My Mind's Eye

Remember your Angels are Watching

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Happy Tuesday Trek: The Bluffs at Doughton Park

 

Thank you Comedy Plus for hosting

Wednesday, June 16, the friends we were visiting took us on a road trip about 1 hour from their home.  Destination was the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.  We had lunch at The Bluffs (you can read the history of The Bluffs at the end of the post). The  mountaineers have their own vocabulary: 




Of course My Mind's Eye drew me right to this gorgeous Red ride
License Plate is "OUR STUF".  
Their luggage is stored in the trailer.
The owners gave me permission to snap away.  They told me they were from
Pennsylvania.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic ride.  They heard about the beauty of the Parkway and decided to ride the entire length one way. However, they loved it so much they decided to ride it home too.  

Below is a 4 minute video about The Bluffs, the only Restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was just reopened this year after many years of being closed.  

There are three very distinct accents in North Carolina.  Coastal, Piedmont (where we live) and  Mountains.  You will love Ellen mountain accent.  It is about a minute into the video.  She was a waitress there for many years. I hope you can see it. If not, click here

About The Bluffs

In 1949, The Bluffs became the first dining establishment to open on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For 61 years, locals and Blue Ridge Parkway travelers flocked to the restaurant at Doughton Park for fried chicken, sweet potato pancakes, ham biscuits, berry cobblers, and more.

Friendly service brought diners back time and time again. Many folks will remember waitress Ellen Smith, who worked at the restaurant for decades. One patron fondly remembers how Miss Ellen always pulled up a high chair for her teddy bear on each Sunday visit.

Sadly, the restaurant closed on November 1, 2010, after a new concessionaire did not step forward to operate the National Park Service property. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, and it began to look like The Bluffs might not welcome diners ever again.

Bringing Back The Bluffs

Loyal patrons didn’t forget about The Bluffs. After numerous requests to take on the project, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation began raising funds in 2016 to repair and restore the restaurant. Thanks to support from individuals, the State of North Carolina, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, the restaurant has undergone a transformation, including a new roof and kitchen equipment, a freshly painted interior, an ADA-compliant restroom, and a rebuilt dining counter.

The team has worked diligently to keep the original charm of the former coffee shop by restoring the existing features, such as painstakingly cleaning and polishing the period light fixtures. All of the design choices work to capture the charm of the original interior, while bringing the 1949 facility into the new millennium.


20 comments:

  1. we love that our stuff rie... it would be pawfect for two pups ;O) and we are happy to hear that the bluffs got a new life... we need such things in our world....urgently...

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  2. Believe me, we know all about 'hangry' in this household...
    We loved the old scenes from Bluffs Restaurant. And what a beautiful drive. Just the name, the Blue Ridge Mountains, has such a romance to it.

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  3. Hari OM
    what a wonderful post today - the video was delightful ... and so is that 'ride'!!! YAM xx

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  4. What a very interesting video. How great that the Bluffs was restored and reopened. Neat looking red cycle.

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  5. How wonderful that the Bluffs is back! The video was wonderful! Sweet potato pancakes?! I'm in!

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  6. I love the cool Our Stuff red ride. How nice it would be riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway on that! Love the story and video about the restaurant. I'm so glad it was restored!

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  7. Love the video! Really love Ellen! And really really really love the inside of that restaurant. It's like flipping back into a time capsule. The red Riders beautiful we have a club here in our County so we often see these type of motorcycles on the road together and that's quite a sight

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  8. I am loving The Bluffs! We know all about ham biscuits in Missouri, but I'd be happy to try some at The Bluffs! We have done Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway and it is gorgeous. Happy you were able to visit friends and enjoy the beautiful getaway!

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  9. That looks like a great place to visit. It's good to hear the building was saved and renovated.

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  10. I'd never heard of The Bluffs until today. What a charming place and I loved that waitress that worked there from opening until closing. I'm glad it's getting new life again. How wonderful.

    Thank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. Big hug, honey. ♥

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  11. That's a pretty cool ride bike and now, watching about The Bluffs, I'm really hungry!

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  12. OMD..Sweet Potato Pancakes?? We have to put this place on our bucket list!!

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  13. Great photos. That looks like a nice place to eat. I know all about hangry. XO

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  14. LOVED the photos and the video. Thank you for both! XX

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  15. You sure had a great trip. The video was fun to see. Mom says she would never get on that beautiful red ride:)

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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  16. Thanks for that history lesson! What a wonderful place!

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  17. I would LOVe to take that ride. Terrific looking bike and I want to eat at The Bluffs! Great post about around where you live. Its terrific to see places close to where our blogging furrends live.

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  18. That is a cool ride. Thank you for giving us the history of the Bluffs!

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  19. Love the motorcycle and "trailer" !!!

    Hugs, Pam

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