C Contents BRC Free Digital PrevieWs! curios 23 10-9-8-7 . . . BRC Racing Lawn Mowers! It's a high passion for a select few. by Su Clauson-Wicker 24 Stamp out Squirrel Sex! Or at least figure out how to slow it down. by Kimberly Button 25 A Library as Big as a Breadbox? The Little Free Library arrives in the mountains. by Alicia Klepsis 26 Mill from 1794 Still Turns! It's a labor of love in Roseland, Va. by Joe Tennis 27 Indian Mounds in Downtown! Charleston, W.Va. has a few. by Su Clauson-Wicker travel guides 2014 BRC 28 A Year of Great Festivals dePartMeNts 5 6 7 8 10 13 14 16 18 59 66 Letters/ Worth a Click From the Editor Creature Feature From the Farm Great Home Buys Digital Help Guide Mountain Report The Hike Festivals & Events Mountain Garden Guest Column our cover Tim Barnwell provided our Travel Guide issue cover, with his shot of "The Loop," on U.S. 441, on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the background: Chimney Tops. 48 Map out your travel year around these great events. by Joe Tennis 38 A Foodie's Dream Journey How better to plan your year's excursions than around where you'll dine? by Fred Sauceman p.26 48 The Retro Pilgrimage Travel to new places that are old places at the very same time! by Joe Tennis features 34 The Blue Ridge Parkway Photoessay p.27, 62 Virginia West Virginia p.54 Tennessee p.24 South Carolina Here's a sample of the stunning photography in Nye Simmons' new book on the roadway. 54 Wilderness Institute in the Smokies It's full of activity and learning; it's two weeks long; it's free! by Marla Milling Region-wide articles: Page 25, Page 28, Page 38, Page 48 62 Cabin in the Woods: Royal Oaks Retreat Go for Valentine's Day! by Joe Tennis JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 | 3