On October 27, one of our first stops was at the New River State Park in Laurel Springs, Ashe County, North Carolina, and a delightful stop it was! At the pretty and top notch visitors center, we talked with the person at the front desk for a while, watched an short, informative movie, and enjoyed working our way around the indoor exhibit there at the New River State Park. Among other things, we learned that the New River is thought to be the second oldest river in the world, next to the Nile River, and part of it runs through Ashe County. How cool is that?! As you can see from the pictures below, it's a pretty state park, even in October! I'd like to go back sometime.
Ashe County is a beautiful area in the mountain region of the state. I've made a few visits there over the years to do some genealogical research, as I have a few branches of my family tree who settled in Ashe County for a spell. It is in the northwest corner of the state, so it shares borders with both Virginia and Tennessee. Part of the Blue Ridge Parkway runs through Ashe County, which was founded in 1799.
The lady at the desk of the pretty visitor center at New River State Park recommended we have lunch that day at the Shatley Springs Inn in nearby Crumpler, which we enjoyed. It was family style country cooking, and people were in a happy mood there. There is spring water on site, and while we were there, people were driving up to the spicket to fill up their water bottles with the spring water.
We also visited Mount Jefferson, and walked on some of the trails, while in Ashe County. There's a lot to do there, needless to say! I'm looking forward to return visits!
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