North Carolina

North Carolina's mountains are made for an unhurried drive. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through the high country here, and in fall much of the color is visible from your car.

Moses Cone Park sits along the Parkway at milepost 294, and Julian Price Lake, a few miles on, has a fishing pier. Grandfather Mountain lifts you to the Mile High Swinging Bridge, a 228-foot span at 5,305 feet. Farther south, the Folk Art Center stands along the Parkway in Asheville.

To the west, the Cherohala Skyway climbs from Tennessee and comes down at Robbinsville. Newfound Gap Road crosses the Great Smoky Mountains from Tennessee into the state's western mountains.

Bring a thermos, take the long way, and let the switchbacks set the pace. These roads are best when nobody's in a hurry.