One of Virginia's best-kept secrets is peacefully tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains. The Bristol Hotel embodies its hometown’s industrial roots, musical soul and adventurous Appalachian spirit. The 65-room boutique hotel located in the city’s former downtown Executive Plaza has a rooftop bar with sweeping mountain views, a street-front restaurant with family-style … [Read more...] about Partner content: Unveiling Virginia’s hidden gem
Virginia
Not roughing it at the Twin Valley Rally: A trek to Wilderness Adventure at Eagle’s Landing
I — get this out of the way up front: you need to come to the Twin Valley Riders Rally next September. If you can’t have a good time there, you’re not trying. It’s typically a fun journey getting there, riding across western Virginia without a single traffic light beyond my neighborhood, but a beautiful Thursday afternoon in mid-September, my progress was impeded by a yellow … [Read more...] about Not roughing it at the Twin Valley Rally: A trek to Wilderness Adventure at Eagle’s Landing
Charlottesville: Riding with the founding fathers
The Blue Ridge Mountains offer an array of terrific sites to see, places to explore and adventures to enjoy. One such trip worth making is to Charlottesville, Virginia. As a history buff, my own interest in the area — associated with Thomas Jefferson — goes back a long way. In fact, shortly after buying my first BMW motorcycle as a college student, Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge … [Read more...] about Charlottesville: Riding with the founding fathers
Skyline Drive to Front Royal: Thwarted by rain, rewarded with sun
Pausing at the southern gate to Virginia’s Skyline Drive, I surveyed the dark clouds ahead. There’s that sensible side of yourself that tells you today is not the right day for exploring one of the region’s most famous scenic drives. Then there’s the sunk-cost motorcycling addict who says, I’ve traveled this far to do this. I’m not afraid of a little rain. A decade earlier, I … [Read more...] about Skyline Drive to Front Royal: Thwarted by rain, rewarded with sun
Lost highway: The last ride of Hank Williams
On the evening of Dec. 31, 1952, legendary country singer Hank Williams checked into the Andrew Johnson Hotel in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. By the following day, the iconic performer would be pronounced dead at a hospital in the depths of rural West Virginia. Although there is much debated speculation and haphazard lore as to what really occurred along “Hank Williams’ Last … [Read more...] about Lost highway: The last ride of Hank Williams
