Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 22

VICTOR NEWMAN

MONROE COUNTY, TN, DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

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Seafood restaurant in Knoxville gets high marks.
The Cherohala Skyway between Tellico Plains
and Robbinsville, North Carolina isn't the only scenic
drive in east Tennessee. Others listed at tennesseeoverhill.com include Tellico River Road, passing by Bald
River Falls, and Ocoee Scenic Byway, which traverses
mountain peaks and rock bluff for views of Lake
Ocoee. The Ocoee Whitewater Center, the canoe
slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics and a
stop on the Ocoee Scenic Byway, has hiking and biking trails.
Bristol Motor Speedway (bristolmotorspeedway.
com) in Bristol, Tenn., lights up the night each April
and August with Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series
races, such as the Food City 500 and the Xfinity Series
300. Bristol Dragway onsite has an extensive schedule
of spine-tingling action as well, including the NHRA
Thunder Valley Nationals in June. One mile north is
the Twin-City Drive-In Theatre and Campgrounds.
Bristol Caverns takes visitors through vaulted chambers carved millions of years ago.
Also in Bristol is the Richard Petty Driving
Experience (drivepetty.com), where you can ride shotgun in the NASCAR ride of your life. Or, if you'd
rather, climb behind the wheel for a fling around the
ring. Serious food awaits at whimsically named KP
Duty restaurant in downtown Bristol. Near Bristol is
the aptly named Muddy Creek Raceway (muddycreekraceway.com), host of the 2015 Red Bull
Tennessee National on June 6 and other races.

Virginia: ATVs to British Beauties
A different kind of racing awaits motorsport fans at
Virginia International Raceway (virnow.com) in
Alton. The ChumpCar World Series pits amateurs like
you against 50 other racers in cars valued at $500 or
less. Participants get the thrill of competition without
the money or hassle of big-time racing. Or they rent
karts for a 50-mph zip through the raceway's 5/8thmile paved track, one of five configurations it offers.
Pro motorcycle racing returns to the lineup in 2015.
22 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

RICHARD PETTY DRIVING EXPERIENCE

4. The Cherohala Skyway
is a Tennessee/North
Carolina mountain
classic drive.
5. Virginia International
Raceway offers a driver's
playground in a resort
setting.
6. Bristol's Richard Petty
Driving Experience can
take you on a shotgun
ride or provide your own
turn at the wheel.

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The 34th annual British Car Festival (svbcc.net)
in Waynesboro in October will be a jewel box of
Triumphs, Jaguars, Austin Healeys, Minis and MGs,
to name a few of the models displayed last year. On
the grassy grounds of the show area, owners pop hoods
for enthusiasts to inspect, while gleaming paint jobs
are buffed and chests swell with pride. Make reservations now at inns such as Tree Streets Inn, The
Speckled Trout B&B and Belle Hearth Bed &
Breakfast. From Waynesboro, it's easy to get onto the
Appalachian Trail.
The Skyline Drive, all 105 miles of it, run through
the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia's Blue
Ridge Mountains, picking up where the Blue Ridge
Parkway stops near Waynesboro and winding north
to Front Royal. Midway in Luray are the famed Luray
Caverns. The historic district downtown makes for a
lovely walk. The Mimslyn Inn in Luray pampers
guests with spa services and dining at Circa '31 and
The Speakeasy restaurants.
Family-friendly ATV trails await mud lovers at
Spearhead Trails (spearheadtrails.com). Its Mountain
View off-highway vehicle system includes 60 miles of
beautiful trails that start in the town of St. Paul.
Beginners and experienced riders have a choice of
routes through the woods, from the easy to the hardcore. ATVs and side-by-sides are available to rent, and

http://www.tennesseeoverhill.com http://www.tennesseeoverhill.com http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com http://www.svbcc.net http://www.drivepetty.com http://www.muddycreekraceway.com http://www.muddycreekraceway.com http://www.virnow.com http://www.spearheadtrails.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015

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