The Mountain Laurel  

Reviewed by Merri Anna Allred.  This website started out as a small town newspaper in 1983.  It was the dream of 3 people living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  They wanted to do something to preserve the tales and traditions of “mountain folk”.  These same three, who started with no publishing or writing background, are in charge of the ever-popular Mountain Laurel website.  
The site is overflowing with memories and tales from the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It has links that cover everything from recipes of the mountains to page after page of stories given to the editors about life and growing up in the “heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”  The site also includes pictures of the people and the life, as well as links to the Blue Ridge Parkway website and a Mountain Laurel Bookstore that allows you to purchase books about the Blue Ridge Mountains from Amazon.com  
This site, much like the area it describes, is not flashy or overdone.  It is easy to navigate and understand.  If you are interested in the mountain culture of the southeastern part of the United States then I highly recommend visiting The Mountain Laurel.