The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches 469 miles and crosses North Carolina as it connects Shenandoah National Park in Virgina to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. The drive presents spectacular views of the southern Appalachian Mountains and includes notable stops such as the Blue Ridge Music Center  and the Folk Arts Center. The speed limit is never higher than 45 MPH, and the Parkway is the most visited unit of the National Park Service every year since 1946 except for 4.