r/Appalachia • • 5h ago

Folklore in the Scottish Highlands and Appalachia

62 Upvotes

Hey all! I’m from the UK, my family are from the Scottish Highlands. I recently found out that the mountains in that region used to be connected to the Appalachian Mountains, a very long time ago. I’m aware that folklore in your region has been shaped by different communities over time, but I wanted to ask if you know anything about Scottish folklore, if there is any interest in it for you, or if there are any similarities you observe? Thank you, respectfully


r/Appalachia • • 5h ago

Beautiful Day on the Parkway

Thumbnail
gallery
170 Upvotes

Beautiful drive today on the Parkway today between Blowing Rock and Linville Falls.


r/Appalachia • • 7h ago

Trump’s SNAP Cuts Leave Appalachia Facing Hunger as Midterms Near and More Cuts Loom

Thumbnail
appalachianmemories.org
101 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 7h ago

Dang TN!

Thumbnail
actionnews5.com
8 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 13h ago

In rural Virginia, school construction needs are bringing Republicans and Democrats together on 1% sales tax

Thumbnail
cardinalnews.org
6 Upvotes

From early voting trends to what the candidates are saying (and aren’t saying), we look at what we know, what we think we know and what we definitely don’t know yet.


r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

Brown Mountain Lights, North Carolina: Have you ever seen something you couldn’t explain?

Thumbnail
youtu.be
7 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

Day 47, Ride 121

Thumbnail gallery
0 Upvotes

Kentucky misadventures


r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

Bigfoot and the meaning of folklore in the southern Appalachian region survey!

Thumbnail
forms.gle
0 Upvotes

Hello! I am a student at KSU and I am currently doing a project for my Research Methods in Anthropology class! My specific project is on Bigfoot and what Bigfoot means to people who live in the South/Appalachian region of the United States. I would really appreciate it if people took my survey (preferably by November 3rd, 2026, but feel free to submit past that date as I am always willing to learn more beyond my project) so I can collect better data on my research. I would prefer it if people from the south/Appalachian region partook in this survey, but I am not averse to people from all regions participating as long as you specify you are not from the aforementioned areas. Thanks!


r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

The Appalachian Gothic wedding my husband and I had almost one year ago, in the mountains of North Georgia 🖤

Thumbnail
gallery
595 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

A little Fayette county

Thumbnail
gallery
310 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 1d ago

Hog Eye And A Tater - Clawhammer Banjo

Thumbnail
youtu.be
8 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

🌙 it’s a chilly one tonight in the hills🌙

Post image
85 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Spooky, Paranormal, or Cryptid encounters?

0 Upvotes

Hello! I'm a college student in WNC, and I'm doing a project on superstitions, folklore, and cryptids in the aappalachian mountains. Has anyone here had any personal experiences with anything like that? I would love to hear your experiences!


r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Sirens in Pisgah last night?

36 Upvotes

Hi all,

Myself and some friends were camping in pisgah last night, right near the pisgah visitor center. During the day we met some distressed women who had been separated from a member of their group (not on a trail, but simply lost her on the road somehow, also a grown woman) They had no cell service but we advised them to go to the ranger station nearby and that she was likely already with help heading towards cell service to reach them. It was strange but when we found out it was not a child who was lost, we did decide to stay out of it and the rangers would be much better help anyways.

We didn’t think much of it but hear three sets of sirens go by, heading towards the forest (away from Brevard). Anyone know what that’s about? I haven’t seen anything and am assuming the ladies found their friend but wanted to know if anyone heard. The sirens were strange so late at night one after another. We believe we heard fire, ambulance, and police.

No this was not the person rescued from graveyard fields, this was later in the day.


r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Bells March - Fretless Banjo

Thumbnail
youtu.be
8 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Did y’all make sugar cane or sorghum syrup?

Thumbnail
gallery
38 Upvotes

If yall did, did you use a big pot or the square pan with the running channel? Lemon juice or baking soda to get rid of the skimmings?

We always did sugar cane, growing up at the very south end of the foothills, mule pulled the mill. Cooked it up in a big 50 gallon pot. Used lemon juice to force the skimmings to float up to the top.


r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Homestead in the Fall

Thumbnail gallery
48 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 2d ago

Returned to our place in the foothills

Thumbnail
gallery
212 Upvotes

This place didn’t have running water or electricity until I was in high school. Underneath the siding it’s a cabin type building.


r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

Appalachia Fall

Post image
239 Upvotes

Fall is here. Where is everyone’s leaf shots?


r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

Did y’all eat souse much growing up?

31 Upvotes

My breakfast every morning before school was some souse on white bread. I had cane juice, dad would have coffee.


r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

Hiking in nantahala

7 Upvotes

What are the best hikes near Nantahala? My fiancé, dog and myself are here for the weekend. Thanks :-)


r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

company scrip; purchased in Matewan, WVa

Thumbnail
gallery
90 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

The Roanoke Conspiracy

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

Love Cold War mysteries and government conspiracies? 👀 This is the perfect Saturday watch. We're digging into Roanoke, Virginia, and the strange Cold War clues that raise a big question: Was there more going on here than anyone realized?

Grab a drink, settle in, and join me down the rabbit hole. 🕵️


r/Appalachia • • 3d ago

Even the Blue Ridge Mountains foothills have ridges

Post image
362 Upvotes

r/Appalachia • • 4d ago

Halloween in Appalachia: Back When Tricks Came Before Treats

23 Upvotes

Halloween wasn't always about candy, costumes, and trick-or-treating. Across Appalachia and rural America, the holiday once involved local traditions, ghost stories, community gatherings, and a fair amount of mischief.

In some communities, Halloween meant moving farm gates, playing practical jokes, or gathering around to hear stories about ghosts and unexplained happenings. Other parts of rural America had traditions like Mischief Night and Cabbage Night.

Many of these customs have faded over the years, but they're an interesting part of our regional history and culture.

I recently wrote an article exploring how Halloween traditions varied across rural America, including Appalachia, and how the holiday has changed over the generations.

Read the article here:
https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/halloween-in-rural-america-back-when-tricks-came-before-treats/

I'd be interested in hearing what others remember about Halloween growing up in Appalachia.

Were there particular Halloween traditions in your hometown or community that have disappeared? Did your family have any unusual customs, ghost stories, or superstitions associated with the holiday?

It would be interesting to compare memories from different parts of Appalachia and preserve some of these stories before they're forgotten.