Spend a night at the Best Western Inn in Boone and eat at Daniel Boone Inn for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Spend some time at Julian Price lake and overlook just south of Boone on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then drive it south to Linville Falls and hike to the overlooks. Spend some time at Grandfather Mtn. From that point south to Asheville there's not much to see. So get on I-40 at Asheville, go west to Biltmore Estate. Continue southwest to Waynesville, then onward to Cherokee and northward to the Smokys

There is a facebook group called "hike the smokeys" that is chock full of daily comments and pictures of hiking trails. There is an American Hiking Society guide to hiking the Smokeys available from Amazon that is very detailed. Depending on your intentions regarding the commercial attractions in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, you can avoid a lot of that traffic and congestion by not getting off the interstate at the normal exit (I think it exit 407), but continuing on to Alcoa Highway/Smokey Mountains exit in downtown Knoxville, and end up at the Townsend end of the park. Townsend is also the nearest entrance to Cades Cove, and the trailheads for several popular hikes.

I drove the Parkway last year from Maybry Mill to the southern end of the Parkway, then spent a week photographing highway 64. If you have time, highway 64 is definitely worth your time. Lots of waterfalls and scenics. On the Parkway one of my favorite stops was Rough Ridge. It is a little bit of a hike but not hard. Just take your time, it is worth it. I was there for sunset, third week in October, and the color was spectacular. It was even better after the sun went down as the colors simply glowed! Crab Tree Falls are worth the effort also but take much more effort as it is downhill going in and uphill coming out. But quite beautiful. One thing about the Parkway, there is so much to see that you will not be disappointed no matter where you go. Asheville a case in point. Great little city and the Biltmore if you have not seen it. Regarding reservations, I got mine a year ahead and many places were already filled.

Lots of nice trails, but the ones featuring waterfalls may have reduced to a trickle by October. I believe accommodation along the route is at a premium, so don't rule out dropping of the parkway to stay in local motels etc. Don't know what your budget is but I was stretching mine over a 3 month tour of the U.S.

Many viewpoints so lots of photo opportunities - take two, one to include place name of overlook / viewpoint. This was one of the best parts of our tour (possibly 2nd only to Williamsburg) and I'd suggest taking even more time than some previous recommendations. I wish we had, but Uncle Sam limited us to 3 months (subject to interviews and enhanced visa's).

I used top be very familiar with the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive from Peaks of Otter north. All beautiful and well worth travelling. Last month (January) we were driving from Nashville to Ashville and thought we would take in the Smokies by driving Rt 74 from Cleveland, TN to the intersection with Interstate 40. I would not bother to repeat it. The road runs down in the valleys for the most part and is pretty junky. Perhaps if you had time to explore around the Nantahala Gorge, you might find something worthwhile. My advice, however, would be to stick to the mountaintops along the Parkway itself. If you get near Ashville, by all means spend a few days at the Biltmore. That was a highlight of the trip, even in January.

I used top be very familiar with the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive from Peaks of Otter north. All beautiful and well worth travelling. Last month (January) we were driving from Nashville to Ashville and thought we would take in the Smokies by driving Rt 74 from Cleveland, TN to the intersection with Interstate 40. I would not bother to repeat it. The road runs down in the valleys for the most part and is pretty junky. Perhaps if you had time to explore around the Nantahala Gorge, you might find something worthwhile. My advice, however, would be to stick to the mountaintops along the Parkway itself. If you get near Ashville, by all means spend a few days at the Biltmore. That was a highlight of the trip, even in January.

Lots of nice trails, but the ones featuring waterfalls may have reduced to a trickle by October. I believe accommodation along the route is at a premium, so don't rule out dropping of the parkway to stay in local motels etc. Don't know what your budget is but I was stretching mine over a 3 month tour of the U.S.

Many viewpoints so lots of photo opportunities - take two, one to include place name of overlook / viewpoint. This was one of the best parts of our tour (possibly 2nd only to Williamsburg) and I'd suggest taking even more time than some previous recommendations. I wish we had, but Uncle Sam limited us to 3 months (subject to interviews and enhanced visa's).

I went to University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and this is so close to the Blue Ridge Parkway that it would be a shame to pass it by. Mr. Jefferson's home, Monticello, and his University (which he designed and built) are a day trip in themselves. They are full of photo ops. Check the colonial Amtrak station and the colonial baseball park if it is still there. This is at the North end of the Parkway, so you might either start there or end there. It is on I-64, which runs from St. Louis to Virginia Beach, and it passes the Blue Ridge Parkway not far west of C-ville.