The Great Smoky Grand, New Giveaway, and 20% Off Substack Upgrades
Boone to Knoxville, backroad poll, trivia, and here's a giveaway hint: 🍖
Before we get to this week’s story, we’ve had an overwhelming number of direct Substack subscribers over the past few weeks, and we just want to send out a heartfelt thank you and welcome!
We’re so excited about this influx of subscribers that we’re offering 20% off Substack upgrades through July 31. That brings our price down to $40/year or $4/month. Click on the button below to access the discount.
Don’t forget to enter our Designed for Joy giveaway! Three winners will be chosen tomorrow, July 26.
One giveaway ends and another begins! Introducing our second summer giveaway: tickets to the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival August 30-September 1. Starting August 2, we’ll be giving away four tickets each week to a different barbecue event taking place that weekend. Enter to win them all, if you’d like!
Now on to this week’s featured story.
There and Back Again: The Great Smoky Grand
Backroads transport us to the places in between. This regularly occurring feature written by the Backroad Portfolio staff takes you to and from two southeastern destinations via winding rural roads lined with rustic country stores, captivating overlooks, natural hot springs, and majestic waterfalls. Take one route there and another back to experience two unique journeys.
Our summer excursion travels down rural North Carolina and Tennessee backroads mapped out by two brothers, Chris and Bryan Shugg. Inspired by a Michigan-based driving tour for auto enthusiasts organized by their uncle, the brothers created the Great Smoky Grand. We’ve added stops along the way we think you’ll love.
Start your journey in beautiful Boone, North Carolina, then end the first half of your trip in Knoxville, Tennessee’s pastoral suburbs. The drive to Knoxville takes approximately four hours and thirty-six minutes, while the return trip back to Boone takes different roads in exactly the same amount of time. We recommend booking an overnight stay so you can stretch out the experience and fully enjoy each stop.
GET THERE:
Boone, North Carolina to Knoxville, Tennessee
BACKROAD ROUTE:
4 hours and 36 minutes; 188 miles • 7 stops
Boone > Sugar Grove > Banner Elk > Roan Mountain > Jonesborough > Sevierville > Knoxville
AND BACK AGAIN:
Knoxville, Tennessee to Boone, North Carolina
BACKROAD ROUTE:
4 hours and 36 minutes; 186 miles • 7 stops
Knoxville > Hot Springs > Newland > Linville Falls > Blowing Rock > Boone
Introducing our Weekly Poll + Trivia Question
We love hearing from our readers! Starting this week, we’ll include a fun poll and trivia question that pertains to our featured story.
Trivia
American Revolutionary War Lt. Col. Daniel Boone spent many years exploring Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Florida, but where was he born?
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Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.
Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.
Take the long way home.
