BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION

The blue ridge music center preserves, interprets, and presents the evolving musical traditions of the blue ridge mountains, highlighting the influence of american roots music on many genres of music. The blue ridge parkway foundation provides funding for an annual summer concert series, free milepost music concerts in the national park, programming and event staff, and repairs and enhancements at the national park service facility at milepost 213 near galax, va. Established by the u.s. Congress in 1985, the site includes an outdoor amphitheater, an indoor theater, a visitor/interpretive center housing the roots of american music museum, and two hiking trails.

In 1949, the bluffs restaurant became the first dining establishment to open on the blue ridge parkway. The former coffee shop welcomed generations of diners before closing in 2010. In 2020, the stone and timber building underwent extensive renovations through funding secured by the blue ridge parkway foundation. To ensure the continued operation of the bluffs restaurant, the foundation entered into a historic lease for the national park service facility. As part of that agreement, the foundation is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the building. The nonprofit has expanded its role by operating the restaurant and offering educational and pop-up events that celebrate heritage foodways, highlight mountain culture, and build community connections. It is once again a must-visit destination for homestyle meals and hospitality in the national park. The blue ridge parkway foundation created the blue ridge rising program to unite and serve the gateway communities of the blue ridge parkway by strengthening cross-jurisdictional relationships and fostering economic development, with a particular focus on travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation. Community listening sessions in the 29 counties that neighbor the national park unit identified six themes for program activities: marketing, visitor experience, unified regional voice, resource protection, workforce education, and capacity building. After more than a year of community listening sessions and planning, followed by the production of the blue ridge rising action plan, the program is now shifting from a planning process to partnership-based efforts to implement the 51 strategies detailed in the action plan.