RELATED LINKS Return to 5 Beautiful Drives

Asheville, at the junction of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, is home to the George W. Vanderbilt Biltmore Estate (www.biltmore.com), a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, greenhouse and winery. Definitely stop by for a tour of the elegant mansion and grounds. Nearby, the Folk Art Center (www.southernhighlandguild.org), is a hotbed of Appalachian handicrafts, many of which are for sale.

Virginia pine, spruce, hemlock, maples, oaks, cypress and cedar trees flank the Blue Ridge Parkway as it winds south and west through Pisgah National Forest. At State Route 441, head west into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (www.nps.gov/grsm), where the narrow road winds high through the Newfoundland Gap and fog rolls over the mountains. Here, inspired hikers can follow a steep Appalachian Trail path to Clingmans Dome, about a half-mile from a parking lot. At 6,643 feet, this is the highest point in Tennessee; views from the rustic observation tower extend for miles. Just north of the Gap, hop on Highway 73 west to Elkmont, an old, abandoned logging camp on the banks of the Little River. Walk through the grounds and watch for the area's claim to fame, synchronized lightning bugs that illuminate the first two weeks in June.

For a taste of eastern Tennessee's rich pioneer history, take the Cades Cove turn off (www.cadescove.net), a one-way paved road through clusters of sheltered cabins and churches. Built over old wagon wheel tracks, the 11-mile route is home to an abundance of wildlife, from white-tailed deer, woodchucks and cottontail rabbits to wild turkeys and hogs.

As you exit the park, head east and prepare for the shock that is Gatlinburg (www.gatlinburgtourism.com). The tourist-packed city is home to every manner of attraction, from a trolley system and aerial tramway to multiple Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museums, Cooter's "Dukes of Hazzard" (www.cootersplace.com) garage-gallery and the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers (www.thesaltandpeppershakermuseum.com). Challenge your road trippers to themed mini-golf courses of every kind (Hillbilly and Davey Crockett golf to name a few).

Continuing north on 441, Pigeon Forge is home to Dollywood (www.dollywood.com), as well as more than 200 factory outlet stores and the South-inspired Old Mill (www.mypigeonforge.com/old_mill.asp), where country-precious shops hawk Christmas decorations, cowboy boots and leather goods. Dolly dedication extends to Sevierville, a few miles north, where a statue of city native Ms. Parton stands on the courthouse lawn. Nearby, the Sevierville Forbidden Caverns (www.forbiddencavern.com) guide visitors on somewhat theatrical tours of underground caves once used by area moonshiners.