RALEIGH, NC – Fall color is peaking throughout North Carolina and all areas of the state are accessible for color-watching trips despite the rockslide that has caused a detour on Interstate 40 near the North Carolina/Tennessee border.
Traffic passing through to Tennessee eastbound on I-40 is being redirected to Interstate 26 North through Asheville, but I-40 is open westbound for visitors heading to Western North Carolina all the way to Exit 20 (U.S. Hwy. 276) near the Tennessee border.
“Our wonderful mountain towns in Western North Carolina are still easily accessible from Interstate 40 for North Carolina visitors looking for a colorful fall experience,” said Lynn Minges, Assistant Secretary for Tourism, Marketing and Global Branding in the North Carolina Department of Commerce. “And travelers going through to Tennessee will get to experience a beautiful and largely undiscovered section of North Carolina as they travel on the new Interstate 26 through Madison County.”
VisitNC.com, the North Carolina Division of Tourism’s website, features a list of scenic drives throughout the state that are ideal for fall color viewing (www.visitnc.com/journeys/highlights/scenic-drives). It also has up-to-the minute fall color reports including reports from Dr. Howard Neufeld from Appalachian State University and Dick Thomas, executive director of the Piedmont Environmental Center, on VisitNC.com, Twitter @VisitNC and on www.facebook.com/northcarolina.
North Carolina has 54 designated Scenic Byways including two other National Scenic Byways including four National Scenic Byways, the highest designation a route can receive in the United States. More information on these can be found at www.ncdot.org/~scenic.
For information on current road conditions, visitors should check the North Carolina Department of Transportation Traveler Information Management System website at www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel/ or call 511, the state’s free travel information line. NCDOT information can also be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ncdot.
North Carolina is the South’s premier fall travel destination offering arts and culture, unique lodging, charming small towns and vibrant urban locations. Explore the highest peaks in the eastern United States to the 300 miles of pristine coastline at VisitNC.com. For your free travel packet including a, call 1-800-VISITNC, visit a North Carolina Welcome Center or visit us on the web at VisitNC.com.
