Appalachia Bike Trip Planning

[nick5446]

Anyone done a bike trip around WV/VA/TN/NC/KY and have can't miss or don't bother recommendations? My buddy and I will be heading there later this summer (exact timing TBD, but likely late July) for about a week. Plan is to ride down and back, camp both ways, and get a cabin to use as home base down there so we can do out-and-back day trips. Potential for more camping if we have a farther out destination. Minimal planning, zero stress. My only real goal is to drink a bunch of real moonshine and hear a lot of live music. And I guess ride my bike a bunch too.

Would love recommendations on fun towns/areas to stay in (good bars and restaurants), cool roads and destinations. My thought is to stay in southern WV as it's pretty central, but I'm definitely open. We both really want to do Wheels Through Time, but otherwise we're wide open.

EDIT: I should add, I'm also going to spend a bunch of time on NER researching routes

[RandyO]

one of my vacations at Deals Gap, I rode down on Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, on the way back, I hit Big Stone Gap, VA Rt 160 to Cumberland, KY, then In headed east on back roads I can't remember, thru the towns of Pound, and Grundy, made my way to WV Route 16, took that all the way to Marietta, OH then OH Rt 26, ran out of time in Wheeling, WV and took highway from there

[xrocket21]

I did Skyline drive in my integra GSR on a sunny day with the roof open and it was pretty amazing.

[Imbeek]

Since you said you want to see music:

I did a solo ride down the blue ridge parkway to deals gap few years back and stumbled across this fiddler’s convention, close to the parkway and with camping. It’s a LOT more than just fiddling; no hired bands, just a legendary weeklong contest for most folk and bluegrass acoustic instruments with unbelievable rippers trying to win onstage and jamming constantly all around the campground. (It’s in August)

Not sure of your tastes in music but the level of musicianship at Galax is off the charts. I was so psyched about discovering it on the way down that I changed my plans to hit it again on the way back.

https://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com/

[nick5446]

Since you said you want to see music:

I did a solo ride down the blue ridge parkway to deals gap few years back and stumbled across this fiddler’s convention, close to the parkway and with camping. It’s a LOT more than just fiddling; no hired bands, just a legendary weeklong contest for most folk and bluegrass acoustic instruments with unbelievable rippers trying to win onstage and jamming constantly all around the campground. (It’s in August)

Not sure of your tastes in music but the level of musicianship at Galax is off the charts. I was so psyched about discovering it on the way down that I changed my plans to hit it again on the way back.

https://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com/

That's super helpful and I'll keep it in mind. We're pretty flexible on our timing, so if I could catch that for a day I'd certainly be interested.