Surf, sand, and Stuart—it’s the 2018 Beach Music Festival at Wayside Park in Patrick County, Virginia. OK, so maybe it’s not ocean surf, but whitewater on the waterways of the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains. Sand is trucked in, and there’s something about the beautiful backdrop of Virginia’s Blue Ridge that makes it the perfect location […]
The Piedmont Pottery Festival continues a 1,000-year-old tradition
The Dan River Basin has been associated with pottery since well before European settlers arrived. Distinctive pottery has been found along both the North Carolina and Virginia sides of the state line that dates back to A.D. 1000 – 1450, when a significant population of Eastern Siouan (Eastern Blackfoot Indians) Native Americans lived in the […]
Watch movies under the stars at the Eden Drive-In
The Eden Drive-In dates its opening back to 1949, but that doesn’t mean it’s a relic of the past. The drive-in updated to digital projectors in 2014, making its picture and sound—broadcast locally on an FM station—cleaner and crisper than ever. The drive-in also has invested into turning its showings into full-blown events. The first […]
Explore Piedmont North Carolina’s rich literary heritage
A wealth of writers sprang up south of the North Carolina/Virginia line in the Dan River Basin, emerging among tobacco fields and textile mills. In her book “Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont,” from which much of this article was drawn, Georgann Eubanks guides readers through the haunts of many of the state’s most […]
6 fun things to do on a rainy day
Traveling with children is tough. Figuring out what to do when you’ve scheduled a trip during a rainy week can leave even in the steeliest parents pulling their hair out. Fortunately, the Dan River Basin is loaded with options to keep children happy and parents sane during extended periods of rainy weather. In North Carolina […]
7 must-visit parks along the Dan River
Summer is many people’s favorite season, with good reason. And the North Carolina and Virginia counties along the Dan River are renowned for their four-season climate. They’re home to six state parks and a national parkway, all of which provide ample opportunities to play amid the region’s beautiful summer. Hanging Rock State Park (NC) Do […]
Racing tour of the Dan River Basin
Stock-car racing may have been created in the hills of the Blue Ridge, but it came of age in the Dan River Basin. Bootleggers looking to boost moonshine out of the hollers often drove suped-up cars to outrun law enforcement during Prohibition, and it wasn’t long before they started racing each other to see who […]
From mountain to lake: Fishing the Dan River
Reel adventure for the angler in all of us!