Welcome to the Blue Ridge Highlander, a Creative and Comprehensive
Travel and Relocation Guide to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. 

Gardens of the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains

Passing the equinox we once again find ourselves standing in the valley as day by day the earth slowly and miraculously comes alive, like a pot of boiling water it moves from stillness to explosion. 

The reawaking of spring in the high country of the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains is quite unique.  In the lowlands of the mountain interior, the first signs of spring follow a horizontal path across the valley, growing ever so slowly as it makes its journey upward along the mountain slopes....read on...

The mountains are a great place to spend quality time with your family, friends or that special someone. Breathe fresh air, go for a hike, enjoy the wildflowers and the birds. Wander through the antique shops and art galleries and check out one of the interesting restaurants that are scattered throughout the mountains....What better day is there to Plan a trip to the Mountains.

The point is...life is a vibration, either we sing in tune or we squawk with the negative. Life can bring you joy if you take time every day to count your blessings and sing in tune with faith.....Mrs. Highlander

Building and Designing a Green Friendly Mountain Home.

Green design has been making headlines for over 15 years, and over time will become a requirement by local governments. Green (Sustainable or Eco-Friendly) Design pertains to any design feature, product or act that is used intentionally to "save or protect" the Earth and the environment....click for rest of story.

Contributing Writer....Cindy Trimble Kelly, of Trimble Kelly Studio.

It is a great time to plan a trip the mountains, and the Highlander is the best way to make your decisions on where to go, what to do, where to stay, where to shop and what restaurants to go to. 

We have recently added a new "order free brochures and additional information" form to help you make plans for your trip to the mountains for a visit or to move.

Winter is also a good time to look for that perfect mountain getaway or if you are lucky enough to get to move here permanently, the Highlander is the way to find the best Mountain Realtors, Classic Builders or Rustic Builders and beautiful Mountain Developments.

Coming in Soon...
Kings of the Mountains....the Appalachian Black Bear...

Giants of the Forest.....Scraping the sky beyond the mountains they grace, stand the giants of the old growth forest. Pressing upward, they pursue their life’s goal, to live beyond the common practice of time always reaching towards the sky. Obsessively they chase the cycle of seasons, round and round until their internal structure displays an intricate circle of rings. Rings similar to the working order of a great clock, preserving and telling its story along the way.   read on.....

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest......Located just 15 miles from Robbinsville, in Graham County North Carolina, tucked away deep in the Nantahala National Forest and partly in eastern Tennessee, is a rare living national treasure. An ancient, old growth forest of giant trees, untouched by the logging saw. A sanctuary protected and preserved under the Wilderness Act for the enjoyment and the posterity of a people and a great nation..... read on....

Born Alfred Joyce Kilmer on December 6, 1886, this creative soul and devout Christian became a journalist, poet, literary critic, and an editor at the New York Times. Yet, a single poem catapulted Kilmer to notoriety, a 12-line poem expressing his dearest affection for “Trees,” written in the year 1913.  Joyce Kilmer’s poem was published in 1914 in a collection entitled, Trees and Other Poems....read on....

In 1934, a New York chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars approached the federal government with a petition, requesting that the government honor Joyce Kilmer, a fallen comrade and fellow patriot with a suitable memorial. After discussing the petition with the government, it was decided that an appropriate memorial for the patriot poet would be a tract of virgin forest in the eastern United States......read on....

Nature's Pilgrimage...the Monarch...The autumn season begins their celebration of life as they pursue a natural innate spiritual sense that drives them along a pilgrimage that will eventually carry them across a continent. Before their great journey begins they must partake in a fertility ceremony essential to their future survival...read on....

Hemlocks, Gift Giver of the Standing People....The gifts of the forest are legion. Today those gifts are thought of as arcane anecdotes to a fast and furious culture disconnected from its environment. Just five centuries ago, the lore of plant foods and medicines and craft materials was the mainstay of the everyday. Every man, woman and child held this knowledge with an intimacy born of pragmatic use and reverence....read on....

Mark Warren owner and director of Medicine Bow Wilderness School,
teaching nature classes and Native American survival skills in the mountains of north Georgia.

If you love the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, you will love the Blue Ridge Highlander, 10 years on-line and getting better every day.   We appreciate our readers as well as our advertisers, for all their support and loyalty.  Check the Directory of the communities in the Highlander.

We strive to be the best Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain Travel and Relocation Guide available, as well as an entertaining and inspiring On-line Magazine. 

The links below will help you find all you need to travel, relocate or just enjoy the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.  There is a lot to check out, and a lot more being added this year, so take time to explore the Highlander and learn why so many choose to escape to the Mountains through the Blue Ridge Highlander.

Are you planning to Travel to the Mountains?  The Blue Ridge Highlander can help you plan your trip so that you enjoy all that the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains have to offer. 

If you are looking to invest into Real Estate in the Mountains, the Highlander can be a true benefit to your search. Use the Highlander to research all of the different Mountain Communities, so that you can find the one that best suits your particular needs.  You can also find Realtors, Featured Developments, Building Services, as well as Log Home, Cabin, Timber frame, Post and Beam and Classic Builders to build your mountain dream home on the Highlander.

If you live in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, you are truly blessed.  The Highlander is a great way to learn more about the great mountains that you live in.  Take advantage of all of the possibilities to enjoy the mountains around you.

We have many new featured stories, mountain communities, scenic road trips as well as additional recreational information planned for this coming year, so bookmark and come back often and sign up for "Messages from the Mountains" to be notified when they go on-line.

If you haven't checked out the Highlander Kid's Club you should.  We have great plans to for the Highlander Kid's Club this year, so don't forget to share a link with your friends.  We are always open for suggestions, so tell us what you would like for us to create within the Highlander Kids Club.  

Thanks for taking the time to visit the Highlander. This site is our way to share with you our love of the mountains and invite you to come and enjoy them the way we do.  Don't hesitate to email us at suggestions@blueridgehighlander.com and let us know what you would like to see on the Highlander.