Bluffs Coffee Shop

On February 6, the Blue RIdge Parkway/National Park Service released the following release concerning Request for Expressions of Interest for Otter Creek Restaurant, Rocky Knob Cabins, and Bluffs Lodge

New operator to manage historic establishment at Doughton Park on Blue Ridge Parkway The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park, milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, will reopen for the season on Friday, May 26, with a new team managing operations. Cal Ledbetter of The Bluffs Restaurant, LLC, will manage the restaurant.

We are pleased to announce that renovations to the interior of The Bluffs Restaurant at milepost 241 on the Parkway are underway, and a new operator has been selected. Muddy Creek Enterprises, owners of the Muddy Creek Café & Music Halls in Sparta and Winston-Salem, will operate The Bluffs Restaurant under an agreement with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The restaurant is slated to reopen this summer.

Update: Thanks to your love for The Bluffs, we have met the $25,000 match for repairs to the historic restaurant. Our hearts are bursting as we announce another gift-matching opportunity for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes. That’s right. WE HAVE TWO MATCHES!

Ten years after The Bluffs Restaurant closed, interior renovations will begin in preparation for an opening day this summer! Thanks to your support, the work will soon get underway at this beloved Doughton Park gathering place at milepost 240.

Note: Ellen Woodruff Smith passed away on February 12. Paul Smith passed on May 5, 2021. For so many people who enjoy fond memories of Bluffs Coffee Shop, the stories go beyond the ham biscuits, pan-fried chicken, and berry cobbler. A big part of the charm of stopping in for a home-style meal was the welcoming staff, including server Ellen Woodruff Smith, who worked at The Bluffs from the day it opened on May 31, 1949, to the day it closed on November 1, 2010. 

Do you want to reopen a beloved restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway? Here is your chance! The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is looking for a visionary partner to operate The Bluffs Restaurant. Renovations to the restaurant will begin this fall, and the reopening is slated for 2020. The restaurant at milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Sparta, N.C., was a favorite among travelers and locals alike.

Thanks to your gifts, the new roof at the former Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park is complete! The facility at milepost 241 near Sparta, N.C., is now one step closer to reopening. The concrete shingles were replaced with Enviroshake shingles, which are easier and less costly to maintain.

Each year, the Foundation works closely with the National Park Service to identify initiatives on the Blue Ridge Parkway that need your support. You can give to the projects that mean the most to you or the overall protection of the park. No matter how you choose to give, you’re investing in the future of one of the most treasured landscapes in our country.