an achingly attractive
stream.The Drive » Groundhog
Mountain is 12 miles south of
Mabry Mill on the parkway at
milepost 188.6 Groundhog
Mountain
A split-rail fence and
a rickety wooden
observation tower
overlook the lip of
a grassy field that
curves over a sky blue
vista onto the Blue
Ridge Mountains and
Piedmont plateau.
Flowering laurel and
galax flurry over the
greenery in white bursts,
framing a picture-
perfect picnic spot.This, in any case, is the
immediate impression
one gets upon arriving
at Groundhog
Mountain, one of
the more attractive
parking overlooks in
this stretch of the Blue
Ridge Parkway. Note
that the aforementioned
observation tower is
built in the style of local
historical tobacco barns.
A mile down the
road is the log-and-
daube Puckett Cabin
(%276-730-3100, 828-298-
0398; Milepost 189.9, Blue
Ruarkway; h8am-8pm), last
home of local midwife
Orleana Hawks Puckett
(1844–1939). The site of
the property is dotted
with exhibitions on the
folkways and traditionsof local mountain and
valley folk.The Drive » Continue along
the parkway for about 23 miles
to the Blue Ridge Music Center,
at milepost 213.7 Blue Ridge Music
Center
As you come closer to
the Tennessee border,
you’ll come across a
large, grassy outdoor
amphitheater. This is
the Blue Ridge Music
Center (%276-236-5309;
http://www.blueridgemusiccenter.
net; Milepost 213 Blue Ridge
Pkwy; hweekend shows
May-Oct), an arts and
music hub for the region
that offers programming
that focuses on localStart: 4 Rocky Knob
From the Rocky Knob portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, head east for about
30 miles. You’ll be passing through the upcountry region of Virginia that blends
between the Blue Ridge mountains and the Southside, one of the most rural, least
developed parts of the Commonwealth. Marking the border between these regions
is Fairy Stone State Park (%276-930-2424; http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/fai.shtml; 967
Fairystone Lake Dr, Stuart; weekdays/weekends $3/4).
What’s in a name? Well, the park grounds contain a silly amount of staurolite, a
mineral that crystallizes at 60- or 90-degree angles, giving it a cross-like structure.
Legend has it the cruciform rocks are the tears shed by faeries who learned of the
death of Christ.
What else is here? Most folks come for 2,880 acre Philpott Lake, created as a
byproduct reservoir after the Army Corps of Engineers completed the Philpott Dam
back in 1952. The mountain waters of the lake are a popular spot for swimming and
fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Some 10 miles of multiuse trails wend
their way around the dark blue waters. There’s also camping and cabins if you want
to spend the night.
Get here by taking SR-758 south to US58 eastbound; follow for 11 miles to VA-8.
Take VA-8 to VA-57 and follow that road eastbound to Fairy Stone State Park.FAIRY STONE STATE PARK
DETOUR:
VIRGINIA.TRIPS24
(^) THE CROOKED ROAD