The story of the Blue Ridge Parkway--America's Favorite Drive--has been
called awe-inspiring. Beginning with the inception of design work done
during the early 1930s through its construction and final completion,
the parkway--the longest road planned as a single unit in the United
States and also an elongated park, protecting significant mountain
landscapes far beyond the shoulders of the road itself--was completed
with the contributions of many talented individuals. The National Park
Service, which oversees it, informs that a Blue Ridge Parkway experience
is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning
long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and
pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. The parkway meanders
for 469 miles, protecting a diversity of plants and animals, and
providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the
country so special.