Some top spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs for 469 miles from Virginia in the north to North Carolina in the south (and a tiny bit over the border into Tennessee), is one of the most scenic drives in the United States. It's famous for not being particularly RV-friendly in parts -- many big-rig drivers tote along another vehicle and park the RV at a centrally located campground to go explore chunks of the drive. The route is well marked by milepost (the spots below are so marked), and a good place to start your trip planning is at the official site.

The views along the Blue Ridge Parkway are hard to beat.

However, with the exception of the tunnels around Asheville, N.C., most of the road can be done in a motorhome; you just want to get a good map of the highway and pay attention to the warnings about tight sections and watch for the turnoffs that are marked as larger, as well as keeping an eye out for tunnel heights all along.

Highlights include Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Here are some other options for activities:

Mill Mountain Zoo (MP 120.3) is a nice break near Roanoke, Va., with more than 160 animals, including small exhibits of big cats, primates and wolves. There's a wildflower garden and a small train (extra charge), and the views are spectacular.

Mabry Mill (MP 176.2, 276-952-2947) near Rocky Knob, Va., is a cool grist mill with living-history re-enactments that does different demonstrations depending on the time of year. Soap-making, apple butter, wood-carving and cloth-making are among them. There's a nice restaurant nearby of the same name that serves food made from local produce.

The Mile High Swinging Bridge is not for those with height issues.

Grandfather Mountain (MP 305) has a Mile High Swinging Bridge that makes kids squeal and a lot of adults close their eyes and, well, usually swear. Once you're across, though, you'll say it was great fun. Promise. Don't forget the camera, because there's also a "zoo" of sorts where you feel as though you're in the cage, and the animals get to roam free. It's pretty cool.

Altapass Orchard (MP 328.3) near Linville Falls, N.C., is best at apple-picking time, of course, but year-round offers the products made from the apples (cider, juice, jams, etc.) as well as fudge and also has a Monarch butterfly pavilion for kids.

Sliding Rock (by MP 407.6) near Pisgah, N.C., is a kids' paradise, a natural water slide that ends in a small pool. It costs a buck to do it, and good luck tearing the kids away on a hot day.

Graveyard Fields (MP 418.8), also in the Mount Pisgah area, is a great place to get out and stretch the legs; several waterfalls, including Yellowstone and Upper Falls, are worth striving for, although the latter requires a 3.2 mile jaunt.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids or without.