Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (U.S. National Park Service)

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The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area encompasses the mountains of North Carolina and includes the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The heritage area is known for its thriving traditions of craft, music, agriculture, and Cherokee culture. The region’s distinctive landscape contains eastern America’s tallest mountain and deepest gorge.

		Natural Heritage Considered to be among the oldest on Earth, the mountains of North Carolina are blessed with a magnificent array of natural wonders – from the tallest peaks and waterfalls in the eastern United States to an astonishing diversity of ecosystems, plants, and wildlife. More

		Cherokee Heritage The original inhabitants of the North Carolina mountains, the Cherokee are now experiencing a cultural renaissance and renewed interest in their history, language, and culture. More

		Craft Heritage Building on age-old craft traditions of the Cherokee, Scots-Irish, and other immigrant cultures – traditions that have been nurtured by prominent craft schools and guilds established in the last century – the North Carolina mountains have become the country’s center for handmade crafts. More

		Music Heritage The North Carolina mountains still ring with the sounds of the fiddle and banjo, bluegrass bands, and cloggers, which can be heard everywhere from front porches to festival stages and town squares. More

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Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
195 Hemphill Knob Road
Asheville, NC 28803

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Climate

The mountains of Western North Carolina enjoy a mild climate throughout the four seasons. Winters bring occasional snow in the lower elevations, while high country snows support numerous ski resorts. Spring is wet and mild, lush with wildflowers, dogwoods, azaleas and rhododendrons that bloom at intervals between late March and June. Summer heat rarely reaches the 90s and extends usually from late June through August. The crisp, cool days of autumn bring brilliant blue skies that frame blazing fall colors as the trees turn. No matter what season, layering of clothing is recommended, as is keeping a sweater at hand, even in the summer (at higher elevations).