Welcome to Blue Ridge National Heritage Area,
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.
Traditional Artists
- Ramona Church Bluegrass musician, Wilkes County
-
- Ramona Church grew up in Wilkes County listening to her grandfather play banjo in an old two-finger style and hearing her mother's family sing gospel music. She has been playing banjo and performing since she was a young girl.
- Visit the Traditional Artist Directory
Featured Destination
- Thomas Wolfe Memorial
-
- The Thomas Wolfe Memorial in downtown Asheville, NC preserves the childhood home of one of the giants of American literature. The "Old Kentucky Home" was immortalized in Thomas Wolfe's epic novel Look Homeward Angel.
- Attractions Directory
Sights & Sounds of the Blue Ridge
The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville, NC features an award-winning film about the Parkway and exhibits on natural and cultural heritage.
