Day Trip: Little Switzerland

This weekend we all loaded into the car to peep the leaves along the Blue Ridge Parkway and take a day trip to someplace new, Little Switzerland.  I've been to places north and south of there on the parkway but never this high and away mile marker as a destination.

First of all let me say that this little town must have a GREAT PR photographer because we drove past it three times.  Truly a blink and you've missed it sized place.  Cass and I had illusions of a place at least the size of Blowing Rock, with a main street and some shopping, etc. They do, it's just mostly on the property of the Switzerland Inn.  There's also the Little Switzerland Cafe which has a neat little string of shops and seems popular with the bikers judging by the fleet of Harleys parked across the street.  There were also a couple of truly darling looking Bed & Breakfasts like Le Petit Chalet, that were flying the Swiss flag and a sporty little red water wheel. Some folks come for the views and the solitude, some come to try their driving skills on Route 226A also known as "The Diamondback". We not only accomplished driving the road, we covered it three times in our winnowing search for this near mythical mountaintop escape. When we finally figured it out we were so grateful to get out of the car and get some lunch at the Inn. Harmony had a Bacon Cheese Burger that was as big as her head and accepted no help in finishing it. The food was delicious, the kids topped it off with ice cream from the sweet shop and we were home before 5.