Burton's Yurts and Tents

10/14/2026

🌙 BLUE RIDGE AFTER DARK: The Phantoms of Mabry Mill 👻

Most people know Mabry Mill as one of the most photographed places along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The old waterwheel. The peaceful pond. The beautiful mountain scenery.

But apparently, there’s a spookier side to this familiar landmark.

Just outside Meadows of Dan in Patrick County, Mabry Mill has inspired a ghostly tale known as “The Phantoms of Mabry Mill.”

And while thousands of visitors stop to admire the historic mill in the daylight, it’s interesting to imagine the place after everyone has gone home.

The water still moving.

The old mill standing quietly in the darkness.

And the surrounding woods disappearing into the mountain fog.

Could there be more to Mabry Mill than meets the eye? 👀

We’ll leave that question to the storytellers.

If you’re enjoying our Blue Ridge After Dark series, this is one worth reading for yourself.

You might never look at that familiar old waterwheel quite the same way again.

👻 Read the story:

The Moonlit Road broadcasts ghost stories and strange folktales from the backroads of the American South, told by the region's best storytellers.

10/13/2026

🍂 The mountains are putting on quite a show.

We’ve been watching the leaves change a little more every day, and it’s getting harder to walk outside without stopping to take another picture.

The golds are showing up, the reds are making their appearance, and even the drive down to the creek is starting to look a little different.

These are a few of our favorite views from the property this week.

And the best part? We’re still watching the colors change.

There’s a reason October is one of our favorite months in the Blue Ridge. 🍁

10/08/2026

🌙 BLUE RIDGE AFTER DARK: The Ghost Stories of Meadows of Dan

If you’ve ever driven the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan after dark, you know how quickly the mountains can change.

The fog settles in. The trees disappear into the darkness. And every now and then, you find yourself wondering what might be just beyond the headlights.

Well, apparently, people have been telling strange stories about this part of the Blue Ridge for generations.

In August 1978, researchers visited Meadows of Dan as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway Folklife Project, collecting stories and traditions from people who had spent their lives in these mountains.

One of those residents, Max Burnett, shared supernatural legends and personal experiences that were recorded and eventually preserved by the Library of Congress.

Think about that for a moment.

These weren’t stories invented for Halloween or dreamed up for tourists.

They were stories local people had been telling, remembering, and passing along.

And while we can’t tell you exactly what might be wandering through the woods near Meadows of Dan tonight, we can tell you this:

The mountains had their ghost stories long before the Parkway brought visitors through them.

So the next time you’re driving past Mabry Mill as the evening fog begins to roll in…

You might want to keep an eye on the treeline. 👀

10/07/2026

🧛 BLUE RIDGE AFTER DARK: Copper investigates the vampires.

We’ve given Oliver a séance table, so naturally Copper has requested an assignment of his own.

And this one comes with a little Blue Ridge lore.

In the late 1800s, the town of Big Stone Gap in Southwest Virginia developed its very own vampire legend.

The story tells of a mysterious recluse who lived outside town. After animals—and, according to the darker versions of the tale, even people—were supposedly discovered drained of blood, locals began whispering that something considerably stranger might be living in the mountains.

Was there actually a vampire roaming Southwest Virginia?

Almost certainly a question best left to folklore.

Copper, however, has volunteered to investigate.

We haven’t told him vampires traditionally turn into bats.

This could take a while. 🦇😂

10/05/2026

🎃 Well, this explains all the pumpkins.

Here’s a little fall fact we didn’t know:

Southwest Virginia is pumpkin country.

While pumpkins are grown all across the Commonwealth, most of Virginia’s commercial pumpkin production is concentrated right here in Southwest Virginia, where the higher elevations and cooler temperatures create particularly good growing conditions. 🎃

And historically, Carroll County has even been identified as Virginia’s top pumpkin-producing county.

So all those pumpkins you see popping up at farms, roadside stands and porches across the Blue Ridge this time of year?

Turns out they’re not just seasonal decoration.

We live in pumpkin country. 🎃🍂

10/03/2026

👻 With Halloween coming, Oliver has agreed to take on a few additional responsibilities.

In addition to his usual duties as Head of Welcomes, treat inspector, and general supervisor of everything happening at Burton’s, he has graciously agreed to help investigate some of the stranger stories and unexplained happenings of the Blue Ridge.

Tonight, we attempted his first séance.

Candles were lit.
The room was quiet.
Everyone gathered around the table.

Oliver concentrated very hard before finally asking the spirits the question that had clearly been weighing on him:

“Are the treats in the room with us?”

We have yet to make contact with the other side.

Oliver would like everyone to know that the investigation is ongoing. 🔮🐾👻

10/02/2026

🌙 BLUE RIDGE AFTER DARK

October has arrived, and we’re embracing the spooky season.

The Blue Ridge Mountains have no shortage of strange stories, old legends, ghost tales, unexplained happenings, and folklore passed down through generations.

So throughout October, we’ll be sharing a few of our favorites.

Some are spooky.
Some are strange.
Some have a little history behind them.
And some are simply too good not to tell.

First up: The Woodbooger. 👀

Legend tells of a large, hairy creature roaming the forests of Southwest Virginia — elusive, rarely seen, and responsible for more than a few stories about strange noises and unexplained movement in the woods after dark.

Whether there’s actually a Woodbooger wandering through the Blue Ridge Mountains is another question entirely.

But if you’re sitting outside your yurt after dark and hear something moving through the trees…

Don’t panic.

We can neither confirm nor deny that our Woodboogers occasionally answer to “good boy.” 🐾😂

10/01/2026

🍂 And so it begins…

The mountains are starting to change.

There’s still plenty of green, but every day brings a little more yellow, a little more red, and another reminder that October is almost here.

Fall is making its way across the Blue Ridge.

We’ll keep sharing the view as it changes. 🍁

09/30/2026

🌎 Why do we call her Mother Earth?

The names of our properties aren’t random. We try to give each one a name that captures something about the place itself — and Mother Earth may be the most fitting of them all.

Stand on her deck and you’ll understand.

You’re surrounded by trees, looking out toward the mountains, with the sounds of the woods carrying through the property. The landscape isn’t something you simply look at through a window here. It feels like part of the space.

There’s a wonderful groundedness to this place. Mornings seem quieter. The air feels different. And sitting outside with a cup of coffee — or sinking into the hot tub after dark — has a way of making you pay attention to things you normally don’t.

The wind through the trees.
The changing light on the mountains.
How many stars you can actually see.
How quiet quiet can really be.

And that connection to everything surrounding the yurt is exactly where Mother Earth got her name. 🌿

09/18/2026

🔥 We have a theory about Fridays.

Dinner tastes better outside.

Drinks taste better by a fire.

Dogs behave better after spending all day in the woods.
(Okay, that one might be questionable.)

And 10 p.m. feels a whole lot later when you’ve been staring at a fire for three hours.

No profound message here.

We just really like Fridays…