2008 and has declared an official winner.  Congratulations to Jennifer McCumber of Columbia, MO for winning this special prize package.

Jennifer will receive a 2-night stay at Alpen Acres' Mountain Chalet as well as two 2-day Go Blue Ridge Card Vacation Attraction Passes for a wonderful weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We had over 1400 entries for this giveaway, with growing interest in future opportunities. Please stay tuned by visiting here often, or you can sign up for the Virtual Blue Ridge Newsletter. 

Congratulations once again Jennifer! 

Seems like time has really flown by for the latest giveaway featured on the Virtual Blue Ridge! The contest ended April 30th at 11:59:59 PM EST. Be sure to stay tuned as we will be announcing the winner in 5 business days. 

Don't want to miss the news? Sign up for our eNewsletter! 

The 2008 Spring Opening Dates and Hours of Operation are now up on Virtual Blue Ridge.

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Ahhh . . . spring is finally in the air, and even though most areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains cannot bet on consistently nice weather until well after Mother's Day, many trees and plants are in full bloom.  This is my favorite time of the year since it is so fleeting. It seems to be a very special gift to be able to enjoy such beautiful colors and textures as you take a leisurely drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Virtual Blue Ridge has a very handy Spring Bloom Calendar to make it even easier to find your favorite blooms. With peak bloom times and common milepost locations, it's a cinch!

   

  My thoughts are turning to my garden, and what annuals I may want to plant this year. The Blue Ridge Parkway Store has a great selection of wildflower seeds available, and what easier way to add bursts of color to any garden than with the Seed Gardens featuring either flowers of the Great Smoky Mountains or Blue Ridge. Check out the postcards too as they make for a fun way to include your friends on your special adventures seeking out your favorite blooms! Guess it's a good thing the wildflower seeds are 30% off!

 

 

 

Virtual Blue Ridge has partnered with Alpen Acres to offer another incredible vacation package featuring a charming mountain chalet. Imagine spending a weekend with a loved one in the peace and quiet of the western North Carolina mountains..

In addition to offering this great prize, you can also share the information with a friend and gain a bonus entry if that person enters the giveaway! The deadline is April 30, 2008 at 11:50 PM ET, so be sure to enter while you can!

The latest addition to the Blue Ridge Book Club is Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge by Nicole Blouin, Steve Bordonaro, and Marilou Wier Bordonaro. Waterfalls are magical places – places of solitude, of serenity, of subtle power. This guidebook provides all the information you need to find these moving spectacles of water and gravity. Some are a stone’s throw from the road; others hide in the backcountry. Directions, hike distance and difficulty, and a brief history of the area accompany each description. So get out of your chair and into the woods. And don’t forget your camera: you’ll want to capture the elusive beauty found inside this must-have guidebook.

Only a couple of weeks left to sign up for the first-ever Virtual Blue Ridge contest sponsored by the Inn at Crestwood. Don't miss out on this opportunity to thaw out from the long, cold winter. Crestwood resort is graciously offering a free 2-night stay at their Inn, a $100 voucher for Dominic's Table restaurant, and a $75 voucher for a spa treatment of your choice. Visit our sweepstakes page for your chance to win before the deadline of February 1st, 2008! Limit one entry per email address.

As a 1999 graduate of Appalachian State University, I was very excited to be participating in the 2008 Internship Fair on the beautiful campus of App State.  Once we finished setting up, ambitious students strolled through the door in a constant stream.  I must admit I was pleased at student reactions when they found out they could not only learn a thing or two about computers, but they could also go out on the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of their internship as well.

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The latest addition to our book club is Best Easy Day Hikes: Blue Ridge Parkway by Randy Johnson. 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.

After all of the winter storms that have come through the Blue Ridge Parkway area this winter, we are sure everyone who entered the contest is anxious for warmer weather and beautiful sunshine!  Thanks to all of you for participating in the first ever Virtual Blue Ridge Giveaway sponsored by the Inn at Crestwood.  

Almost 3,000 sun seekers entered the contest, but only one can win the grand prize. We will be announcing the contest winner within 5 business days on the Contest Winner page of the Virtual Blue Ridge website. 

Remember, Virtual Blue Ridge will be having more giveaways soon, so stay in touch, or sign up for our free newsletter to keep up-to-date with the latest goings on for the best Blue Ridge Parkway Guide around. 

Cheers to a much anticipated spring and we hope to see you on our site and on the curves and dips of the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Happy Travels!

We are pleased to announce a new guide for Parkway related books available on our web site. The Blue Ridge Book Club includes information and reviews for the books and authors relating directly to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Blue Ridge Mountains.

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.

Now that the leaves have mostly finished their last descent to the ground, it's time to get your film developed and your memory cards downloaded so that you can share your favorite photos in the Virtual Blue Ridge Photo Journal. Have a story to share to accompany your photo? Let us know and we'll put it in our blog! Submit your photos through our online photo submission form.