Looking for beautiful spring color?
Take a laid-back Sunday drive down any of these popular byways for fantastic photo ops and breathtaking views.
Mountain Drives
Meander the 105 miles of Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains starting at Front Royal and heading south to Waynesboro. At that point, the Blue Ridge Parkway - "America's Favorite Drive" - can carry you another 469 miles to North Carolina, if you wish.
Highlights:
The Nelson Scenic Loop in Nelson County is 50 miles incorporating the Blue Ridge Parkway with spurs leading to hiking, biking, birding, amazing scenery like Crabtree Falls and tasty wineries and breweries.
Motorcyclists especially enjoy the winding cut-backs of Back of the Dragon, a "two lane ribbon" that courses between Tazewell and Marion in Southwest Virginia.
History and Beauty
Winding through America's Historic Triangle is Colonial Parkway, a 23-mile National Scenic Byway connecting Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown Battlefield and Yorktown Victory Center.
In Northern Virginia and traversing from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate through Washington, DC and into Maryland, is the George Washington Memorial Parkway. More than 25 sites are available along the Parkway. Here are a few:
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground is a scenic drive encompassing presidential and Civil War sites. It's 180 miles long and stretches from Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Download the National Heritage Area map.