The building of the Blue Ridge Parkway gave an economic boost to the depressed Appalachian region. The parkway links the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina with the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Construction began in 1935 but progress was slow due to World War II and the goal of blending the road into the surroundings and scarring the land as little as possible. Cabins along the route offer lodging options.
These cabins are two miles from Mabry Mill, a much-photographed gristmill. The Rock Castle Gorge hiking trail is minutes away. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the cabins, just off Mile Marker 174, in the 1930s. Each cabin has two full beds, a small but fully equipped kitchen, towels, linens, window fans and electric heaters. These cabins are popular due to their location and their significance in park history.
Rocky Knob Cabins
266 Mabry Mill Road
Meadows of Dan, VA 24120
540-593-3503
foreverlodging.com
Willow Winds Cabins offers porches, a stock of firewood and a private hot tub. The grounds feature a trout-stocked pond. The cabins are minutes from the Biltmore Estate and downtown Asheville. The cabins feature porch rockers, electric barbecue grills, private mountain streams, nature trails, lighted fountains, a waterfall, playgrounds and a putting green. Cabins, scattered across the 39-acre property, range in size from one bedroom to three bedrooms.
Willow Winds
39 Stockwood Road Ext.
Asheville, NC 28803
828-277-3948
willowwinds.com
Fancy Gap Cabins and Campgrounds, at Mile Marker 202.5, is near the border of Virginia and North Carolina, in the Winston-Salem area. Six basic one-room cabins include queen-sized beds and a full-sized futon bed. Cabins also have refrigerators and microwaves, linens, towels and ceiling fans. The campground provides two rocking chairs for each cabin, a picnic table, grill, fire ring, fishing pond and horseshoes.
Fancy Gap Cabins and Campgrounds
202595 Blue Ridge Parkway
Fancy Gap, VA 24328
276-728-7664
fancygapcabins.com
