The Skyline Drive this Fall.

Just to the west of Washington is a drive that makes the most of the season change.  Virginia's Skyline Drive runs through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.  The drive is about 100 miles in length and has a speed limit of 35 mph that makes it leisurley.  Seventy-five overlooks afford panoramic views of the rolling countryside that comes aflame about this time each year.  The drive is listed by the National Scenic Byways organization.  They suggest that you allowing six to eight hours duration and notes 1.4 million visitors each year.  This link suggests a one-day drive starting in Front Royal, VA and ending in Waynesboro, VA. Eight stops are suggested and outlined.

Skyline Drive has a 70-year history and owes much to Herbert Hoover and his search for a summer residence. In 1929, President Hoover sent an emissary to search for a suitable, summer residence in the area.  When Hoover finally visited the new site for the 'Summer White House,' he was impressed with the potential it held for recreation if people could easily and safely get to it.   Hoover wanted to see a road built along the tops of these mountains so that others could access the area by motorcar.  FDR made this a reality in 1935 as part of a depression-era public works project. In 1939, when the entire 100-mile highway was completed.