Blue Ridge Parkway

Six Great Day Trips From Charlottesville, VA

Published August 24, 2016 | By Clark Norton

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from atop Crabtree Falls. Photo by Lia Norton

During our recent visit to Charlottesville, Virginia, where our daughter, Lia, lives and works, my wife, Catharine, and I had the chance to leave the city a bit and explore the attractions of the nearby region.

Since it was our third visit to Charlottesville, we had already toured Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, and the Jefferson-designed University of Virginia campus, sporting some of the country’s finest architecture. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Now it was time to see some of the nearby cities, take some scenic drives, negotiate some hiking trails, absorb some additional culture, visit some wineries, and even make a pilgrimage to the factory that produces my favorite potato chips. (Special thanks to Lia, her boyfriend, Mike, and their trusty Prius for chauffeuring us around.)

So here are my top… Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, cultural travel, Hiking, National Parks, Restaurants | Tagged American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Charlottesville, Charlottesville Virginia, Crabtree Falls, Dutch and Company, Richmond Virginia, Route 11 Potato Chips, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Virginia, Virginia vineyards, Virginia wineries | 10 Comments

Ten Things I Didn’t Know About Roanoke, Virginia

Published October 23, 2013 | By Clark Norton

A pastoral scene near Roanoke, Virginia. Photo by Clark Norton

In my previous post, I talked about my trip last week to the Roanoke, Virginia, area, and what I regard are the smart marketing techniques of the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau by hosting travel writers and photographers from around the U.S. and Canada to experience an area they might otherwise not visit.

The trip was organized by the Florida-based public relations firm Geiger & Associates, who work out every activity down to the minute and somehow manage not to lose any writers — who rank right up there with cats in the “herding difficulty” scale — along the way.

Now I want to detail some things I learned about Roanoke and surroundings — well branded as “Virginia’s Blue Ridge” — that might be of interest to baby boomer travelers.

So in no particular order, here… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cities, Marketing | Tagged Appalachian Trail, baby boomer marketing strategies, baby boomer travel, baby boomer travel trends, baby boomer travelers, baby boomers, baby boomers and tourism, Blue Ridge Parkway, boomers, Fincastle, Link Museum, marketing baby boomer travel, Roanoke, Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, selling travel to baby boomers, travel marketing, traveling baby boomers, Virginia Museum of Transportation | 5 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.