a place unlike any other on earth, where ancient landscapes enchant the eye and age-old traditions warm the heart.
Congress designated the mountains of North Carolina the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in recognition of their natural abundance and richly varied cultural history.
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area nonprofit organization works to preserve, interpret and celebrate this heritage for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area includes the Cherokee Qualla Boundary and 25 Western North Carolina counties.
R.G. Absher was born in West Jefferson, in Ashe County, and he has
lived in western North Carolina most of his life. He first remembers
paying attention to the sound of a banjo at nine years old when he
heard the soundtrack for the movie Bonnie and Clyde.