Tourism

“Cumberland Knob on average week day… Don’t try it on Sunday.” Photograph Courtesy of the Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Library ^[3]

Tourism is undoubtedly a booming business in WNC. The presence of tourism in Asheville precedes the arrival of the BRP by at least 50 years. Tourist migration to Asheville grew rapidly with the arrival of the railroad in 1880 as tourist began to recognize Asheville for its natural beauty, resorts, and health benefits.^[1] As early as the 1920s, wealthy individuals such as E.W. Grove were building high-end, modern hotels to appeal to wealthy tourists.^[2] Grove was far from the last person to contribute to the city’s tourist market. In the midst of the tragic effects of the Great Depression on Asheville, North Carolina leaders fought to bring the Blue Ridge Parkway, an “avenue that held limitless possibilities of tourist possibilities of tourist popularity for all time,” lest they face the “appalling disaster” that they would suffer should the road be routed through Tennessee. The fight to bring the Parkway to North Carolina is itself a long and rich story in which advocates for the Tennessee route and champions for the North Carolina route fought vehemently to bring the BRP to their state.^[4] The end of this story is apparent, as the Parkway can be seen snaking its way through WNC. Also apparent, through reports conducted by the NPS, is the economic and tourist contribution of the BRP in North Carolina.

But with all this talk of tourism, what exactly is it about the Parkway that draws tourists to migrate on it? The BRP offers many wonderful attractions for tourists. Some of these features—such as leaf-looking, hiking, and camping—speak to the natural allure of the Parkway and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Other activities, such as cycling, motorcycling, and photography, highlight commercial uses of the BRP. Both natural and commercial tourism play a role in understanding the overall tourist usage of the great scenic highway and will be explored in “Tourists.”

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Footnotes

[1] “Downtown Asheville Historic District– Asheville, North Carolina: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary,” National Parks Service, accessed October 29, 2017, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/dow.htm.

[2] “Battery Park Hotel– Asheville, North Carolina: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary,” National Parks Service, , accessed October 29, 2017, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/bat.htm.

[3] “Parking on Average Weekday,” Cumberland Knob, milepost 217.5, photographer Roscoe Reeves, July 1956, Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Library, Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters, Asheville, North Carolina.

[4] Fred L. Weede, “ Battle for the Blue Ridge Parkway,” 1957, courtesy of Buncombe County Library, Blue Ridge Parkway Archives, Asheville, North Carolina.