Roanoke VA – Visit the Glowing Star City of the South

Roanoke VA – Visit the Glowing Star City of the South

Roanoke is the largest city and largest municipality in Southwest Virginia, and it is often called the Star City of the South—it has a nice ring to it, right? While Mill Mountain, crowned with a star, surrounds the city like a big blue hug, wrapping its arms around the Roanoke Valley. And that enormous star is right up there to remove any doubt about where you are!

4 Blue Ridge Mountain Towns: Riner, Radford, Roanoke, Rocky Mount

4 Blue Ridge Mountain Towns: Riner, Radford, Roanoke, Rocky Mount

Every good boy and girl learn the three Rs—but settle in—I want to teach you about the four Rs every good traveler to the Blue Ridge Mountain’s needs to know: Riner, Radford, Roanoke, and Rocky Mount. I'll guide you from a tiny speck on the map along a crooked road to a University town to the Star City of the South, ending up in the Moonshine Capital of the World. Buckle up, and let's hit the...

4 Rocky Knob AVA Wineries Cling to the Blue Ridge

4 Rocky Knob AVA Wineries Cling to the Blue Ridge

Rocky Knob AVA wineries (American Viticultural Area)are clustered along Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain Range, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. If this is your first time visiting the East Coast, for good times and great wine, I have three words for you:  Blue Ridge Parkway. Road Trip!Rocky Knob AVA – Small But MightyChateau MorrisetteThe Dog Behind the WinemakerVilla AppalacciaCome to...

My Amazing Adventures on the Yadkin Valley Wine and Shine Trail

My Amazing Adventures on the Yadkin Valley Wine and Shine Trail

I set out to explore the Yadkin Valley Wine AVA (American Viticultural Area.) The Yadkin Valley AVA consists of seven counties in western North Carolina, with the Yadkin River as its Southern border. Nearby towns are Elkin, Dobson, Mount Airy, Pilot Mountain, and State Road (yes, that is the town's name!) Believe me, visiting the Yadkin Valley is a real treat! Plus, it is a short drive from...

Amazing Flight In Glider Soaring Over The Finger Lakes

Amazing Flight In Glider Soaring Over The Finger Lakes

Soaring over Chemung County and the instrument panel of the glider © Jo Clark Harris Hill, near Elmira, is in Big Flats, New York, and is the glider-soaring capital of America. It is smack in the middle of the Finger Lakes. With an elevation of 1,709 feet above sea level, the view is spectacular, and winds are all but guaranteed. The location is perfect for so many reasons. The most important...

The Most Exciting Time In Sonoma (With Your Clothes On!)

The Most Exciting Time In Sonoma (With Your Clothes On!)

Ride through a vineyard to have the most exciting time in Sonoma! © Jo Clark Let me tell you how to have the most exciting time in Sonoma: go zipping through the vineyards in a motorcycle sidecar! I spent ten days in Sonoma County and the most fun I had (see that huge smile) was riding beside Jérôme. Jérôme Ribeiro is a relocated Frenchman, chef, tour guide, and gentleman. He is also hilarious....

11 Reasons Guaranteed To Make You Fall In Love With Corning

11 Reasons Guaranteed To Make You Fall In Love With Corning

Corning's iconic Gaffer tops the Little Joe Tower © Jo Clark Corning, a city in New York’s Steuben County on the Chemung River, is inching toward the mark of eleven thousand residents. Named for financier Erastus Corning, the town is in the Finger Lakes region, and it appears everyone has realized the area has exceptional wine and food. But they have so many other amazing things to see and do....

5 Unconventional Wine Pairings – With Macarons – No Better Obsession

5 Unconventional Wine Pairings – With Macarons – No Better Obsession

Wine pairings with French Macarons are ready for taste testing. © Jo Clark Wine pairings with macarons - not something most people recommend: wine pairings with luscious, addictive French cookies. Oh, yes! But you already know I am not “most people.” On my recent trip to explore New York’s beautiful Finger Lakes, I was treated to a first—wine pairings of Domaine LeSeurre’s Signature Wines and...

60 Miles of Sensational Beaches Make an Unparalleled Grand Strand

60 Miles of Sensational Beaches Make an Unparalleled Grand Strand

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean at the Grand Strand's Litchfield Beach © Jo Clark The Grand Strand is, well, grand! Sixty miles of sensational wide, sandy beaches. And enough shells, starfish, sand dollars, and shark teeth to delight serious beachcombers. Let’s look at the numbers: in those 60 miles, you find 14 communities, 11 beaches, 157,000 rooms, and 2,000 restaurants. Then there are...

The Stunning 469-Mile Blue Ridge Parkway is America’s Favorite Drive

The Stunning 469-Mile Blue Ridge Parkway is America’s Favorite Drive

The Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over Virginia's Route 8 atTuggle's Gap © Jo Clark When people hear the word travel, many think of driving somewhere, like a road trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway. But when people hear “National Park,” they don’t think of a highway. I’m about to change all that. Let me tell you about one of my favorite National Parks, managed by the National Park Service since 1936...