Summer usually is the peak season for national park vacations and, unfortunately. it's also the peak season for road work. If you're planning to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway, know that more than 100 miles of the scenic road will be resurfaced in the coming months. And that means there will be some lane closures that will slow things down.

Giving threatened and rare plants a chance to thrive. Keeping the big wheel turning at a historic mill. Sharing the photographic history of the Blue Ridge Parkway with the world. These are just a few of the projects the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Community of Stewards will bring to fruition in 2019.

If you live somewhere close to the 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway, you can get a preview of the upcoming season by attending one of the open house events the park staff is staging to highlight activities and upcoming programs.

Many travelers (readers of the Traveler excepted) mistakenly believe commercial facilities in the national parks – lodging, dining, and retail - are operated by the federal government. While national park officials have ultimate oversight on things such as pricing, these facilities are operated by private companies that bid for the right to rent rooms, operate dining facilities, sell T-shirts, and offer specified activities such as trail rides and guided tours. NPS rangers continue to staff visitor centers and offer interpretive activities, but nearly all commercial activities are handled by the private sector.