Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center (MP 384)
S US-Alt 74 East: Chimney Rock (MP 384.7)
North Carolina Arboretum (MP 393)
Cold Mountain Overlook (MP 412)
US-276 South: Pisgah Ranger District and Brevard (MP 412)
Looking Glass Rock Overlook (MP 417)
Graveyard Fields Overlook (MP 418.8)
US-215 North: Cold Mountain (MP 423.2)
Richland Balsam Overlook (MP 431.4)
US-74 East: Waynesville (MP 443.1)
Waterrock Knob Visitor Center (MP 451.2)
US-19 North: Maggie Valley (MP 455.7)
Big Witch Gap Overlook (MP 461.9)
S Folk Art Center: Part gallery, part store, the Folk Art Center displays works like woven baskets and wood carvings by master craftspeople from the southern Appalachians (click here).
S Asheville’s Downtown Architecture: Downtown Asheville is packed with art deco and Beaux-Arts masterpieces (click here).
S Biltmore Estate: Asheville’s most popular attraction is not only an awe-inspiring palace and symbol of the Gilded Age, it’s also a collection of great little restaurants, shops, and a popular winery, all in a beautiful riverside setting (click here).
S Chimney Rock: A natural tower of stone growing out of a mountainside like a rhino’s horn, Chimney Rock is the centerpiece of a large park with amazing hiking trails and rock-climbing routes (click here).
S Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual: Ancient craft traditions thrive among Cherokee artists in western North Carolina. At the Qualla Mutual, visitors can discover and purchase the work of today’s masters (click here).
S Oconaluftee Indian Village: This living history site leads visitors through a recreated Cherokee village where you can see traditional dances, arts, and crafts performed and made by tribe members (click here).
S Great Smoky Mountains Railroad: See the Blue Ridge in its deepest summer green or a blaze of autumn color on a rail tour departing from the historic depot in Bryson City (click here).
S Fly-Fishing the Tuckasegee River: Several outfitters can hook anglers up for a great day on the river, which conveniently flows right through Bryson City (click here).
The final leg of the Blue Ridge Parkway is its most rugged and twisty section, but all those curves are worth it. Time and again you’re rewarded with stunning vistas—some of which are all the more breathtaking due to the lack of guardrails.
Asheville, the largest city in this region but small by many standards, may surprise you with its cosmopolitan flair. Having recently garnered international attention for its award-winning restaurants and breweries, Asheville’s food scene has bolstered the city’s reputation as an artistic, musical town. The Biltmore Estate, a palatial home built by George Vanderbilt, shows how the wealthy lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Folk Art Center just outside Asheville showcases traditional southern Appalachian folk art alongside contemporary works.
As the Blue Ridge Parkway wriggles toward Cherokee, you’ll pass trailheads and wildflower-filled meadows. Go ahead and stop if you can’t resist the lure of a hike. While you’re exploring towns like Brevard in Transylvania County, detour into waterfall country, where more than 250 cascades lie within a few miles of one another, just a few minutes from the Parkway.
At the southern end of the Parkway in the town of Cherokee, the ancestral home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, you’ll encounter a mix of tribal traditions, yesteryear kitsch, and modern luxury. Signs are in English as well as Tsalagi, the Cherokee language, and you’re likely to hear Cherokee greetings like Osiyo (OH-si-yo) on the street.
Here too are elk, a species recently reintroduced to the region, and the unimaginable biodiversity of the deep mountains. Trout-filled streams run out of the hills and form rivers where white-water rafters and kayakers challenge nature, and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad provides unforgettable tours of the landscape. All across this region, you’ll find folks who are proud of their heritage and their land. And with this beautiful bounty right outside their doors, how can you help but join them?
Plan to spend at least four days in this region. Asheville is a food mecca and Cherokee is so rich in history and culture that you should spend at least a day in each. Both make good overnight stops. Add another day for hiking, camping, or checking out the waterfalls just off the Parkway, and one last day to do what you love. Get a taste for the nightlife in Asheville or visit Harrah’s casino or some Cherokee cultural activities before exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Summer is always a popular time to hit mountain towns on this end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The elevation and breezes that cross the mountaintops and sweep down coves bring cooler temperatures than you’ll find in flatter, lower climes. Pack a light jacket or a long-sleeved shirt, as nighttime temperatures can be a bit too cool for summer garb.
The southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful year-round, but many restaurants, attractions, and accommodations (particularly B&Bs) are seasonal. Check ahead if you’re traveling in early spring, late fall, or winter. Of the places that remain open during these times, many operate with limited hours. That said, larger towns like Asheville and, to some extent, Cherokee can see an increase in the number of visitors as weather turns colder. Smaller towns feel the effects of the seasons more strongly.
Traveling this stretch of the Parkway can be difficult at certain times of year as weather conditions—snow, ice, extreme fog—can cause road closures. During winter and the earliest and latest parts of spring and fall, it’s advisable to check real-time maps of road closures and advisories on the National Park Service website (www.nps.gov/blri).
This drive begins northeast of Asheville and ends 120 miles southwest in Bryson City, a quaint town on a beautiful river in the Smoky Mountains. You can easily drive this route in an afternoon. Another convenient starting point is Cherokee, site of the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, only 10 miles from Bryson City.
The nearest major travel hubs to this region are Charlotte, North Carolina, and Johnson City, Tennessee.
Asheville lies at the crossroads of I-40, North Carolina’s primary east-west highway, and I-26, a roughly north-south artery through the Southern Highlands. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by just a few miles from downtown as it moves west-southwest toward Cherokee.
To reach Asheville from Charlotte, North Carolina, drive north on US-321 then west on I-40 for 130 miles (two hours). For a slightly more picturesque route, take US-74 west, then I-26 north for 124 miles (two hours, 10 minutes).
To get to Asheville from Johnson City, Tennessee, take I-26 south for 60 miles (one hour).
From Spartanburg, South Carolina, Asheville is a 70-mile (75-minute) drive north on I-26. To get to Cherokee from Alcoa, Tennessee, drive southeast on US-321 then US-441 for 70 miles (two hours).
These are the most convenient spots to fuel up along this route:
• MP 382.5, US-70 less than two miles east or west
• MP 384.7, US-74A less than three miles south
• MP 388.8, US-25 less than one mile south, less than three miles north
• MP 393.6, NC-191 less than three miles north
• MP 411.8, US-276 less than 10 miles north
• MP 443.1, US-74/23 less than three miles east
• MP 455.7, US-19 less than three miles east
• MP 469.1, US-441 less than one mile south
Asheville is served by Asheville Regional Airport (AVL, 61 Terminal Dr., Fletcher, 828/684-2226, www.flyavl.com). The next-closest airport in North Carolina is the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT, 5501 Josh Birmingham Pkwy., 704/359-4013, www.cltairport.com), two hours away. Charlotte Douglas is the 10th-largest hub in the United States, with nonstop flights to and from more than 125 destinations worldwide.
In South Carolina, only 80 minutes south of Asheville, is the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP, 2000 GSP Dr., Greer, South Carolina, 864/877-7426, www.gspairport.com). Airlines serving Greenville-Spartanburg include Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United.
The closest airports to Cherokee are the Asheville Regional Airport and the McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS, 2055 Alcoa Hwy., Alcoa, Tennessee, 865/342-3000, www.tys.org) in Alcoa, Tennessee, just south of Knoxville, about two hours northwest of Cherokee. Airlines serving McGhee Tyson include Allegiant, American Airlines American Eagle, Delta, United, and Frontier.
There is a Greyhound station (2 Tunnel Rd., 828/253-8451, www.greyhound.com) in Asheville. There is no direct bus or rail service to Cherokee.
The Folk Art Center (828/298-7928, www.southernhighlandguild.com, 9am-5pm daily, free) is home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild and is one of the most popular stops on this part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The guild was established in 1930 to preserve the traditional crafts and techniques found in nine states that comprise the southern Appalachians.
There are around 30,000 square feet of space at the Folk Art Center, including three galleries, an auditorium, a research craft library, a small Blue Ridge Parkway information booth, and the Allanstand Craft Shop, the oldest continuously operating craft shop in the United States. Started in 1897 by a Presbyterian missionary, Allanstand is your chance to take home a beautiful piece from some talented Appalachian craftsperson. Though the galleries only take up a portion of the building’s footprint, they’re exceptional. Since the 1990s, the Folk Art Center has displayed and sold fine folk art. The center has become quite discerning, so only the best pieces are on display or for sale.
There is a permanent collection of some 2,400 pieces of art and assorted artifacts, mainly focused on the decorative arts of the southern Appalachians, on display year-round. Pieces include hand-stitched quilts in traditional patterns like double wedding ring and log cabin; delicate lace; intricate needlework tapestries; pine needle, river rush, and willow baskets; musical instruments; clay pots and vessels; and even toys, every one made from natural materials. If you find yourself wondering, “How’d they make that?” stick around and ask an artist. Every day, one or more members of the guild is on hand to demonstrate their craft at the entrance to the Folk Art Center. They may be whittling away at a chunk of wood with their pocketknife, spinning wool into yarn or weaving, or tying brooms. No matter what they’re doing, they’re happy to talk to you and explain their process and the history of their craft.
Distance: 0.4-mile loop
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Elevation gain: 50 feet
Difficulty: easy
Trailhead: Folk Art Center parking area, MP 382
This fully wheelchair-accessible pathway starts at the front of the Folk Art Center parking lot, follows the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for a short bit, and loops around to put you back where you started. Along the way, interpretive signs note a number of trees, particularly those trees used in making traditional crafts like the ones inside the Folk Art Center.
As you leave the parking lot, join with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail until you come to an intersection; keep to the right. Follow the trail another 0.1 mile, where the Mountains-to-Sea Trail separates. You’ll stay on the main trail, which narrows a bit not far from here. A quarter mile in, you’ll get to another trail intersection; this leads to another area of the parking lot, but to get back to the starting point, stay left and continue on another 0.2 mile.
Asheville is filled with a lively assortment of chefs, artists, musicians, dancers, and other creative sorts whose collective efforts have earned the city the moniker “Paris of the South.” Though it sounds trite, it’s true; this progressive city has made itself open to change and outside influence while retaining a strong grasp on its roots.
Situated around the confluences of the Swannanoa (swan-uh-NO-uh) and French Broad Rivers and a mountain stagecoach road, Asheville served as a trading post and regional center in its early days. Commerce found its way here throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. When rail lines began to bring vacationers to Asheville in the late 1800s, the town was discovered by the rich. The mild summer climate and fresh mountain air helped turn Asheville into a summer retreat for wealthy industrialists, among them George Vanderbilt, who built his mountain home, the Biltmore, just south of downtown.
The mountains around Asheville are thick with centuries-old folk art and music. Events like the thoroughly modern Moog Fest, which pays homage to the godfather of electronic music, Robert Moog, are part of the reason Asheville’s music scene is so lively, but much of the credit goes to the tireless buskers you’ll see around town, picking banjos and playing spoons, washtub basses, and even theremins. Galleries and studios around town display folk carving and weavings as well as contemporary works. A number of entrenched arts organizations like the Southern Highland Craft Guild (www.southernhighlandguild.org) help preserve traditional arts, while places like the River Arts District and a number of small guilds, groups, and galleries support contemporary artists.
All of this makes Asheville feel like a counterculture center. Elements of Haight-Ashbury circa-1968 mix with Woodstock, the Grand Ole Opry, Andy Warhol’s Factory, and a beatnik vibe, but with better food, to create an electric atmosphere.
From Charlotte, take I-85 South and I-26 West, or take slightly more picturesque US-74 West. Either way, the trip is about 125 miles (two hours, 10 minutes). From Knoxville, Asheville is 115 miles (about two hours) east on the quickest route (I-40); or you can take the scenic route through the national park and Cherokee, adding a few more miles and an hour of drive time.
Asheville Regional Airport (AVL, 61 Terminal Dr., Fletcher, 828/684-2226, www.flyavl.com) is 20 minutes south of the city on I-26. ART (www.ashevillenc.gov, $1), Asheville’s public bus system, connects the airport with downtown Asheville. A taxi from the airport to downtown will run around $45.
There is a Greyhound station (2 Tunnel Rd., 828/253-8451, www.greyhound.com) in Asheville. Asheville’s extensive public bus system, ART (www.ashevillenc.gov, 5:30am-10:30pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-6pm Sun., $1, $0.50 seniors), connects most major points in the metropolitan area, including the airport, with downtown. See the website for routes and schedules.
As beautiful as Asheville’s natural environment may be, the striking architecture is just as attractive. The Montford neighborhood, a contemporary of the Biltmore, is a mixture of ornate Queen Anne houses and craftsman-style bungalows. The Grove Park Inn, a huge luxury hotel, was built in 1913 and is decked out with rustic architectural devices intended to make vacationing New Yorkers and wealthy people feel like they were roughing it. In downtown Asheville is a large concentration of art deco buildings on the scale of Miami Beach. Significant structures dating to the boom before the Great Depression include the Buncombe County Courthouse (60 Court Plaza), built 1927-1929, the 1925 First Baptist Church (Oak St. and Woodfin St.), the S&W Cafeteria (56 Patton Ave.), and the Public Service Building (89-93 Patton Ave.), both built in 1929, and the Grove Arcade (1 Page Ave.) which was built 1926-1929.
The Jackson Building (22 S. Pack Sq.), built 1923-1924, is a fine example of neo-Gothic architecture with a disturbing backstory. According to legend, on the day of the stock market crash in 1929 that started the Great Depression, one of the wealthiest men in Asheville lost it all and leaped to his death from the building. Three or four (depending on who’s telling the story) more of Asheville’s wealthiest followed suit. What is known to be true is that there’s a bull’s-eye built into the sidewalk in front of the building as a morbid monument to the story.
Much of downtown Asheville dates to the 1920s, but the architectural crown jewel, the Biltmore Estate (1 Approach Rd., 800/411-3812, www.biltmore.com, 8:30am-6:30pm daily, $55-65 adults, $27.50-32.50 children ages 10-16, free ages 9 and under, additional fees for activities), predates that by decades. It was built in the late 1800s for owner George Vanderbilt, grandson of Gilded Age tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. Like many of his wealthy Northern contemporaries, George Vanderbilt was first introduced to North Carolina when he traveled to Asheville for the mountain air and nearby hot springs. He found himself so awestruck by the land that he amassed a tract of land south of Asheville where he would build his “country home.” He engaged celebrity architect Richard Morris Hunt to build the manor, and because the land and the views reminded them of the Loire Valley, they planned to build the home in the style of a 16th-century French château. Vanderbilt also hired the esteemed Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York City’s Central Park, to design the landscape for the grounds, gardens, and surrounding forest, a project nine times the size of the New York project for which Olmsted is famous. The resulting Biltmore Estate was the largest privately owned home in the country at the time of its completion.
the Biltmore Estate
A three-mile-long approach road leads through manicured forests, revealing bits of the landscape and hiding the house until you are upon it, creating a sense of drama for arriving visitors. While the Biltmore Estate’s original 125,000 acres are now greatly diminished—the estate comprises a little more than 8,000 acres today—it’s easy to see just how big it was: If you stand on the South Terrace and look south and west, everything in view was once part of the estate. A large tract of the land was sold to the federal government and has become part of the Pisgah National Forest; what remains is immaculately manicured.
Construction of the home was done primarily between 1888 and 1895, though there were a number of projects that continued up through World War II (when part of the home was turned into a bunker to store part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection). Many are astounded at how long it took to complete the home, but consider this: Approximately 5,000 tons of stone were used to build it, there are 65 fireplaces and more than 250 rooms, the square footage is equal to nearly four acres, and the Banquet Hall is large enough to fit a 35-foot Christmas tree. For its time, the Biltmore was a technological marvel, with electricity, elevators, central heat, and hot water. In the basement, there’s a heated pool, a gymnasium, and a bowling alley. But as astounding as the building itself may be, it’s nothing compared to the art displayed here. There are paintings by Renoir, Whistler, and Sargent; a collection of European antiques including Napoleon’s chess set; and room upon room of masterwork in tiling, woodworking and carving, masonry, and stone carving.
George Vanderbilt found the concept of a self-sustaining estate appealing, and he included in the estate a working farm with crops, herds of cattle, a dairy, and all the farmers and workers required for such an operation. The Asheville neighborhood known as Biltmore Village was part of this mountain empire. If Vanderbilt stepped onto his estate today, he’d be happy to find that his vision endures. A vineyard (not open to the public) produces grapes that are processed at the estate’s winery; a livestock breeding program produces fine stock; and a farm supplies more than 70 percent of the seasonal and specialty vegetables for the estate’s restaurants. Visitors can eat, shop, explore, and relax without leaving the grounds, and there’s easily enough here to fill a weekend.
Today the Biltmore Winery in Antler Hill Village operates in the estate’s former dairy, vestiges of which include the industrial-farm rafters in the tasting room and the tile floor (designed for easy cleanup). Daily tours and complimentary wine tastings allow visitors to sample some award-winning wines and see how they’re made. More than 500,000 people visit the tasting room annually, so expect a wait if you’re here in high season. Tastings include something on the order of 20 wines (don’t worry; they’re small pours). You can also experience the Premium Wine Tasting ($3/pour or three pours for $8, complimentary for Biltmore Wine Club Members) of Biltmore’s reserve and sparkling wines; there are also daily tastings of bubbly wine ($18) and pairings of red wine and chocolate ($20).
Antler Hill Village is also home to Cedric’s, a brewery named after a beloved family dog, as well as a small museum, a souvenir shop, and a green to relax on. River Bend Farm is a beautiful compound that was once the hub of the estate’s farming operation but now stands as a showpiece for traditional period crafts like woodworking and blacksmithing.
The Equestrian Center gives lessons and provides the opportunity to ride more than 80 miles of equestrian trails, many with sweeping views of the estate and glimpses of the main house that will take your breath away. Other ways to tour the estate include carriage rides; paved bike trails and mountain bike trails; canoes, kayaks, and rafts (the French Broad River bisects the estate); Segways; and, of course, on foot. You can even challenge your driving skills at the Land Rover Experience Driving School.
Most of the house is open to visitors on self-guided tours, while other sections—like the roof and some servants’ areas—are accessible on behind-the-scenes tours. Admission cost for the Biltmore Estate varies by season and includes the house, gardens, and winery; activities such as horseback riding, rafting, and behind-the-scenes tours cost extra. Special events such as the Christmas Candlelight Tour (Nov.-Dec.) also have additional fees. Parking is free, and a complimentary shuttle takes you from parking lots to the house.
The Botanical Gardens at Asheville (151 W. T. Weaver Blvd., adjacent to UNC-Asheville campus, 828/252-5190, www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org, dawn-dusk daily, by donation) is a 10-acre preserve for the region’s increasingly threatened native plant species. Laid out in 1960 by landscape architect Doan Ogden, the gardens are an ecological haven. The many “rooms” are planted to reflect different environments of the mountains, including the Wildflower Trail, the Heath Cove, and the Fern and Moss Trail. Spring blooms peak in mid-April, but the gardens are an absolutely lovely and visually rich place to visit any time of year. Because of its serious mission of plant preservation, neither pets nor bicycles are allowed. Admission is free, but because the facility is entirely supported by donations, your contribution will have a real impact. There is also a visitors center and gift shop (noon-4pm daily Mar.; 10am-4pm Mon.-Sat., noon-4pm Sun. Apr.-Oct.; noon-4pm daily Nov.-early Dec.).
Asheville, and western North Carolina generally, tend to be very ecologically conscious, as reflected in the Western North Carolina Nature Center (75 Gashes Creek Rd., 828/259-8092, www.wildwnc.org, 10am-5pm daily, $11 adults, $10 seniors ages 65 and up, $7 children ages 3-15, free ages 2 and under, discount for Asheville residents). On the grounds of an old zoo—don’t worry; it’s not depressing—wild animals that are unable to survive in the wild due to injury or having been raised as pets live in wooded habitats on public display. This is the place to see some of the mountains’ rarest species: cougars, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, and even the elusive hellbender. What’s a hellbender, you ask? Come to the nature center to find out.
Considering the history of Black Mountain College from a purely numerical standpoint, one might get the false impression that this little institution’s brief, odd life was a flash in the pan. In its 23 years of operation, Black Mountain College had just 1,200 students, only 55 of whom actually completed their degrees. But between 1933 and 1956, the unconventional school demonstrated an innovative model of education and community life.
The educational program was almost devoid of structure. Students had no set course schedule or requirements; they lived and farmed with the faculty, and no sense of hierarchy was permitted to separate students and teachers. Most distinguished as a school of the arts, Black Mountain College hired Josef Albers as its first art director when the Bauhaus icon fled Nazi Germany. Willem de Kooning taught here for a time, as did Buckminster Fuller, who began his design of the geodesic dome while he was in residence. Albert Einstein and William Carlos Williams were among the roster of guest lecturers. I had the honor of working with and befriending poet Robert Creeley, one of the few people to get a degree here, and who taught here briefly before the school shut down in 1956, partly due to the prevailing anti-left climate of that decade.
The Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center (56 Broadway, 828/350-8484, www.blackmountaincollege.org, 11am-5pm Wed.-Mon., free), an exhibition space and resource center devoted to the lauded college, is located in downtown Asheville. The downtown location keeps the spirit of the college alive by exposing more visitors to its historic and inspired-by-the-legacy contemporary works.
Sovereign Remedies (29 N. Market St., 828/919-9518, www.sovereignremedies.com, 4pm-2am Tues.-Thurs., 10am-3pm and 4pm-2am Fri.-Mon.) has quickly become a go-to for Asheville’s cocktail lovers and those hankering for a small, delicious plate of food. Between the bartenders and some local foragers, Sovereign Remedies stays stocked with wild herbs, berries, fruit, and roots used to make cocktails or bitters, infuse or macerate various liquors, and create shrubs (drinking vinegars).
The Double Crown (375 Haywood Rd., 828/575-9060, www.thedoublecrown.com, 5pm-2am daily) has all the trappings of a dive bar but serves legitimately good cocktails. They have an exceptional bourbon list, and the requisite beer selection stretches far beyond that of a tiny neighborhood bar. In addition to drinks, The Double Crown always has something going on: DJs (spinning actual records), karaoke, and live musical acts ranging from rock and rockabilly to country, soul, and gospel. It’s well worth a stop, whether to sample some top-shelf bourbon, a cocktail, or a bottle of suds.
And now for something completely different: a board-game café. Well Played (58 Wall St., 828/232-7375, www.wellplayedasheville.com, 2pm-10pm Mon.-Wed., 2pm-1am Thurs.-Fri., 11am-1am Sat., 11am-10pm Sun.) has more than 500 board games from classics to some that are just out of the wrapper, plus cheap beer, wine, coffee, and food. If you have a hard time deciding on what to play, don’t worry: Games masters can help you choose the right game.
The vibe at Banks Ave. (32 Banks Ave., 828/785-1458, www.32banksave.com, 4pm-2am Mon.-Fri., 2pm-2am Sat., 1pm-2am Sun.) is of the “I don’t give a damn, I’m having fun” variety. Graffiti on the walls, a Nintendo 64, impromptu pizza parties and cookouts, and odd holiday parties (like the Dead Celebrity-themed Halloween costume contest) bear witness to the laid-back attitude. For a real taste of how freewheeling this bar can be, ask one of the bartenders about their former name, Public School, and why they changed it.
Nightbell (32 S. Lexington Ave., 828/575-0375, www.thenightbell.com, 5pm-late Tues.-Sun.) is the latest from Katie Button, a 2014 nominee for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award and one of the finest chefs in Asheville. This speakeasy-esque bar serves sophisticated, imaginative cocktails and some mighty fine nosh.
Asheville has earned the title of Beer City, USA, a handful of times since the title was first created in 2009. The beer scene here is off the hook. It seems like there’s a brewery on every corner (or one planning to open there next month) and experimental brewers are introducing new styles, funky ingredients, and any little twist they can to get people talking. Loyal locals and pint hounds from all over frequent Asheville’s bars, breweries, and pubs.
New Belgium Brewing (21 Craven St., 828/333-6900, www.newbelgium.com) opened a 500,000-barrel brewery in Asheville in 2016. This huge operation will be the company’s East Coast brewing headquarters for the foreseeable future, and the community has welcomed them with open arms. The facility includes a giant brewery and the AVL Liquid Center (11am-8pm Mon.-Sat., noon-8pm Sun.), more commonly known as a tasting room. Perched on a bluff overlooking the French Broad River, New Belgium hosts food trucks and events, drawing thirsty crowds. In the Liquid Center, they pour favorites like Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger IPA, but also a nice slate of sours and special releases.
Asheville’s Jackson Building
the gardens on the Biltmore Estate
New Belgium Brewing, one of the largest breweries in Asheville
Hi-Wire Brewing (828/738-2448, www.hiwirebrewing.com) has a location on the South Slope (197 Hilliard Ave., 4pm-11pm Mon.-Thurs., 2pm-1am Fri., noon-1am Sat., 1pm-10pm Sun.) as well as a spot near Biltmore Village they call the Big Top (2 Huntsman Pl., 4pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 3pm-midnight Fri., noon-midnight Sat., 1pm-10pm Sun.; tours 5pm and 6pm Fri., hourly 2pm-5pm Sat., and 2pm and 3pm Sun.). They focus on lagers, pale ales, and IPAs, but their winter brew, the Strongman Coffee Milk Stout, is a local favorite. At the Big Top, Foothills Local Meats (2 Huntsman Pl., 828/216-2966, www.foothillslocalmeats.com, 4pm-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri., noon-10pm Sat., $5-12) has a food truck where they serve burgers, an unbelievable Cuban sandwich, house-made hot dogs, tallow fries, and poutine.
Burial Beer Co. (40 Collier Ave., 828/475-2739, www.burialbeer.com, 2pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., noon-10pm Fri.-Sun.) produces some of Asheville’s most exciting beers from its brewery/taproom on the south side of town. With a dozen taps open at any given time, Burial is able to show off its creativity. You’ll find a lot of saisons and farmhouse ales on tap, as well as dubbels and Belgian-style stouts, but there’s no shortage of IPAs, pilsners, blonde ales and other crisp, golden brews to taste. If you’re here and you’re hungry, Salt & Smoke (5pm-10pm Tues.-Fri., noon-10pm Sat., noon-3pm Sun., $4-16) has set up their mobile kitchen in the patio area, where you can get mushroom toast, rabbit wings (like chicken wings but they’re rabbit legs), sandwiches, moules frites (mussels and fries), and a great charcuterie board.
Located in an old warehouse in the River Arts District, Wedge Brewing Company (37 Paynes Way, Ste. 001, 828/505-2792, www.wedgebrewing.com, noon-10pm daily) has more than a dozen brews on tap, including pale ales, pilsners, and a Russian imperial stout flavored with raspberries. Their strong relationship with area food trucks makes this a great hangout for local beer and local grub with local beer enthusiasts any evening.
Catawba Brewing (32 Banks Ave., 828/552-3934, www.catawbabrewing.com, 2pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., noon-11pm Fri.-Sat., noon-10pm Sun.) has an excellent taproom on Asheville’s South Slope (right next to the phenomenal Buxton Hall Barbecue) where they pour White Zombie (a white ale), Hopness Monster (an IPA), Friki Tiki (a blood orange IPA), and a raft of special and seasonal brews.
To sample a variety of Asheville’s great microbreweries, join a tour from Asheville Brews Cruise (828/545-5181, www.ashevillebrewscruise.com, from $60). The enthusiastic beer experts will shuttle you from brewery to brewery in the Brews Cruise van to sample some beer, learn about the growth of Asheville’s beer scene, and gain some insight into the art and craft of brewing. On the tour, you’ll visit Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company (675 Merrimon Ave., 828/254-1281, http://ashevillebrewing.com, 11am-midnight or later daily), where you can start off the evening with one of this pizzeria, microbrewery, and movie house’s tasty beers and fortify yourself for the evening by filling up on good pizza. The French Broad Brewing Company (828/277-0222, www.frenchbroadbrewery.com, 1pm-8pm daily) is another popular local nightspot that has grown up around a first-rate beer-making operation, where you can choose from a varied menu that includes signature pilsners, lagers, and ales while listening to some good live music. The third destination on the cruise is Asheville’s first microbrewery, the Highland Brewing Company (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Ste. H, 828/299-3370, www.highlandbrewing.com, tasting room 3pm-9pm Mon.-Thurs., noon-10pm Fri.-Sat., noon-6pm Sun, tours daily). They’ve been making beer and raking in awards for well over a decade, and on first sip you’ll understand why they’re one of the Southeast’s favorite breweries.
Urban Orchard Cider Company (210 Haywood Rd., 828/774-5151, www.urbanorchardcider.com, 2pm-10pm Mon., 2pm-11pm Tues.-Thurs., noon-midnight Fri.-Sat., noon-10pm Sun.) is part of a new trend in craft booze: cider. Theirs is like no other cider you know, with offerings that include the Sidra Del Diablo cider with smoked habanero pepper, the Ginger Champagne cider with delicate bubbles and a ginger infusion, or the Saison, cider fermented with saison yeast.
Great live music is the rule in Asheville—not just national touring acts, but regional and local bands that give the national acts stiff competition on any given night. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find buskers on street corners, solo guitarists in cafés, or a bluegrass trio set up on a restaurant’s deck; at Pritchard Park (at Patton Ave., Haywood St., and College St.), a huge drum circle forms every Friday night. There are also formal music venues where you can hear rock, jam bands, bluegrass, funk, blues, country, rockabilly, alt-country, mountain swing, old-time music, electronica, and too many other genres to name.
A favorite spot for live music is the Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club (101 Biltmore Ave., 828/398-1837, www.theorangepeel.net, noon-midnight or later daily). They’re billed as “the nation’s premier live music hall and concert venue,” and they can back that up with some powerful acts taking the stage, including Bob Dylan, Smashing Pumpkins, Bruce Hornsby, Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame, Mike Gordon from Phish, Chvrches, Beastie Boys, Flaming Lips, and My Morning Jacket. The Orange Peel is a cool concert hall with a big dance floor, great sound, and great history.
One of the best venues in town for roots music and eclectic small bands is the Grey Eagle Tavern and Music Hall (185 Clingman Ave., 828/232-5800, www.thegreyeagle.com). It’s a small space set up more like a listening room than a bar or club, meaning folks come to listen to the music and interact with the performer rather than grab a beer and hop to the next bar. While you’re there, have a bite from The Grey Eagle Taqueria (828/271-7987, 11am-late daily, $3-12), where the menu is small but tasty.
Asheville’s noteworthy ballet company, Terpsicorps (2 S. Pack Sq., 828/257-4530, http://terpsicorps.org) performs for two brief but brilliant runs in the summer. Terpsicorps takes advantage of what is normally a slow season for other companies and hires some of the country’s best dancers for a short-term stint in Asheville. Summer productions usually have three-night runs, so tickets sell out fast.
You may notice a giant purple bus zipping through the streets around Asheville, laughter and bubbles (yes, bubbles) coming from the windows. That’s the LaZoom Comedy Tour (info and tickets at 14 Battery Park Ave., tickets and departures from 76 Biltmore Ave., 828/225-6932, www.lazoomtours.com, from $23, must be at least age 13), delivering tours big in history and hilarity. The tour guides are outrageous—they’re some of Asheville’s weirdest (in a good way) people—and you’ll learn a thing or two (some history, a joke you may or may not want to tell your mom). They also offer the Haunted Comedy Tour (departing from 92 Patton Ave., $21), which adds in a supernatural note and tales of some of Asheville’s spectral denizens. The Band & Beer Bus Tour ($31) departs from Tasty Beverage (162 Coxe Ave.) to visit a trio of area breweries for samples and some live local music.
The Altamont Theatre (18 Church St., 828/782-3334, www.thealtamont.com, show times and ticket prices vary) calls itself “Asheville’s Best Listening Room,” and they may be right. They host a variety of musical acts (country, soul, jazz, bluegrass, instrumental progressive space rock—you name it), spoken-word performances, and comedians. Their comedy and improv shows are both smart and hilarious; comedian Cliff Cash, one of the funniest rising stars in the South, performs here on the regular. Since Asheville doesn’t have a dedicated comedy club, The Altamont gladly fills that role.
Twice yearly, in late July and late October, the Southern Highland Craft Guild hosts the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands (U.S. Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St., www.southernhighlandguild.org, 10am-6pm Thurs.-Sat., 10am-5pm Sun., $8 adults, under age 12 free). Since 1948, this event has brought much-deserved attention to the guild’s more than 900 members, who live and work throughout the Appalachian Mountains. Hundreds of craftspeople participate in the event, selling all sorts of handmade items.
August’s Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (828/258-6101, ext. 345, www.folkheritage.org, ticket prices vary) is the nation’s longest-running folk festival, an event founded in the 1920s by musician and folklorist Bascom Lamar Lunsford to celebrate the heritage of his native Carolina mountains. Musicians and dancers from western North Carolina perform at the downtown Diana Wortham Theater at Pack Place for three nights each summer. Also downtown, many of the same artists can be heard on Saturday evening at the city’s Shindig on the Green concert series (Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 50 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., www.folkheritage.org, July-Aug.), which runs from July through August.
The biggest of Asheville’s festivals and fairs (or at least the most anticipated), is the annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam (www.xmasjam.com, mid-Dec.). Warren Haynes, longtime guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band, founding member of Government Mule, and Asheville native, invites a who’s-who of musical acts to perform a benefit concert for Habitat for Humanity. The acts are generally biggies in the rock/jam world as well as bands on the rise. Buy tickets in advance, as the Christmas Jam tends to sell out quickly. In addition to the general admission tickets (around $70), there are VIP packages ($399-699) that allow access to a side-stage viewing area, pre-show shows, the Christmas Jam Friends & Family lounge and bar, a gift bag, and more.
One of Asheville’s shopping highlights is the 1929 Grove Arcade (1 Page Ave., 828/252-7799, www.grovearcade.com), a beautiful and storied piece of architecture that is now a chic shopping and dining destination in the heart of downtown. The expansive Tudor Revival building, ornately filigreed inside and out in ivory-glazed terra-cotta, was initially planned as the base of a 14-story building, a skyscraper by that day’s standard.
There are some fantastic galleries and boutiques, including Mountain Made (828/350-0307, www.mtnmade.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.), a gallery celebrating contemporary art created in and inspired by the mountains around Asheville. Another favorite is Alexander & Lehnert (828/254-2010, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat.), which showcases the work of two talented jewelers with different styles—Lehnert takes an architectural approach to designs, and Alexander chooses organic forms as inspiration. Not all stores in the Grove Arcade sell fine art and jewelry: At Asheville NC Home Crafts (828/350-7556, www.ashevillehomecrafts.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.) you can buy specialty yarn, patterns, hooks, and needles for all sorts of knitting, weaving, and crocheting projects, or you can buy a piece made by local artists. Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar (828/252-0020, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-late Fri.-Sat.) has two things that go great together in a relaxed atmosphere: wine and books. Outside the Grove Arcade, a row of shaded stalls houses many great artisans selling everything from soap to miniature topiaries.
Along the Swannanoa River, many of Asheville’s old warehouses and industrial buildings have been transformed into studio spaces, galleries, restaurants, and breweries in an area known as the River Arts District (828/552-4723, www.riverartsdistrict.com). More than 160 artists have working studios here, and twice a year, during the first weekend of June and November, nearly every artist in the district opens their studios to the public for a two-day Studio Stroll. On the second Saturday of each month, some of the studios (they rotate based on medium, so one month may be photography, the next clay, and so on) are open for A Closer Look, a day of artist demonstrations, classes, workshops, and creative activities.
Some studios are open daily, among them Jonas Gerard Fine Art (240 Clingman Ave., 828/350-7711, www.jonasgerard.com, 10am-6pm daily), where the namesake artist specializes in abstract art that uses vivid colors and unusual composition to draw the viewer in. He works across many media, so there’s a lot to see. Odyssee Center for Ceramic Arts (236-238 Clingman Ave., 828/285-0210, www.odysseyclayworks.com, 10am-6pm daily) is full of sculptors and teachers. Part of their mission is to promote artistic appreciation and advancement of ceramic arts; they hold regular classes, workshops, and talks led by master ceramic artists.
At the 1910 Cotton Mill Studios (122 Riverside Dr., 718/414-9651, hours vary), several painters work alongside potters and jewelers. Riverview Station (191 Lyman St., 828/231-7120, http://riverviewartists.com, hours vary) is a circa 1896 building housing the studios of a wonderful array of jewelers, ceramicists, furniture designers, painters, and photographers. Another favorite gallery is CURVE Studios & Garden (6, 9, and 12 Riverside Dr., 828/388-3526, www.curvestudiosnc.com, most studios 11am-4pm daily). A fun, funky studio that has been around since before the River Arts District was a thing (it was once a punk-rock club called Squashpile), CURVE is home to encaustic painters, ceramic workers, jewelry designers, glass artists, fiber artists, and more. This is just a sampling of what’s happening in the River Arts District; visit the website for detailed listings of the artists and their studios.
For lovers of vintage, retro, and aged things, the Antique Tobacco Barn (75 Swannanoa River Rd., 828/252-7291, www.atbarn.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Thurs., 9am-6pm Fri.-Sat., 1pm-6pm Sun. Mar.-Oct.; 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 1pm-5pm Sun. Nov.-Feb.) has more than 77,000 square feet of goodies to pick through. This perpetual winner of the Mountain XPress “Best Antiques Store in Western North Carolina” has toys, art, tools, furniture, radios, sporting equipment, folk art, farm relics, oddball bric-a-brac, mid-century furniture, and all those great weird things you can only find in a collection this large. It takes a while to explore this humongous shop.
Along Swannanoa River Road is the Biltmore Antiques District (120 Swannanoa River Rd., www.biltmoreantiques.homestead.com), a small shopping district that’s packed with an intriguing group of antiques shops. Some specialize in imports, others in lamps, European furniture, or fine jewelry. Exploring is always a good time because you never know what you’ll find or where you’ll find it.
One of the social hubs of this city is Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café (55 Haywood St., 828/254-6734, www.malaprops.com, 9am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-7pm Sun.). This fun and progressive bookstore carries a deep selection of books that includes tomes by North Carolina authors and a particularly fine collection of regional authors. You’ll find the requisite coffee bar and café with wireless Internet access, making it a good spot to hang out. It’s bright and comfortable, and the staff are well versed in all sorts of literature, so they can help you find a local author you’ll enjoy reading. People in all walks of Asheville life come to Malaprop’s, so expect to see creative dressers, the tattooed, business types, artists, students, and grandparents.
A pair of great gem and crystal shops in Asheville fascinates me. Not only do they have some breathtaking minerals for sale, they also have fossils—fish, starfish, plants, even claws, teeth, and skulls. My favorite is Cornerstone Minerals (52 N. Lexington Ave., 828/225-3888, www.cornerstoneminerals.com, 11am-7pm Sun.-Mon., 11am-8pm Tues.-Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri.-Sat.). The other spot is Enter the Earth (1 Page Ave., #125, inside the Grove Arcade, 828/350-9222, www.entertheearth.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5pm Sun.), where they have some very impressive fossils and a good selection of jewelry using many of the stones and gems sold in the store.
The Mast General Store (15 Biltmore Ave., 828/232-1883, www.mastgeneralstore.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Wed., 10am-9pm Thurs.-Sat., noon-6pm Sun.) is an institution in western North Carolina and beyond. They call themselves a general store, but they mean it in a very contemporary way. Cast-iron cookware, penny candies, and Mast logo shirts and jackets sit alongside baskets and handmade crafts. A good selection of outdoor clothing and equipment can get you outfitted for some time in the woods, or you can fill up a bag with candy and eat it while you drive the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Dancing Bear Toys (518 Kenilworth Rd., 800/659-8697, www.dancingbeartoys.com, 10am-7pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.) is located among the motels and chain restaurants out on US-70 (Tunnel Rd.), but inside it has the ambience of a cozy village toy shop. Dancing Bear has toys for everyone from babies to silly grown-ups: a fabulous selection of Playmobil figures and accessories, Lego, Brio, and other favorite lines of European toys; beautiful stuffed animals of all sizes; all sorts of educational kits and games; and comical doodads.
There are a number of galleries in downtown Asheville, and while most exhibit works from multiple artists, none can match the size of the Woolworth Walk (25 Haywood St., 828/254-9234, www.woolworthwalk.com, 11am-6pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-7pm Fri., 10am-7pm Sat., 11am-5pm Sun., soda fountain closes one hour before the gallery), a two-story, 20,000-square-foot gallery featuring more than 160 local artists. Nearly every conceivable medium is represented, including digitally designed graphic prints, oil paintings, watercolors, jewelry, and woodworking. This gallery is a favorite not just because it has a soda fountain but also because the work on display is affordable as well as stunning.
American Folk Art and Framing (64 Biltmore Ave., 828/281-2134, www.amerifolk.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.) does a wonderful job of displaying the work of contemporary Southern folk artists, including potters, painters, and woodcarvers, as well as helping the art-appreciating public learn more about local folk-art traditions and styles. They host six openings a year in the gallery, so work changes frequently, keeping the place bubbling with energy.
Asheville is a “go out and do it” kind of town. It’s not unusual to see mountain bikers, road riders, runners, hikers, flat-water kayakers, and their daredevil white-water-loving cousins all on the streets in town. A number of gear shops call Asheville home, and access to trails, rivers, and mountain roads are all right here. The Asheville Tourists (30 Buchanan Pl., 828/258-0428, www.milb.com), the Class A farm team of the Colorado Rockies, play here. They’re the only spectator sport in town.
Take a tour of Asheville by bicycle. If you’re thinking “It’s too hilly; I’ll never be able to climb that,” Electro Bike Tours (departs from Weaver Park’s Merrimon Ave. entrance, 828/450-8686, http://electrobiketours.com, tours 10am daily, $55) can provide you with pedal-assisted bikes that make the hills easier and the flats seem like nothing at all. Rather than relying on a throttle, like a moped or electric scooter, these ingenious bikes use their power to make pedaling easier; you still have to work, just not as hard, to get where you’re going. Start with the hill to the Grove Park Inn, the first stop on a two-hour tour of Asheville’s historic and cultural sites.
Golf in the mountains can be a challenge, with course layouts big on blind approaches and hard doglegs, but it pays off with beautiful views and long downhill shots that can make you feel like you hit it like a pro.
Play a round at the Grove Park Inn Golf Club (290 Macon Ave., 828/252-2711, www.groveparkinn.com, 18 holes, par 70, greens fees $65-140 peak season, $75-85 off-season, includes cart, discounts for juniors, late play, and off-season), where President Obama played a round during his 2010 stay. Golf Digest named this course one of the top 10 courses that are at least 100 years old, and it plays beautifully. This is a must-play course for serious golfers—not just because the views are spectacular but also because the course contains so much history.
The Asheville Municipal Golf Course (226 Fairway Dr., 828/298-1867, www.ashevillegc.com, 18 holes, par 72, greens fees $23-42, all greens fees include cart, tee-time reservation required) opened in 1927 and is one of the oldest in the western part of the state. This Donald Ross-designed course is nearly 6,500 yards long from the championship tees and features a good mix of forgiving and narrow fairways, par-5 fairways begging for a birdie, and par-3 fairways that will challenge your ball placement.
Ready for mountain air? Join Blue Ridge Hiking Co. (828/713-5451, http://blueridgehikingco.com, $50-265) on a half-day, full-day, or overnight hike in the Pisgah National Forest. Founder Jennifer Pharr Davis has hiked more than 11,000 miles of long-distance trails and became the first woman to be the overall record holder for fastest through-hike of the Appalachian Trail: She hiked its 2,181 miles in 46.5 days. Don’t worry: She and her guides don’t go that fast on the trail; they like to slow down, enjoy the moment, and make sure everyone gets a look and feel for what they love about hiking.
Wai Mauna Asheville SUP Tours (tours depart from 159 Riverside Dr., 808/264-3005, www.waimaunaashevillesuptours.com, rentals from $40, tours $65) is a natural fit for Asheville (wai mauna is Hawaiian for “mountain waters”). Wai Mauna offers four tours: the Sunrise Dawn Patrol, a midmorning tour, a midday paddle, and the Sunset Session. Many SUP outfitters ignore the two most beautiful parts of the day—dawn and dusk—but these guys embrace them. On the Dawn Patrol tour, the river is often shrouded in fog, the birds are waking up, and the water is perfectly still; it’s an ideal time to paddle. All tours depart from the River Arts District, and paddlers are shuttled to Hominy Creek, a few miles away; you then paddle downstream back to where you started.
The French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers offer a lot of opportunities to try your hand at stand-up paddleboarding. Asheville Outdoor Center (521 Amboy Rd., 828/232-1970, www.ashevilleoutdoorcenter.com) offers tours on kayaks ($38, $28 for youth under 18), tandem kayaks ($60), canoes ($60), and paddleboards ($65). If you want to take it easy, you can go tubing (half day $12, full day $18).
Tubing isn’t a sport in so much as you simply recline in an inner tube and float from point A to point B, but it’s a lot of fun. Zen Tubing (855/936-8823, 9:30am-7:30pm daily mid-May-early Sept., trips run 10am-3pm, $20 adults, minimum age 4, $5 cooler carrier, $5 for same-day second trip) sends their tubers on calm sections of the French Broad River. If you pick up a six-pack of your favorite beverage, book a cooler carrier tube ($5) to keep any snacks and beverages close at hand. Tube trips take a while, but you’ll have plenty of company—the river is often mobbed by tubing enthusiasts. There are two locations: one in downtown Asheville (608 Riverside Dr.) and one in south Asheville (1648 Brevard Rd.).
For a different perspective on the Asheville area, head north for 30 minutes along I-26 West and spend the day at Navitat (242 Poverty Branch Rd., Barnardsville, 855/628-4828 or 828/626-3700, www.navitat.com, 8am-5pm daily), where you can streak through the forest canopy on a pair of zip line courses like an overgrown flying squirrel. The Blue Ridge Experience (from $89) has the tallest zip line; it’s an incredible 350 feet high (they say “don’t look down,” but please do). The longest zip line is more than 3,600 feet—that’s a long ride. Two rappels, a pair of sky bridges, and three short hikes provide interludes from all the zipping and flying, and there are plenty of opportunities for photos and action-camera videos. The Moody Cove Adventure ($99), a smaller course, has 10 zip lines up to 2,000 feet long, a pair of bridges, and two rappels. Combine the two courses ($169) into one giant day of adventure.
If you’re tempted to zip line but want something a little less heart-pounding, try The Adventure Center of Asheville (1 Resort Dr., 877/247-5539, www.ashevilletreetopsadventurepark.com, 9am-5:30pm daily), which has a number of high-flying adventures. Their Treetops Adventure Park ($47) has 60 challenges (read: rope swings, sky bridges, cargo nets to climb, short zip lines, leaps from tall platforms) spread over five different adventure trails, allowing you to face the trail that presents you with the best challenges. The Zipline Canopy Tour ($59-86) has 11 zips, three sky bridges, and so many great views you’ll forget about the zip lines. Kid Zip ($47) is a zip line course designed for kids ages 4-10. They also have the KOLO Mountain Bike Park ($19 adult full-day access, $14 youth full-day access) and something called the QuickJump ($10 first jump, $5 additional jumps), where you can leap off a 65-foot tower and trust your harness to lower you safely to the ground.
After a day (or two) of playing hard in and around Asheville, you’ll need to relax. The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa (290 Macon Ave., 828/252-2711 or 800/438-5800, www.groveparkinn.com) has a spa known the world over, and there are several places where you can get a massage. Shoji Spa & Lodge (96 Avondale Heights, 828/299-0999, www.shojiretreats.com, 10am-8pm Sun.-Mon. and Wed.-Thurs., 10am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $41 one hour, $65 90 minutes, $90 two hours) does things a little differently. This Japanese-inspired spa has private outdoor hot tubs as well as coed hot tubs, saunas, and cold-plunge pools open to spa guests. The private hot tubs are big enough for groups of up to six, and each is perched on the side of the mountain, open on one side to give you a broad view of the mountain while staying out of sight of other guests. Shoji also offers massage treatments ($125-375).
George Vanderbilt was drawn to Asheville by the mountain air and the glories of nature that surround the city. The Biltmore Estate (1 Approach Rd., 800/411-3812, www.biltmore.com) was once a huge estate of some 125,000 acres, almost every bit of it untamed. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted groomed the forest around the house—the same forest you see today—but the rest was left a natural playground. Visitors can explore the forests, fields, trails, and waters of the Biltmore Estate and try their hand at sports and activities from the familiar (bicycling) to the exotic (the Land Rover Experience Driving School). The Adventure Center (800/411-3812, Antler Hill Village) can make reservations and point you in the right direction for any number of outdoor activities.
For starters, there are countless miles of bicycle trails on the Biltmore Estate (8:30am-6:30pm daily, $55-65 adults, $27.50-32.50 children ages 10-16, free under age 10). Bring your bike, or rent one in Antler Hill Village from the Bike Barn (single-speed beach cruiser $15 per hour, mountain and hybrid bikes half-day and full-day $30-60 adults, $20-40 children, $50 tandem bikes, home tour admission not included). Riding on paved roads is not allowed; they’re too narrow to share with cars. Stick to the marked paths, which lead past prime photo spots and some of the most beautiful land on the estate.
Hiking on the Biltmore Estate can mean anything from walking 2.5 miles of mulched paths in the manicured gardens to exploring the hills, meadows, streams, and riverbank on more than 22 miles of trails. None of the trails are rugged, so all you need is water, your camera, and maybe a walking stick.
Segway tours come in four flavors: a basic tour ($50) on a paved trail to the lagoon below the house; an off-road tour ($75) to a vista of the house past the lagoon; the west-side tour ($100) to a seldom-seen side of the estate; and the advanced tour ($75), which follows the Deerpark Trail.
Equine enthusiasts can saddle up for an hour-long guided horseback ride ($60), a two-hour private trail ride ($160), or a private trail ride and picnic lunch ($230). Those who would rather sit back and relax can take one-hour carriage rides ($65), private carriage rides ($350 up to four guests), and wagon rides ($35).
Spend the day on the water with guided raft trips ($35 adults, $25 children ages 12 and under), a self-guided kayak trip ($25), or a guided stand-up paddleboarding trip ($50) on the French Broad River for a rare view of the estate. Novice anglers can sign up for a fishing lesson (from $125, kids’ lessons available), but experienced anglers may opt for a daylong wade trip ($350 for two guests) or drift boat trip ($350 for two guests).
If you’re feeling really adventurous, learn to shoot sporting clays ($175-225). After a few lessons, they’ll have you knocking clay pigeons out of the sky. There’s also a sporting clay course ($100) and a full-day shotgun sports clinic ($450).
The Land Rover Driving Experience gets you behind the wheel of a Land Rover with a lesson on off-road driving (one hour $275, two hours $425). After your lesson, hit the trail (two hours $425) or go out for a full day ($1,200) and master those off-road skills. You can also just ride along ($25) with an expert driver if you’re nervous about getting behind the wheel.
No matter what you’re craving, Asheville has the eateries that both embrace the Southern traditions of its mountain home and explore well beyond its borders. This is a town that clearly loves its food, with 13 active farmers markets, more than 250 independent restaurants, and 21 microbreweries in a city of fewer than 100,000 residents. Farmers work with restaurants to provide the highest-quality produce and meats, and artisanal bakers and cheese makers supply their tasty foodstuffs to restaurants across the price spectrum.
For a sampling of the best of what Asheville has to offer the gastronome, take a walking tour with Eating Asheville (828/489-3266, http://eatingasheville.com, daily tour $54, High-Roller tour $69). Tours stop at six of Asheville’s best farm-to-table restaurants for a taste of what they’re cooking and provide two or three drink pairings. Held Thursday-Saturday, the High-Roller Tour visits seven of the top restaurants—with at least one James Beard Foundation-recognized restaurant—and includes four or five beverage pairings (wine, beer, and craft cocktails); for just a few bucks more, it’s the way to go.
You can’t make a trip to North Carolina and not have at least one meal of barbecue. The ’cue at S Buxton Hall Barbecue (32 Banks Ave., 828/232-7216, www.buxtonhall.com, 11:30am-3pm and 5:30pm-10pm daily, $5-16) defies North Carolina traditions in every delicious bite. Elliot Moss, chef, owner, and pitmaster, cooks whole hogs, the way it’s done along the coast and in his home county in South Carolina, using a vinegary mop and serving it ready for you to sauce. The sides reveal Moss’s culinary background, adding gourmet touches to green beans, potato salad, grits, and more. But if you really want to dig into his cooking history, go for the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, inspired by his time at Chick-fil-A.
West Asheville’s S Biscuit Head (733 Haywood Rd., 828/333-5145, www.biscuitheads.com, 7am-2pm Mon.-Fri., 8am-3pm Sat.-Sun., $3-10) has one of the best breakfasts in the city, and, as with much of Asheville’s food, it’s a fun blend of traditional and innovative. They serve “cathead” biscuits—giant biscuits the size of a tomcat’s head, along with a bevy of toppings like sriracha-infused honey, herbaceous butter, house-made jam, and more. Get a flight of gravy (no joke) or a biscuit with pulled pork, fried catfish, or brisket, or even a biscuit benedict.
biscuits and gravy
French Broad Chocolates
smoky ribs, the perfect example of Western NC barbecue
French Broad Chocolates (10 S. Pack Sq., 828/252-4181, http://frenchbroadchocolates.com, 11am-11pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-midnight Fri.-Sat.) isn’t the typical tourist trap you find in mountain and beach towns. Instead, it’s a bean-to-bar chocolatier making truly gourmet treats. Get here at the wrong time (read: after dinner or late night) and you’ll wait in line to get your chocolate brownies, sipping chocolate, and ice cream. Look next door at Chocolate + Milk (11am-11pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-midnight Fri.-Sat.), where you’ll find French Broad’s bars and toffee as well as ice cream galore. You can visit their factory (21 Buxton Ave., 828/505-4996, noon-6pm daily) to buy some chocolates, or come for a tour on Saturdays at 11am if you’re curious as to how chocolate is made.
One of the best meals you’ll eat in Asheville is at S Rhubarb (7 SW Pack Sq., 828/785-1503, www.rhubarbasheville.com, 3pm-9:30pm Mon., 11:30am-10:30pm Wed and Fri., 11:30am-9:30pm Thurs., 10:30am-10:30pm Sat., 10:30am-9:30pm Sun., $13-64), helmed by chef John Fleer. The menu is in constant flux based on seasonality, availability, and, as they say, “the whim of the chefs,” but whatever you get is guaranteed to be stellar. Start with The House Cure, a plate of pickles and cured meats, then move on to something like the wood-roasted whole trout, the pork collar with collard greens, or a vegetarian dish like the seared squash. Their Sunday Supper—a fixed price, family-style meal—has been a hit since the doors opened, so make a reservation.
Jargon Restaurant (715 Haywood Rd., 828/785-1761, www.jargonrestaurant.com, 5pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 5pm-2am Fri.-Sat., 10am-3pm and 5pm-10pm Sun., $7-18), another West Asheville restaurant, keeps broadening the town’s culinary horizons with dishes like General Tso’s quail, ramen, a chimichurri-slathered steak, and a late-night menu that features deep-fried deviled eggs, a stellar burger, and specialty drinks. But don’t miss Blunch—that’s what they call brunch—with dishes like fried green tomatoes, breakfast salad, and waffle sliders (smoked salmon on a waffle? Indeed).
Table (48 College St., 828/254-8980, http://tableasheville.com, 5:30pm-close Mon.-Tues., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-close Wed.-Sat., 10:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-close Sun., $14-30) is upscale, interesting, innovative, and, above all else, delicious. They use ingredients like locally caught bass and mountain-raised pork and lamb, but you’ll also find some unusual items, like sweetbreads or quail, on the menu. They’re renowned for their charcuterie. Call for reservations and, if you’re feeling bold, go with the chef’s tasting menu, a selection of dishes that showcase the best this minuscule kitchen (you’ll see it on your way in) has to offer.
S The Admiral (400 Haywood Rd., 828/252-2541, www.theadmiralnc.com, 5pm-9:30pm daily, $11-34) has been a food destination since its opening in a humble cinderblock building in West Asheville. The always-interesting menu is loaded with fresh, local ingredients and outstanding seafood. Dishes like the beef tenderloin tartare, fried oysters, duck leg adobo, and blackened scallops stand out, but you can’t go wrong with anything here.
Local favorite Chai Pani (22 Battery Park Ave., 828/254-4003, www.chaipani.net, 11:30am-3:30pm and 5pm-9:30pm Mon.-Thurs., 11:30am-3:30pm and 5:30pm-10pm Fri.-Sat., noon-3:30pm and 5pm-9:30pm Sun., $7-15) continues to win fans because of its cool atmosphere and great food. The restaurant’s name means “tea and water,” a phrase that refers to a snack or a small gift. This restaurant is inspired by Indian street-food vendors and serves casual and affordable specialties from all over India.
S Cucina 24 (24 Wall St., 828/254-6170, http://cucina24restaurant.com, 11am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-9pm Tues.-Thurs., 11am-2:30pm and 5pm-10pm Fri.-Sat., 5pm-10pm Sun., $10-26) is, as executive chef Brian Canipelli says, “not a fettuccine Alfredo-and-lasagna kind of place; we do cooking like it’s done in Italy, but with North Carolina ingredients.” That’s a strong statement, but his food backs it up. The pizzas are creative, accessible, and just a bit decadent (microplaned black truffles over pizza, anyone?); the pastas are fresh, always elevated by interesting ingredients like sunchokes, trumpet mushrooms, pork cheeks, or smoked mackerel broth; and the charcuterie is made in-house. When eating in the dining room, go a little dressier, but it’s okay to stay more casual when eating at the bar; a good rule of thumb is to look as good as the food.
Limones (13 Eagle St., 828/252-2327, http://limonesrestaurant.com, 5pm-10pm Mon.-Sat., 10:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-10pm Sun., $12-22) is delicious. Chef Hugo Ramírez, a native of Mexico City, combines his background in Mexican and French-inspired Californian food to create dishes that are as flavorful as they are memorable. However, if you’re trying to work your way through the menu of margaritas, tequilas, and mescals, your recollection of what you ate may grow a little fuzzy.
Next door to Limones is S En la Calle (15 Eagle St., 828/232-7012, www.enlacalleasheville.com, 5pm-11pm Mon.-Thurs., 5pm-midnight Fri.-Sat., $3-16), where the menu is all about upscale street food and playful cuisine. Think grilled street corn, lobster nachos, duck confit taquitos, empanadas, and hot dogs topped with pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, and fries. They also serve fun cocktails, making this a hip spot for dinner and drinks.
S Cúrate (11 Biltmore Ave., 828/239-2946, www.heirloomhg.com, 11:30am-10:30pm Tues.-Thurs., 11:30am-11pm Fri.-Sat., 10am-10:30pm Sun., $5-20) serves a Spanish tapas-style menu, meaning you’ll have your choice of dozens of small, delicious plates to order and share. Chef Katie Button brings her own culinary genius and her time cooking at legendary restaurant elBulli in Spain to bear in dishes that dazzle in their simplicity and depth of flavor. The pulpo a la gallega (octopus and paprika with potatoes), butifarra con mongetes (mild pork sausage with sautéed white beans), cochinillo (a quarter of a roast suckling pig), and albóndigas (meatballs in a rustic tomato sauce) are excellent dishes to share. While you’re here, try their cider, as it’s a good introduction to Spanish-style dry cider, and give their list of vermouths and sherries a look.
There are no fewer than nine places to eat (plus snacks, ice cream, and coffee) on the Biltmore Estate (800/411-3812, www.biltmore.com, estate admission required to visit restaurants). The Dining Room (7am-11am and 5:30pm-9:30pm daily, reservations required, $22-95) is an elegant restaurant, led by chef David Ryba, featuring estate-raised Angus beef, mountain trout, Biltmore wines, and vegetables grown on estate gardens. The food is spectacular, and tables with a mountain view make the meal all that much better. Evening dress and reservations are recommended.
The Bistro (Antler Hill Village, adjacent to the winery, noon-9pm Sun.-Fri., 11:30am-9pm Sat., $11-30, lunch buffet $45, dinner buffet $55) has a well-rounded gourmet menu sourced from the Biltmore’s own kitchen garden, locally raised heirloom crops, meat and seafood delicacies, and artisanal cheeses and breads.
The dining room of the Deerpark Restaurant (11am-2pm Fri.-Sat., 10am-2pm Sun., lunch buffet $20, Sun. brunch buffet $35) is a former barn designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, now renovated to airy splendor with walls of windows. Expect hearty and homey meals based on Appalachian cuisine. Like the Deerpark, the Stable Café (11am-4pm daily, $13-30) was once livestock housing, and guests can sit in booths that were once horse stalls.
In the stable area near the house, both the Bake Shop (8:30am-5:30pm daily) and the Ice Cream Parlor (11am-6pm daily) serve fresh treats, and The Courtyard Market (noon-5:30pm daily) has hot dogs, salads, and snacks. The Creamery (11am-8pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri., 10am-9pm Sat., 10am-8pm Sun.) is the place for sandwiches and hand-dipped ice cream in Antler Hill Village. The Conservatory Café (9am-6pm daily), adjacent to the gardens, has snacks and drinks. If you have a hankering for barbecue, a quick sandwich, some snacks, or a cold drink, the Smokehouse (noon-4pm Fri.-Sun.) in Antler Hill Village serves just what you need.
While you’re in Antler Hill Village, check out Cedric’s Tavern (11:30am-10pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-10pm Sat.-Sun., $17-30). Named for George Vanderbilt’s beloved Saint Bernard (you can see his huge collar on display at the entrance), Cedric’s pays homage to pubs and taverns found in Britain, with a Southern twist.
The Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association (www.ashevillebba.com) has a constantly growing membership of inns and B&Bs in the area, and they band together to promote getaways, tours, and seasonal packages. Check with them for any current specials.
With so many neo-hippie types, college kids, dirtbags (it’s not an insult; it’s what rock climbers often call themselves), kayakers, hikers, and bikers coming through, it’s no surprise to find a nice hostel nestled among the hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. At the Asheville ArtHaus Hostel (16 Ravenscroft Dr., 828/423-0256, http://avlhostel.com, $75, bungalow with private bath $150) you’ll find only private guest rooms and even a private bungalow. Reservations are available up to five months in advance. At the hostel, you’ll find free waffles, coffee, and tea at make-your-own stations; free Wi-Fi; and free parking. Downtown is within walking distance.
Bon Paul and Sharky’s Hostel of Asheville (816 Haywood Rd., 828/775-3283, www.bonpaulandsharkys.com, $22-30, cash only) is a pleasant old white house with a porch and a porch swing, high-speed Internet access, and dorm-style bunks in women-only or coed shared rooms ($30) as well as camping ($22) in the yard. If you want a little more of a retreat, a private room with a TV and a queen bed ($78) and a cottage ($105) are available. Dogs can stay in the outdoor kennels or in private rooms.
One of the most hospitable bed-and-breakfasts in Asheville is Asheville Green Cottage (25 St. Dunstans Circle, 828/707-6563 or 828/707-2919, www.ashevillegreencottage.com, $125-165 peak season, $95-135 off-season). This 1920s arts and crafts-style home is built of huge granite blocks and is simply decorated but cozy. Guest rooms are big enough, but breakfast is outstanding, and they can cater to special dietary needs. Asheville Green Cottage is a “healthy and green” bed-and-breakfast, meaning they are smoke-free and fragrance-free, and use natural products for cleaning. It’s a great place to come home to after a day of exploring Asheville.
Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville is an inn that’s a true retreat. The first time I saw the S Sourwood Inn (810 Elk Mountain Scenic Hwy., 828/255-0690, www.sourwoodinn.com, $155-205 inn rooms, $210 separate cabins), it charmed me so much that I made reservations for an anniversary weekend. The inn is situated on the end of a ridgeline, and the view is nearly 270 degrees from every balcony and bedroom window. There’s no Wi-Fi or cell service, so you can truly unplug. There are a couple of miles of easy hiking trails, a pond, a bamboo grove, and some sculptures tucked in the woods nearby, but if you’re feeling adventurous, there are options. The innkeeper’s son-in-law happens to be a fly-fishing guide and an active hawker. Fishing and hawking packages are available. Call for directions—it’s tricky to find.
Hotel Indigo (151 Haywood St., 828/239-0239, www.ihg.com, $189-519) is shiny, modern, and steps away from downtown. The staff are attentive and courteous, and the concierges know the ins, outs, shortcuts, best restaurants and bars, and top townie things to see and do. As one of the tallest buildings in Asheville, the Indigo has spectacular mountain views from upper floors; keep that in mind when making a reservation.
S ASIA Bed and Breakfast Spa (128 Hillside St., 828/255-0051, www.ashevillespa.com, $189-419) is one of my favorite places to stay in town. Every room has a big, comfortable bed and a two-person Jacuzzi tub; there’s a sauna and cold shower, and a European steam shower; breakfast is a healthy, filling affair; and, most important, the rooms are private and quiet. ASIA keeps a group of massage therapists and aestheticians on call, so you can arrange for treatments of almost any kind on-site. Throughout the house, comfortable seating areas make it easy to find a spot for breakfast or tea, or to just read or talk; check out the tatami porch overlooking the Japanese garden at the front of the house.
If you’ve spent the day touring Biltmore House, viewing the incredible splendor in which a robber baron of the Gilded Age basked, it may be jarring to return to real life, unless you’re Richard Branson or European royalty. You can soften the transition with a stay at the luxurious Inn on Biltmore Estate (866/336-1245, www.biltmore.com, $350-550, suites up to $2,250). It’s everything you’d wish for from a hotel in this location. The suites are beautifully furnished and luxurious, the views are magnificent, and the lobby, dining room, and library have the deluxe coziness of a turn-of-the-20th-century lodge. On the other hand, if you do happen to be Richard Branson or Queen Elizabeth and simply need a mountain getaway, consider the inn’s Cottage on Biltmore Estate (from $1,700). This historic two-room cottage was designed by Richard Howland Hunt, son of the mansion’s designer, Richard Morris Hunt. Your own personal butler and chef come with the digs. In 2015, the Biltmore opened Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate ($269-469) in Antler Hill Village. The 209-room hotel is a testament to the ongoing and growing popularity of Biltmore.
AC Hotel by Marriott Asheville Downtown (10 Broadway, 828/258-2522, www.marriott.com, $166-410) has a prime location. Just a block off Pack Square, it’s an easy walk to just about any restaurant, brewery, cocktail lounge, or music venue in town. Or you could just head up to the roof and get a drink or dinner at Capella on 9 @ AC Lounge (828/258-2522, ext. 5505, www.capellaon9.com, 4pm-midnight Mon.-Thurs., 2pm-1am Fri.-Sat., 2pm-11pm Sun., $8-30) for magnificent views of the mountains and downtown, and equally good cocktails and food.
The S Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa (290 Macon Ave., 828/252-2711 or 800/438-5800, www.groveparkinn.com, $349-942 peak season, $220-810 off-season, spa and golf packages available) is the sort of place Asheville residents bring their out-of-town houseguests when giving them a grand tour of the city, simply to walk into the lobby to ooh and aah. The massive stone building—constructed by a crew of 400 who had only mule teams and a single steam shovel to aid them—was erected in 1912 and 1913. Eight U.S. presidents have stayed here, as has a glittering parade of early-20th-century big shots, among them Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Even if you’re not staying here, it’s worth the visit just to see the lobby and enormous fireplaces, and to take in the view while having a cocktail or dinner at one of the many on-site establishments: Vue 1913 (5:30pm-9:30pm daily, $24-38) has well-done French and American dishes; Edison craft ales + kitchen (4pm-11pm Mon.-Thurs., 4pm-midnight Fri., 11am-midnight Sat., 11am-11pm Sun., $8-38) serves some high-quality bar food and craft beer; Blue Ridge (6:30am-10:30am Mon.-Thurs., 6:30am-10:30am and 5pm-9pm Fri.-Sat., 6:30am-10:30am and noon-2:30pm Sun., $17-44) calls itself a farm-to-table artisanal buffet; and the Sunset Terrace (11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm daily, $22-59) and Sunset Terrace Cocktail Lounge (11am-10pm daily, $7-18). Each venue has phenomenal views, allowing you to have dinner or a glass of wine while watching the sun set.
Being a guest at the Grove Park is quite an experience. In addition to the spectacle of the lodge, for an additional charge guests have access to its world-famous spa (access pass $85 for guests); nonguests may also purchase day passes (Mon.-Thurs., $110). The pass gives access to the lounges, pools, waterfall, steam room, inhalation room, and outdoor whirlpool tub. The indoor pool is a fantastic place, a subterranean stone room with vaulted skylights and tropical plants. For extra fees ($189-510, most $200-300), guests can choose from a long menu of spa treatments: massages, facials, manicures, aromatherapy, and body wraps.
The Asheville Visitors Center (36 Montford Ave., near I-240 exit 4C, 828/258-6129, 8:30am-5:30pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-5pm Sat.-Sun.) can set you up with all the maps, brochures, and recommendations you could need. Other sources are Explore Asheville (www.exploreasheville.com) and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (www.ashevillechamber.org). The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (www.blueridgeheritage.com) has a number of valuable trip-planning resources.
Mission Hospital (509 Biltmore Ave. and 428 Biltmore Ave., 828/213-1111, www.mission-health.org) in Asheville has two campuses and two emergency departments.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters (MP 384, 828/348-3400, www.nps.gov/blri) are working park offices and offer very little to visitors. For an overview of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a gift shop, and as much information as you can handle regarding what to do, where to go, and how to get there on the Parkway, try the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center (828/298-5330, 9am-5pm daily, free). Here, a 22-foot-long interactive map, displays on the history and heritage of the Parkway, and a great video (it runs about 25 minutes and is worth the wait) give you a better idea about the Parkway, but the real help comes from the desk operated by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (www.blueridgeheritage.com). They have information on the numerous cultural sites and happenings along the Parkway, and can provide you with directions and ideas for stops and side trips.
This building is notable for being certified Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy-saving features include active/passive heating and cooling, a living roof planted with sedum, and other features designed to reduce everything from water use to nighttime lighting. All of this is in keeping with the founding principles that guided the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. These principles said that the structures and buildings found in the park would have a natural look, blend in with their environments, and be generally kind to the earth nearby.
Distance: 1.5-mile loop
Duration: 45 minutes
Elevation gain: 50 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: near the far end of the visitors center parking lot, near the bus and RV parking area
This popular trail was built by volunteers from the Carolina Mountain Club and Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway to create a loop that incorporates part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Not far in, you’ll enter a bit of a clearing and begin to descend into the woods. Here, you’ll find a rhododendron thicket and see that the ground is covered in English ivy. If you look closely (and you should), you’ll see poison ivy leaves here and there. Be wary; poison ivy is everywhere on this hike. But the trail is well traveled, so if you stick to the path, you should be rash free.
As you near the half-mile mark, you’ll need to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway. Be quick and be safe when you do. After crossing, you have a clear hike until you reach the 0.75-mile mark, when you reach the top of a small rise. Take a drink and a picture, and head on down the trail until you reach the fork where the Mountains-to-Sea Trail breaks off. This is 1.1 miles in, so you’re close to the end. (If you continued on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, in 2.5 miles you’d reach the Folk Art Center.) Continue on, pass under the Parkway via a stone culvert, and stroll back to the starting point.
S US-Alt 74 East: Chimney Rock (MP 384.7)Chimney Rock State Park (431 Main St., Chimney Rock, about 45 minutes from Asheville at MP 384.7 via US-Alt 74 E., 800/277-9611, www.chimneyrockpark.com, ticket plaza open 8:30am-5:30pm daily late Mar.-early Nov., 8:30am-4:30pm daily Nov., 10am-4:30pm Fri.-Tues. Dec.-late Mar., $15 adults, $7 children ages 5-15, ages 4 and under free) is just one of the many geological beauties you’ll find along the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor. The 315-foot tower of stone that is Chimney Rock stands on the side of the mountain. To get to the top of the chimney, you can take a 26-story elevator ride, or hike the Outcroppings Trail, a 0.25-mile trail nicknamed “The Ultimate Stairmaster.” No matter how you get there, the view is spectacular.
There are a number of additional dizzying views, like the Opera Box, to take in, as well as mountain-hugging trails, like the Needle’s Eye, to hike in Chimney Rock State Park. The Hickory Nut Falls Trail takes you to the top of the 400-foot Hickory Nut Falls via a moderately difficult 0.75-mile trail. One of the most recognizable views is on the Skyline-Cliff Trail loop, a strenuous two-hour hike that will take you to some places you may recognize from the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans. There are also kid-friendly trails. Bring your little ones along on the 0.6-mile Woodland Walk, where animal sculptures and “journal entries” from Grady the Groundhog wait to be discovered. A trail map covering the entire park is available on the park’s website.
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center and Headquarters
Hickory Nut Falls in Chimney Rock State Park
autumn view off the Blue Ridge Parkway southwest of Asheville
Chimney Rock is more than just hiking trails. In November, Santa rappels down the tower in a pre-Christmas display of his chimney-navigating prowess, but year-round you’ll find rock climbers in the park for bouldering, top-rope, and multi-pitch climbs. Want to try but don’t know the terms? Fox Mountain Guides (888/284-8433, www.foxmountainguides.com, half-day lessons $215 for one climber, $145 each for two climbers) will gear you up and show you the ropes.
Nearby Rumbling Bald Mountain (Boys Camp Rd., Lake Lure) is part of Chimney Rock State Park, and climbers couldn’t be happier. Here you’ll find more than 1,500 bouldering “problems” to solve (solving it means traversing it successfully). Currently, only the south face is open to climbing and no commercial climbing guides are allowed to operate there.
Rumbling Bald and Chimney Rock are the sites of some strange phenomena over the centuries. In January 1947, Bald Mountain began giving off low rumbles that grew louder and louder as spring wore on. Then, just as the crocuses were showing their heads, the mountain gave a tremendous shake that shattered windows and knocked crockery off shelves all along the valley. A smoking, hissing crack opened in the side of the mountain, causing many to move away or find religion.
In the early 1800s, locals and visitors reported spectral sights on and above Chimney Rock. There they saw groups of people gathered on the rock pinnacle rise into the heavens and disappear. They also saw, on several occasions, two cavalry armies battling on winged horses in the air over the summit. At least that’s how the stories go.
The enormous North Carolina Arboretum (100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, 828/665-2492, www.ncarboretum.org, 8am-9pm daily Apr.-Oct., 8am-7pm daily Nov.-Mar., free, parking $14, RV parking $50) is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful arboretums in the country. The 434 natural and landscaped acres back into the Pisgah National Forest, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Major collections include the National Native Azalea Repository and the very special Bonsai Collection, where staff horticulturists care for over 200 bonsais, many of their own creation.
Bicycles and leashed dogs are permitted on many of the trails. Walking areas range from easy to fairly rugged, but with 10 miles of trails to choose from, it’s no problem finding one that suits your skill level. Guided tours (1pm Tues. and Sat.) give you more on the history of the arboretum and its plants, as well as the natural history of the region. These two-mile walk and talk tours go on rain or shine, so dress for the weather. The arboretum also has a very nice café, the Savory Thyme Café (11am-4pm Tues.-Sat., noon-4pm Sun., $6-10) and gift shop, Connections Gallery (11am-4pm daily).
At Milepost 393, the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over the French Broad River. Exit here, at Brevard Road/NC-191, and you’re not far from the Lake Powhatan Recreational Area and Campground, the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, the Shut-in Trail, and Zen Tubing. Stop and hike or bike the day away, then go for a relaxing float on the river before retiring to your campsite.
Lake Powhatan Recreational Area and Campground (375 Wesley Branch Rd., Asheville, 877/444-6777 for reservations, 828/667-0391 for local information, www.recreation.gov, daily Apr.-Nov., campsites $22 single campsite, $44 double, RV hookups campsite fee plus $3 water and sewer, $6 electric, $9 combined; dump station $10-50, day use $2 pp) is surrounded by the 6,000-acre Bent Creek Experimental Forest and miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. There are 97 campsites here, each with a picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring; a bathhouse outfitted with hot showers and flush toilets; and a lifeguard-protected beach and swimming lake. Downtown Asheville is just 10 minutes away, so if you’re hungry for something you didn’t cook yourself, if you’re here for a concert, or if you just want to go out on the town, it’s not far. Quiet hours begin at 10pm nightly, at which time the gates are closed and locked. If you plan on being out after the gates are closed, be sure to let someone know and you can make accommodations to get back in.
Surrounding Lake Powhatan is the Bent Creek Experimental Forest (1577 Brevard Rd., Asheville, 828/667-5261, www.srs.fs.usda.gov/bentcreek). You may be wondering what exactly an experimental forest is. Well, it’s a designated forest that’s part of ongoing research on silvicultural practices that help in the development of new forest management practices. Bent Creek is the oldest federal experimental forest east of the Mississippi, and the research done here has helped sustain or rehabilitate hundreds of thousands of acres of forest in the United States alone.
As cool as an experimental forest is, the thing that draws most visitors here are the hiking and mountain biking trails, many of which allow horseback riders as well. Before you set off on any trail, note if it allows your chosen mode of exploration. And remember to bring water, your camera, bug spray, and, if you can, a bag for any litter you find on the trail.
Distance: 1 mile one-way
Duration: 30 minutes
Elevation gain: 30 feet
Difficulty: easy
Trailhead: near the campsites on the shore of Lake Powhatan
The Homestead Trail takes you along the shores of Lake Powhatan, past the dam, and then downstream beside Bent Creek. It’s a flat, easy hike, despite a couple of footbridges and wet patches, and offers several opportunities for great photos of the lake, especially in the fall.
Distance: 0.5 mile one-way
Duration: 15 minutes
Elevation gain: 150 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: on the Homestead Trail
On the Homestead Trail, when you pass the beach and cross Small Creek, the trail splits. Stay left for Homestead, but go right to explore the Small Creek Trail and connect to Deerfield Loop. Though Small Creek is short, it does gain a little elevation as it rises through rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets.
Distance: 0.8-mile loop
Duration: 25 minutes
Elevation gain: 250 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: off Small Creek Trail or near the start of Homestead Trail
This short loop can be made longer by combining parts of Homestead and Small Creek Trails, but on its own, it’s a quick workout with a couple of steep spots (not too steep; they’ll just slow you down). There is a portion where the trail ducks into a mountain cove, traversing a steep slope and a slippery spring or seep as it does so. Just use a little caution in spots where it’s wet or steep and you’ll do just fine.
Distance: 2-mile loop
Duration: 1 hour
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: near Wesley Branch Road after it crosses Bent Creek but before it reaches Lake Powhatan
This two-mile loop takes you up the hill above Bent Creek through a mixed forest of hardwoods and the rhododendron that grows everywhere here. As you climb, you’ll cross one of Bent Creek’s feeder streams before gaining a little more elevation and then passing by the origins of this stream about halfway up the mountain. As you return, you’ll find a couple of places where the trees open up, especially in spring and fall, to reveal the valley you’re in. For the last leg of this trail, you join with Deerfield Loop until you get back to Lake Powhatan.
Distance: 3.5 miles one-way
Duration: 1.5-2 hours
Elevation gain: 400 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Trailhead: near Boyd Branch Trailhead parking area on Bent Creek Gap Road
Directions: Bent Creek Gap Road is the continuation of Wesley Branch Road. As you leave the campground at Lake Powhatan, turn left after you cross Ledford Branch at the place where you meet Wesley Branch Road. This will put you on Bent Creek Gap Road; the trailhead is just over one mile away.
The Lower Sidehill Trail is hilly, but not too difficult. It follows a number of old roads—logging and forestry roads, most likely—as it climbs smaller hills on the north end before hitting a steeper section on the south end. Along the way, it passes through a range of forest types, from hardwoods to dry oak and pine to moist hemlock and other cove-found hardwoods like sycamore. Of course, you’ll see more of the mountain laurel and rhododendron that love this area. This trail feels pretty remote, even though you’re never far from a road or either end of the trail.
Once you reach the south end of the trail, you can reverse direction or walk back along Bent Creek Gap Road, a pleasant, flat stroll through the woods alongside the namesake creek.
Shut-In Trail is an old one, dating back to around 1890 when George Vanderbilt, of the Biltmore Estate, established this trail to link his hunting lodge at Buck Springs, just below the summit of Mount Pisgah, to his estate. When the Blue Ridge Parkway came through, parts of the trail were lost, but the pieces that remain follow the original track. The trail earns its name from the “tunnels” the path forms through the dense rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets, giving it a close, shut-in feeling.
You can use this trail as a long-distance hike, but considering there’s no overnight camping along the Parkway, it would be brutal. At 16.3 miles with around 3,000 feet of elevation gain, to tackle the whole trail in one go is a feat best left to ultra-hikers and long-distance trail runners. Here, the trail is broken down into more easily hiked sections, using the access points to Shut-In Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway as convenient shuttle points and starting areas:
Distance: 3.1 miles one-way
Duration: 2-2.5 hours
Elevation gain: 800 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: just off the exit at MP 393.6
Directions: There is a very small parking area on the exit ramp, but you may want to park at the Bent Creek River and Picnic Park, a few hundred yards south on NC-191 from the Parkway ramp. There, a short trail (only a few hundred feet long) takes you to the Shut-In Trail.
This first segment of the Shut-In Trail isn’t as shut in by the rhododendron thickets as the rest of the trail, and, in fact, the forest here is quite open. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail follows the Shut-In Trail all the way to Mount Pisgah, so you may encounter some thru-hikers.
About a quarter mile into the Shut-In Trail, you’ll find your first “tunnel” through the mountain laurel. When you emerge, it’s time to ascend, and quick. The trail is steep here, but manageable as it climbs to an old road. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, you can see the river from here. The road continues to climb, then gradually descends into a hardwood forest. At just over a mile in, you’ll encounter a second road; bear left and follow this road up to another road (at 1.6 miles in) and descend to mile 1.8, where you’ll turn onto yet another road that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Two miles in, you’ll encounter your last left turn, and immediately the road will begin a series of switchbacks as it climbs the mountain. Be wary of poison ivy here as it tends to be prolific. As you descend from these heights, you’ll find the road and trail are broad and tree-lined, giving the sense of a lush, manicured forest. Continue through these woods until you reach the Blue Ridge Parkway at 3.1 miles in. A right turn on the Parkway takes you to Milepost 396.4 and the Walnut Cove Overlook.
Distance: 1.8 miles one-way
Duration: 1.25-1.5 hours
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Trailhead: MP 396.4 at the Walnut Cove Overlook
You’re past the roads on this part of the Shut-In Trail. Here, the trail is, well, more trail-like, so take a little more care with how and where you step. For the first 0.75 miles, be wary of the poison ivy, which grows quite heartily here. At 1.25 miles in, you’ll come to an intersection. This is the Grassy Knob Trail, connecting the Shut-In Trail to part of the Bent Creek trail system. Keep to the left and continue on to cross a small creek—it may be dry in summer months—then another even smaller water feature before you enter the final tunnel of mountain laurel. On the other side, you’re not far from the Sleepy Gap Overlook at Milepost 397.3.
Distance: 0.9 mile one-way
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Elevation gain: 600 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: MP 397.3 at the Sleepy Gap Overlook
Here, you’ll find that the hardwoods are enormous, taking on proportions that may surprise you. This short trail has a steep ascent and descent around 0.6 mile in, but the end point—Chestnut Cove Overlook at Milepost 398.3—isn’t far.
Distance: 2.8 miles one-way
Duration: 1.5-1.75 hours
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Difficulty: strenuous
Trailhead: MP 398.3 at the Chestnut Cove Overlook
Starting from Chestnut Cove Overlook, you may be wondering where the chestnut trees are. You’ll be hard pressed to find one as a blight that was accidentally introduced here from Asia destroyed the trees by the end of the 1930s. Chestnuts made up around 25 percent of the trees in many areas, and it’s hard to imagine the richness of these woods if they’d lived.
Here, the Shut-In Trail earns its name. The thickets of mountain laurel and rhododendron form tunnels and passageways for much of the trail as it descends into Chestnut Cove. The effect is one of isolation. Though you’re close to the Parkway and not far from civilization, the sounds of the forest overtake the intermittent road sounds and you feel very remote.
For the first 1.5 miles, give or take, you’ll find yourself on a slow, gradual descent that takes you in and out of the “tunnels” and patches of hardwood forest. At 1.1 miles in, you’ll encounter a woods road; stay to the left and cross a creek at 1.4 miles, then it’s back into the “tunnels” for the long ascent out. You’ll cross two more streams, at 2 and 2.4 miles, and continue on through the rhododendron tunnels. As you near the 2.8-mile mark, you’ll find Forest Service Road 479 and Bent Creek Gap. Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 400.3 is just to the left.
Distance: 4 miles one-way
Duration: 2.5-2.75 hours
Elevation gain: 700 feet
Difficulty: strenuous
Trailhead: MP 400.3 Bent Creek Gap
This section combines three smaller, more strenuous sections of the Shut-In Trail. The first goes from Bent Creek Gap to the Beaver Dam Gap Overlook at Milepost 401.7, and it gives a truly wide view of the countryside.
The trail ascends from Forest Service Road 479 near the Bent Creek Experimental Forest sign; a short way in—about 250 feet—you’ll turn onto an old road. A half mile in, you’ll pass a spring with some cold and tasty water, but if you’re there at the end of an especially dry or hot summer, you’ll be out of luck. Continue climbing until you summit Ferrin Knob, where you have a great view to the northeast. At 1.5 miles in, you’ll find yourself in the midst of a wildflower-choked gap. Enjoy it for a moment before descending to the Beaver Dam Gap Overlook at Milepost 401.7.
From here to the Stoney Bald Overlook is only 0.9 mile, but it’s a tough stretch. The trail sticks close to the Parkway, but rises and falls quite steeply. Expect about 300 feet of elevation gain and loss as you crest knobs and ridges. A quarter mile in, be mindful of the poison ivy, but pay some attention to the exquisite craftsmanship that went into the rock cribbing stabilizing the hillside along the trail as you crest a high point. Descend to a low point where you’ll find violets and other wildflowers and ascend again. Once you reach the ridgeline at 0.7 mile in, you’ll descend the final 0.2 mile through switchbacks lined with buttercups and orchids to the Stoney Bald Overlook at Milepost 402.6.
On the final leg of this segment, the trail is more of the same: a couple of steep sections and some wildflowers. You’ll ascend immediately on this trail and continue to climb for 0.4 mile until you reach the top of a knoll and descend. At 0.7 mile, you’ll cross the Blue Ridge Parkway (be careful) and continue through until you reach the Big Ridge Overlook at Milepost 403.6.
Distance: 4.2 miles one-way
Duration: 2.75-3 hours
Elevation gain: 1,100 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: Big Ridge Overlook at MP 403.6
The final leg of the Shut-In Trail is made up of three segments. The first two are easier than the last, but the payoff is worth the effort. Keep in mind, though, that you can stop at any of the overlooks to shorten your hike if you’re running low on daylight.
Big Ridge Overlook has the big views visitors are looking for.
From the Big Ridge Overlook to Mills River Valley-Elk Pasture Gap is a pretty easy 1.1 miles. The first half of the trail is mostly flat, but 0.5 mile in you begin a steady, and increasing, ascent. Along the way, you’ll pass assorted wildflowers and even blueberries (if they’re in season, try a few). A narrow ridgeline awaits at 0.8 mile in.
Like the last segment, this next one features one short but steep ascent; the rest of the elevation gain is hardly noticeable. A little more than a quarter mile in, you’ll pass a spring where you can refill your water bottle. Closer to the end of the section, you’ll find some great trail-building work in the rock walls supporting the trail. Imagine hauling the stone to build that wall on your back. The trail just got a little easier, didn’t it? Take a break at Mills River Valley-Elk Pasture Gap at Milepost 404.5; the toughest section is ahead.
If you’re itching to get to Mount Pisgah, skip a couple of sections and jump right to Elk Pasture Gap. Here, at the Mills River Valley-Elk Pasture Gap (MP 404.5), you’re at an elevation of about 4,200 feet. You’ll climb to around 5,000 in under two miles, so get ready. Is it worth it? You bet. The views of Mount Pisgah and other peaks and valleys are worth framing (especially in fall), and there are a couple of berry patches along the way.
You’ll start climbing immediately once you leave Mills River Valley-Elk Pasture Gap. Climb steadily for 0.35 miles, where you reach the top of a knob, and then descend to a wide, flat gap. Next, there’s another steep ascent at 0.7 mile, with a break at 0.8 mile for a photo op of Mills River Valley to the east. Continue climbing until you begin to level out near the large patch of wild berries. The next 0.2 mile is relatively level, but then you climb again, and hard. As the elevation changes, so does the vegetation. The plants are smaller and scrubbier here than they were just a few hundred feet below. When you reach the ridgeline at 1.5 miles, you’ll be rewarded with a view to the east and Mount Pisgah above and to your right. Climb a small knob (with the scantest of views from the top) and descend into a thicket of mountain laurel and hike on another 0.3 mile to the Mount Pisgah Trailhead parking area at Milepost 407.6. This is the proverbial end of the Shut-In Trail.
How about floating down the French Broad River, feet in the water, relaxing on an inner tube? Zen Tubing (1648 Brevard Rd., Asheville, 855/936-8823, 9:30am-7:30pm daily mid-May-early Sept., trips run between 10am and 3pm, $20 adults, minimum age 4, $5 cooler carrier, $5 for same-day second trip) does just that. With single and double inner tubes and even cooler-carrier inner tubes available, it’s BYOB if you choose to imbibe (no glass and be responsible with your empties). It’s easy to get a group out on the water for a 1.5- to 3.5-hour float. Once you pay and go over some safety basics, Zen Tubing shuttles you to their put-in a few miles away. There, you back down some steps into the river and flop onto your tube. The river around here is rapid-less, so there’s little to worry about other than sunburn.
At one time, Mount Pisgah was owned by the Vanderbilts, and their estate stretched from the Biltmore Estate, some 16 miles distant in Asheville, to this 5,721-foot summit. The mountain and the land between here and the Biltmore were used as a private hunting retreat. Accessing Mount Pisgah is easy from the Blue Ridge Parkway. At Milepost 408.6, you’ll find the Mount Pisgah Campground and, across the Parkway, the Pisgah Inn.
A network of trails and connectors circle Mount Pisgah. The two below are highly recommended.
Distance: 2.6 miles round-trip
Duration: 2-2.5 hours
Elevation gain: 750 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: Mount Pisgah Trailhead (MP 407.7)
The view from the summit of Mount Pisgah is well worth the effort you’ll put into getting up here. It can be strenuous, especially if you’re not in the best shape, but it can be hiked if you take your time. Note that the elevation gain is about 200 feet in the first half of the hike and a little more than 500 in the second half. At times, this trail is steep.
You’ll start the hike on Little Pisgah Mountain, where you’ll eventually crest a ridge between Little Pisgah and Mount Pisgah. This is where it gets more difficult and many people turn back. Ahead, the trail follows the ridgeline and becomes a bit steeper before it cuts away from the ridge onto a very steep section with several difficult step-ups and rocky sections that are a little nerve-wracking if you’re not an experienced hiker. This is the steepest section, so if you can do this, you’ve pretty much summited.
After this steep section, you’ll enter a mountain laurel tunnel that’s long and rocky. The trail turns, switches back, and follows a new ridge to the summit as it passes through an impressive stand of beech trees.
Once on top, you’ll see the transmission tower for WLOS-TV and an observation deck. Though the deck is nice, it and the giant metal tower pull you out of the nature moment and into the modern world, but the view from here is spectacular. To the west, you’ll see the Shining Rock Wilderness and Cold Mountain (at the northern end) and, on clear days, the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance. To the north are Asheville, the Craggy Mountains, Mount Mitchell, and, if you’re keen-eyed, the Biltmore Estate.
Distance: 6 miles one-way
Duration: 4 hours
Elevation gain: 500 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: behind the Pisgah Inn
This trail runs from the Pisgah Inn down the mountain to US-276, making for a long 12-mile out-and-back, and the back part, that’s all uphill. Keep that in mind as you’re planning how far to go and how much water to bring with you.
Some folks have called this an ideal walking path or the perfect hike. After a short section of moderately steep trail, things even out and the grade becomes so gradual, you won’t notice that you’re descending. Don’t expect mountain vistas on this hike; it’s all downhill and never really pops out to a bald or clearing with any kind of view. It does, however, have more than a dozen stream crossings, meaning the little waterfalls, pools, and cascades you’ll see, many ringed with rich beds of ferns, moss, and wildflowers, which more than make up for the lost view.
Hike the trail as far as you want, but remember that it is all uphill on the way back, so it will take a little longer and tax you a little more. Still, most everyone should be able to enjoy a nice long, peaceful hike in the woods on this trail.
Despite the shortcomings of the accommodations, the Pisgah Inn Restaurant (MP 408.6, 828/235-8228, www.pisgahinn.com, 7:30am-10:30am, 11:30am-4pm, and 5pm-9pm daily Apr.-Oct., $4-27) dishes up some tasty grub. Breakfast ranges from light to hearty, depending on what you want and what you’re up to that day; lunch ranges from salads to barbecue to burgers; and dinner runs the gamut from steaks and mountain trout to chicken pot pie and the Pisgah Pasta—garlic and white wine cream sauce, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach over pasta, served plain or with chicken or shrimp.
Up on the Blue Ridge Parkway above Waynesville and quite close to Asheville is the fantastic Pisgah Inn (MP 408.6, 828/235-8228, www.pisgahinn.com, Apr.-Oct., $160-275), which is much like Skyland and Big Meadows on Virginia’s Skyline Drive, with motel-style accommodations surrounding an old lodge with a large family-style dining room and a Parkway gift shop. The inn is on a nearly 5,000-foot-high mountaintop, so the view is sensational. Trails lead from the inn to short, pretty strolls and challenging daylong hikes. The on-site restaurant has a mesmerizing view and an appetizing and varied menu of both country cooking and upscale meals. The guest rooms are simple but comfortable, each with its own balcony and rocking chairs overlooking the valley. Rooms have a TV but no telephone. The Pisgah is a perfect spot for resting, reading, and porch-sitting, but it’s quite kitschy; I hope someone helps restore it to its potential.
The Mount Pisgah Campground (MP 408, Canton, reservations 877/444-6777, local information 828/648-2644, www.recreation.gov, early May-late Oct., campsites $20) has more than 60 tent-only and RV campsites. Note that although there are some modern amenities like flush toilets and drinking water, there is no electricity, water, or sewer hookups for RVs. Also, take caution with food storage and disposal as black bears frequent the area.
Cold Mountain is a massif everyone in these parts has known about for years, but one that was popularized in the outside world by Charles Frazier’s 1997 novel and the 2003 Academy Award-winning film, Cold Mountain. Frazier set his historical novel in the land of his kin, and based characters on his ancestors, but one of the largest, most looming characters is certainly the mountain and the land around it. View the famed mountain from the Cold Mountain Overlook at Milepost 411.8 or, even better, from Milepost 412.2. Pull off at the Wagon Gap Road parking area (you may recognize Wagon Gap from the book) and walk north along the Parkway a short distance for a fantastic view of the mountain. When you look at it, you may say, “It didn’t look like this in the movie.” That’s because the film was shot in Romania, not western North Carolina.
The 6,030-foot Cold Mountain has a well-earned name. This section of the Parkway is closed for much of the winter and often well into spring. According to Blue Ridge Parkway sources, most closures are from November through March and sometimes well into April. Be sure to check the closure map (www.nps.gov/blri/; click Road Closures).
For another great look at Cold Mountain, you can hike to the top of Mount Pisgah via the Mount Pisgah Summit Trail. And you can do more than just admire Cold Mountain from a distance—you can climb it. There’s no direct access to the trail from the Parkway, but you can reach it from the Art Loeb Trail.
US-276 South: Pisgah Ranger District and Brevard (MP 412)Wending through the mountain roads between Waynesville and Brevard, and easily accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 412, US-276 carries you right into the Shining Rock Wilderness, a part of the larger Pisgah National Forest. Is it worth the drive? You bet. As part of the 79-mile Forest Heritage Scenic Byway (a loop that twice crosses the Parkway as it circles the Pisgah National Forest), it’s simply spectacular. Continue down the Scenic Byway to reach the town of Brevard, just 18.5 miles off the Parkway. From the Parkway, it will take you around 30 minutes of driving along this beautiful, waterfall-laced road to reach downtown Brevard. Simply follow US-276 South to US-64 West and you’re there.
Before you turn off the Blue Ridge Parkway and onto the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway, stop at Milepost 411 at the Cradle of Forestry Overlook. Here you can see Looking Glass Rock, a smooth, bald bit of near-white rock that’s quite distinct as it shines through the surrounding green. In the fall, it’s a sight, especially when the trees are in their full blaze of color.
Just south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and north of Brevard in the town of Pisgah Forest is the Pisgah Ranger Station (1600 Pisgah Hwy., 828/877-3265, www.fs.usda.gov, 9am-5pm daily mid-Apr.-early Nov., 9am-4:30pm Mon.-Fri. early Nov.-mid-Apr.) of the Pisgah National Forest. The forest covers 500,000 acres, which is a large swath of western North Carolina, but this 157,000-acre ranger district has many of the forest’s favorite attractions. A good topographic map of the ranger district is available from National Geographic (www.natgeomaps.com/ti_780). In the ranger district are more than 275 miles of hiking trails and several campgrounds; the most easily accessible is Davidson River Campground (828/877-3265, reservations 800/444-6777 or www.recreation.gov, year-round, $22-44), which is 1.5 miles from the Brevard entrance. It has showers and toilets.
If you have kids with you, make your first stop off the Parkway the Cradle of Forestry (11250 Pisgah Hwy., 828/877-3130, www.cradleofforestry.com, 9am-5pm daily mid-Apr.-early Nov., $5 adults, free for children ages 15 and under), a museum and activity complex commemorating the rise of the forestry profession in the United States, which originated here at a turn-of-the-20th-century training school in the forests once owned by George Washington Vanderbilt, master of Biltmore. Plow days and living history days throughout the year give an interesting glimpse into this region’s old-time methods of farming and frontier living. Self-guided trails lead through the woods to many interesting locations of this campus of America’s first school of forestry. Most of what’s here is geared toward little ones.
Not to be confused with Shining Rock, Sliding Rock (off US-276, 7.2 miles from the Parkway, 828/885-7625) is an easily accessible waterfall and swimming spot with a parking lot ($2 fee), bathhouse, and lifeguards (10am-6pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day). You can actually ride down the 60-foot waterfall, a smooth rock face (not so smooth that you shouldn’t wear sturdy britches) over which 11,000 gallons of water rush every minute into the chilly swimming hole below. How chilly? It’s a breathtaking 55°F in the summer. Given its proximity to the Cradle of Forestry—it’s just four miles south—it’s worth a stop with a car full of kids, especially if they are adventurous and outdoorsy.
This is the land of waterfalls, and here’s a chance to see a beaut. The 60-foot Looking Glass Falls (off US-276, 9.3 miles from the Parkway) plunges over a granite face into a deep, and cold, swimming hole. Looking Glass Falls is both kid-friendly and wheelchair accessible (at least to the upper overlook); that and its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway make it the perfect quickie waterfall. There are a number of beautiful waterfalls in North Carolina, and this is one the best. The proportions of the falls and the lush vegetation around it are reminiscent of Oahu’s Waimea Falls.
Distance: 6.2 miles round-trip
Duration: 4 hours
Elevation gain: 1,650 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: on Forest Road 475, just south of Looking Glass Falls
Directions: Just down the road from Looking Glass Falls, heading toward Brevard, you’ll pass National Forest Road 475 on your right. Turn here. In less than a half mile, you’ll find the Looking Glass Rock trailhead.
This is a great out-and-back hike. There’s only one trail at the trailhead, and it goes straight to the top, making this a fairly easy trail to follow. The elevation gain will test your legs as you ascend and as you descend. Bring plenty of water and a snack, and dress appropriately for the weather.
Looking Glass Rock
The trail opens beside a small stream. Cross it and ascend through a hemlock forest. After crossing the creek, you’ll top a small ridge and head into a cove on the other side. Here you’ll find a larger stream with a few pretty, but small, cascades. Continue climbing.
Soon after you find the second stream, you’ll encounter the first of many switchbacks. Notice that the forest has grown sparser and the view has opened up. As you climb higher, the trees will get shorter, with one notable exception that we’ll get to in a moment. Soon the switchbacks will shorten, becoming tighter and more frequent as you climb up a small ridge.
When you’re about a mile in, you’ll reach a left-hand switchback with a large, magnificent Carolina hemlock at the tip. Behind the tree, the view opens up a bit more, revealing cliffs on the north face of the mountain. Be extremely careful if you go around the hemlock to ogle the cliffs; there’s a sheer, very dangerous, 30-foot drop right behind the tree.
As you start to ascend again, you’ll find that the cliffs you saw from the hemlock switchback form a sort of ring around the mountain. The trail gets steeper and rockier. This route is just about the only way up this mountain, save scaling the near vertical cliffs. The next set of switchbacks leads through this steep slope covered with Carolina hemlocks. These are different from the hemlock at the start of the trail. In fact, the Carolina hemlock is only found in a small area around the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains in five states. Soon, though, these trees will all be dead due to an insect infestation.
After passing a campsite at the midway point of the hike, you’ll enter an area where rhododendrons and mountain laurel are more dominant. As the trail moves off the edge of the ridge you’re following, you’ll find a helipad painted with a large “H.” It seems out of place, but even stranger is the carved signature Max Wilson left on the rock here, accompanied by the two dates he climbed to this rock in the 1930s and 1950s. The final push to the top of the mountain is steep and rocky, so watch your footing.
The round, flat summit is rather anticlimactic. For the real reason you came up here, walk a few more yards and pop out of the oak and rhododendron forest onto the top of the cliffs. The view is among the best in the area, but be careful—the surface can be slick.
Brevard is the pleasant seat of the improbably named Transylvania County (it’s not creepy, but beautiful in a very gothic forest sort of way). As you might expect, Halloween is a big deal in this town. Brevard is also known for sheltering a population of rather startling and odd-looking white squirrels. The local legend about their origin goes that their ancestors escaped from an overturned circus truck in Florida in 1940 and made their way to Brevard as pets. More likely, say researchers, is that they came from an exotic pet breeder in Florida, and were acquired by a Brevard area family. In any case, the white squirrels escaped into the wild of Transylvania County, and you’ll probably see their descendants in the area when you visit.
The Brevard Music Center (349 Andante Ln., 828/862-2100, www.brevardmusic.org) has attracted the highest-caliber young musicians for more than 70 years for intensive summer-long classical music instruction. Throughout the summer, Brevard Music Center students, as well as visiting soloists of international fame, put on a world-class concert series, performing works from Tchaikovsky to Gilbert and Sullivan.
A center for a very different sort of music is Southern Comfort Music (16 W. Main St., 828/884-3575, www.celestialmtnmusic.com, 10am-5:30pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-4pm Sat.). Among more usual musical items, this nice little shop carries two lines of locally made instruments: Cedar Mountain Banjos, of the open-backed, old-time variety, are beautifully crafted and ring clear and pretty, while local builder Lyle Reedy hand-makes fiddles from a variety of fine woods. Reedy’s instruments have a deep, biting sound loved by fiddlers. Musicians and woodworkers alike will enjoy a stop at this Main Street shop.
Brevard is also home to a number of artists, and if you’re here for a quick bite and then it’s back to the Parkway, take the time to stick your head in Number 7 Fine Arts and Crafts Cooperative (12 E. Main St., 828/883-2294, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 1pm-4pm Sun.). This gallery has featured works by a diverse group of around 25 Transylvania County artists for more than 15 years. Many of the works are inspired by and created in the midst of the phenomenal local landscape.
The Falls Landing Eatery (18 E. Main St., 828/884-2835, www.thefallslanding.com, 11:30am-3pm Mon., 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-9pm Tues.-Sat., $13-27) is a spot popular among locals. They specialize in seafood (foreshadowed by the rainbow trout on their sign), and their North Carolina trout sautéed in lemon butter and bourbon is particularly good. Don’t discount their burgers, steaks, or lamb chops, though, because they deliver on flavor and value.
S Hobnob Restaurant (192 W. Main St., 828/966-4662, www.hobnobrestaurant.com, 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Sun., $7-32) is one of the best places to eat in Brevard because the food is good and interesting. Fried oysters and sweet chili aioli, salad topped with smoked local trout, Southern fried tofu, duck with pumpkin salad, and beer-braised pork keep the menu interesting but accessible. Vegetarians will find a wide selection of dishes here.
One of the top restaurants in Brevard is S The Square Root (33 Times Arcade Alley, 828/884-6171, www.squarerootrestaurant.com, 11am-9pm Sun.-Mon. and Wed.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $9-26). Inside, the exposed brick walls create a warm room where the food is more like delicious art. A covered patio makes alfresco dining possible for much of the year. Something as simple as a burger and onion rings comes out as a tower of food, and fine dinner entrées, like the five-spice tuna or the rack of lamb, are almost too pretty to eat.
For a quick bite or a shake, malt, or ice cream soda, check out Rocky’s Grill & Soda Shop (50 S. Broad St., 828/877-5375, www.ddbullwinkels.com, 10am-7pm Mon.-Thurs., 10am-8pm Fri.-Sat., 11am-6pm Sun., $8). This place has been around since 1942, and the nostalgic counter with its line of chrome stools takes you back to the heyday of this soda fountain. Enjoy a malt, milkshake, ice cream soda, root beer float, and even an egg cream (try one if you’ve never had one). It’s a must stop, especially as a reward after a morning hike or bike ride.
Slip back in time at the S Sunset Motel (523 S. Broad St., 828/884-9106, www.thesunsetmotel.com, $85-120). This kitschy motel is a throwback to the days of the classic roadside motel experience: it’s cheap, comfortable, and has chairs right outside your door so you can visit with your neighbors (and it has the best modern convenience—free Wi-Fi). The staff is exceedingly friendly and ready to help with suggestions for places to eat and things to do. You can add on tickets to the Brevard Music Center, waterfall tours, and more when you book your room, so it’s super-convenient. Note for film buffs: Robert Mitchum stayed here when he was filming Thunder Road.
The Campbell House Bed and Breakfast (243 W. Main St., 800/553-2853, www.campbellhousebrevard.com, from $159) has five rooms that feature queen beds and private baths; none are suites, but all are spacious. Though other accommodations in town are bicycle-friendly, Campbell House is the home of bicycle enthusiasts. One of the innkeepers is an avid bicyclist and uses Brevard as a base from which to ride.
Walkable to anything you want to do in downtown Brevard, Red House Inn (266 W. Probart St., 828/884-9349, www.brevardbedandbreakfast.com, $160-300) was once a general store but now has a mix of guest rooms and outlying guest cottages. Cute and contemporary, it’s a fine place to spend a weekend or longer.
Davidson River Campground (Davidson River Circle, reservations 800/444-6777, local information 828/862-5960, www.recreation.gov, open year-round, sites $22-44) is just outside Brevard in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. There are around 160 sites, some with river frontage, and all have access to hot showers and flush toilets; each site comes equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. It’s the most convenient campground for exploring the hiking and fishing in the area, as well as checking out the waterfalls here.
Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping (749 East Fork Rd., 828/885-7216, www.ash-grove.com, open year-round, tents and RVs $27-44, cabins $115-165) occupies 14 mountaintop acres just 10 minutes outside of Brevard. This retreat is open year-round, unlike others in the area, so you can experience all four seasons in this lovely spot. The cabins are quaint and cozy, and the tent and RV sites are well maintained. Common areas include a bonfire pit, a few lawn games, and a tiny waterfall.
Just 12.5 miles south of downtown Brevard, Black Forest Family Camping Resort (280 Summer Rd., Cedar Mountain, 828/884-2267, www.blackforestcampground.com, Mar. 15-Nov., limited facilities in winter, tent sites $31-34, RV sites $36-39, RV with full hookup $38-45, cabin $54-57, travel trailers $91-94) has 100 campsites that are level and, more important, shaded. Nearby, you’ll find hiking, fishing, rock climbing, and mountain biking; on-site, you’ll find a playground complete with horseshoe pits, a large heated swimming pool, and a video arcade. There’s also free Wi-Fi.
Transylvania County is known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” and with more than 250 in the area, the moniker is well earned. About 10 miles south of Brevard, Dupont State Forest (US-276, 828/877-6527, www.dupontforest.com) has more than 90 miles of hiking trails crisscrossing its 10,000 acres. Some of Transylvania County’s most beautiful waterfalls are located within the forest and are accessible on foot via moderate or strenuous forest trails or, with special permits and advance reservation for people with disabilities, by vehicle. Visitors should use caution, wear bright-colored clothing, and leave that bearskin cape at home from September through December, when hikers share the woods with hunters.
Here, you’ll have an impressive view of Looking Glass Rock, a mountain that’s mostly bare rock that shines in the sun kind of like a looking glass.
Distance: 0.8 mile round-trip
Duration: 45 minutes
Elevation gain: 210 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: MP 417, across the Parkway from the Looking Glass Rock Overlook
This is a short hike with a tantalizing name, and if you’re here during the right time of year and there’s no one around, you can make sure that name was well earned with your own au naturel swimming session at the base of the falls. If you do decide to dip more than a toe in the water, know that it’s cold.
Start the hike by crossing the Parkway and ascending through a forest of oak, maple, and birch trees. Climb a set of steps and cross the Mountains-to-Sea Trail onto an old roadbed. Take this all the way to the falls. There are only a few spots where the trail gets rough with wet areas, eroded bits, and the typical rocks and roots, but other than that, the trail’s about as easy as you’ll find around here.
Cross a couple of bridges and go down another steep set of steps and you’re here. The Yellowstone Prong runs right by, and the three-tiered falls, with each tier around 10 feet high, plunges down the cliffs. This is your chance to strip, dip, then drip dry on one of the small beaches or flat rocks.
The East Fork Overlook at Milepost 418.3 gives you a great look back over the Shining Rock Wilderness. Look until you’ve had your fill and head down the road a half mile to Milepost 418.8 at the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail.
Graveyard Fields takes its name not from a literal graveyard, though if you’ve been vigilant, at several places along the Parkway you’ll have seen little country churches and fence-ringed graveyards alongside them, but rather from the stumps left standing after decades of logging and a couple of raging forest fires. After the last, name-giving fire in 1942, the charred stumps looked like tombstones, hence the name.
Distance: 2.2 miles round-trip
Duration: 1.5 hours
Elevation gain: 300 feet
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: MP 418.8
The Graveyard Fields Loop Trail is easy and picturesque, and spur trails lead to two waterfalls, so during peak times (read: wildflower season and autumn), you may find parking at the trailhead difficult.
The trail begins on a paved trail through a mountain laurel and rhododendron thicket. Soon, the paving ends and the trail begins in earnest, crossing a small creek and then a rock outcropping with a small cave. This part of the trail is prone to eroding, so watch your step. Cross the river on the footbridge ahead and turn right on a short spur trail to the first waterfall, Yellowstone Falls, also called Lower Falls. Notice that the rock behind the falls is golden in the right light, giving the falls its name. As you retrace your steps back to the footbridge, grab a handful of wild blueberries if they’re in season.
Lower Falls is one of the waterfalls you’ll see at Graveyard Fields.
Don’t cross the bridge or your hike will be far too short. Instead, continue following the river upstream. Here, you’re in the area known as Graveyard Fields. It’s a wide expanse, dotted with wildflowers and berry bushes (wild blueberries, gooseberries, and blackberries), and is very pretty when the light is right.
Stay on this trail until you reach an intersection about 1.4 miles in. If you follow the trail to the right, you’ll be on a path that’s about 0.75 miles long, unmaintained, and steep. What’s at the end? Upper Falls, an impressive sight and one worth seeing, but only if you’re up to the task of following a potentially difficult trail. If you do head to Upper Falls, it will add a little time to your hike as you must go up and then back down this steep section of trail.
The left-hand path at this intersection loops back to the trailhead, crossing the river, part of which you’ll need to boulder-hop or wade. Continue on the trail. When you reach a long log bridge over a marshy area, you’re almost back to the start.
According to Cherokee legend, this spot was the home of a giant spirit with slanted eyes named Judaculla. He’s something like the Cherokee version of Sasquatch, so be sure to snap a picture if you find him holding court on this distinct rocky outcropping. Whether he’s here or not, this little hike is well worth the effort.
Distance: 0.9 mile round-trip
Duration: 45 minutes
Elevation gain: 150 feet
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Trailhead: MP 422.4
About half of this trail is paved; the other half is steep. After you pass through the spruce-fir forest, you’ll pop out onto the gnarly rock outcropping that is Devil’s Courthouse. It’s a great place to watch for hawks and eagles riding the thermals in the valley below. It’s also a great vantage point in general, providing a 360-degree view of the land around. Markers in the rock help you identify landmarks. Stay inside the designated area, though; if you don’t, you risk a 200-foot sheer drop off the Courthouse.
US-215 North: Cold Mountain (MP 423.2)Cold Mountain may not be the tallest (though it is more than 6,000 feet high) in the Blue Ridge, but its name is the most recognizable, thanks to Charles Frazier, novelist and native to western North Carolina. His novel, Cold Mountain, and the subsequent film adaptation, takes place here during the Civil War (and is based somewhat on his family history) and made the mountain known to those outside the region. You can view Cold Mountain from the Parkway (back at MP 411, 412, and many others) and from the summit of Mount Pisgah, but you can’t drive to it. To reach the summit, or even its lower slopes, you’ll have to hike in. It’s tough but beautiful, and since this is one of the highest peaks in the area, the views are well worth the effort.
Distance: 10.6 mile round-trip
Duration: 6-7 hours
Elevation gain: 2,800 feet
Difficulty: strenuous
Trailhead: Daniel Boone Scout Camp
Directions: Take the exit at Parkway MP 423.2 and follow NC-215 North for 13 miles. Turn right onto Little East Fork Road. Go 3.8 miles to the Daniel Boone Scout Camp. After you pass the last building, the trailhead is on the left.
Getting to the trailhead for the Cold Mountain Summit Hike seems like a hike in and of itself, but once you set foot on the trail, all of that disappears. Bring plenty of water, weather-appropriate clothing (including something a little warmer for near the summit), something to eat (you’ll be out here all day), a light, and a map.
Leaving the trailhead behind, you’ll ascend via a series of switchbacks 1.1 miles to a ridgeline (and the first campsite if you’re overnighting it). Two miles in, you’ll cross Sorrell Creek (and see another campsite). As the trail continues to rise, you’ll pass through some rich land. Keep your eyes out for wildflowers, especially the trillium. At 3.8 miles in, turn left at Deep Gap, where you’ll find another campsite. From here, you’re only 1.5 miles from the summit. The primo campsite is near the summit, but be aware it’s chilly up here, even in the summer when temperatures can dip into the 50s at night.
The summit of Cold Mountain is tree-covered and viewless, but make a stop there anyway so you can say you summited. If you backtrack 10 or 12 yards down the trail, you’ll see a small spur trail that leads to a rock ledge. Here’s where you’ll find your million-dollar view: a 180-degree panorama to the south.
The summit trail is not marked, but it is well traveled and pretty obvious. But any time you go into the woods for a hike, especially an unmarked one, bring a detailed topographic map with you. You’ll be able to find maps at any of the outdoor outfitters in Asheville and at many of the gift shops you spot along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The last dozen miles of the Parkway have been the highest on the route, and you’re about to reach the apex. At 6,047 feet, Richland Balsam is the highest point on the Parkway. At the Haywood-Jackson Overlook at Milepost 431 (6,020 feet), you get views to the south and west where long lines of mountains march off into the blue distance, and, on the closer hills, spruce-fir dominated mountainsides are so thick with the dark green conifers that they seem black.
Distance: 1.4-mile loop
Duration: 1.25 hours
Elevation gain: 270 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Trailhead: MP 431
The summit to Richland Balsam is at 6,292 feet, so you have a little climb ahead of you. Begin your hike on a short section of paved trail at the end of the parking area. Continue along until you reach the loop trail intersection. Stay right and begin a steeper ascent. Along the way, you’ll pass several benches where you can rest or snap a picture or two, but the best opportunities for photos are near the summit.
A little over a half mile in, you’ll reach the summit. Stop, look around, take a deep breath of fir-scented air, and begin your descent. A mile in, you’ll reach a break in the trees that gives you a glimpse of the land to the east. Push on through the tunnel formed by evergreen boughs, and when you reach the bench, take a long look at the excellent view here. Follow the trail back to the intersection, bear right, and you’re back at the parking lot.
US-74 East: Waynesville (MP 443.1)Waynesville, just west of Asheville and east of Cherokee, is the very definition of the word quaint. Writers have compared it to a Norman Rockwell painting with its storybook Main Street, busy with shops and lined with brick sidewalks and iron lampposts. This is an artistic little community where the art and craft galleries and studios are seemingly endless. In nearby Cullowhee, Western Carolina University is one of the mountain region’s leading academic institutions, as well as the location of the Mountain Heritage Center museum and Mountain Heritage Day festival.
Waynesville is easy to reach from the Blue Ridge Parkway. From Milepost 423.4, follow US-276 north for 30 minutes right into town. From Milepost 443.1, turn onto US-74 East/US-23 North and zoom into Waynesville from the west in about 10 minutes.
One interesting stop in Waynesville is the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts (49 Shelton St., 828/452-1551, www.sheltonhouse.org, 11am-4pm Tues.-Sat. May-Oct., $6 adults, $5 students, free children ages 5 and under). Consisting of a farmhouse, barn, and gardens, the museum opened in 1980 and shows off the work of Native American and North Carolina heritage artists. This means mountain musical instruments, ceremonial items and crafts from Native American tribes, basketry, wood carvings, quilts, and even antique farm tools. Tours of the museum are guided, so you’ll hear plenty of stories to go with the items you see.
Blue Ridge Books & News (152 S. Main St., 828/456-6000, www.blueridgebooksnc.com, 9am-6pm daily) is a nice bookstore specializing in regional-interest titles and good coffee. A number of prominent Southern authors come through here to read and sign books; check the shop’s schedule online to see whose book tour is coming through town, and ask about signed copies while you’re there.
One of the several locations of Mast General Store (63 N. Main St., 828/452-2101, www.mastgeneralstore.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-6pm Sun.) is here in Waynesville. While the stores are perhaps best known among vacationers for making children clamor for the candy kept in big wooden barrels, they have an even larger selection of merchandise for adults, including camping gear, such as top-brand tents, cookware, and maps and outdoors-oriented upscale clothing and shoes by Columbia, Teva, Patagonia, and Mountain Hardwear.
Think of Mountain Favors (98 N. Main St., 828/734-4281, www.mountainfavors.com, 10am-5:30pm Mon.-Sat.) as a depot of mountain-made crafts, gourmet goods, pottery, and woodworking gifts. For just a few bucks, you’ll have a lovely memento of your time in the mountains and, if you’re lucky, the artist whose goods you bought will be there.
Waynesville’s galleries are many and varied, although the overarching aesthetic is one of studio art with inspiration in the environment and folk arts. Twigs and Leaves (98 N. Main St., 828/456-1940, www.twigsandleaves.com, 10am-5:30pm Mon.-Sat., 1pm-4pm Sun., Sun. hours vary seasonally) carries splendid art furniture that is both fanciful and functional, pottery of many hand-thrown and hand-built varieties, jewelry, paintings, fabric hangings, mobiles, and many other beautiful and unusual items inspired by nature.
Art on Depot (250 Depot St., 828/246-0218, www.artondepotgallery.com, 10am-6pm Wed. and Fri., 10am-5pm Sat.-Tues. and Thurs.) is a working pottery studio and gallery where local and regional artists exhibit and sell their work. Artistic creations for sale include decorative and functional pottery by the resident potter and many of her contemporaries, as well as paintings, jewelry, sculpture, and a few pieces by area fiber artists.
Studio Thirty Three (822 Balsam Ridge Rd., 828/452-4264, www.studio33jewelry.com, by appointment) carries the work of a very small and select group of fine jewelers from western North Carolina. Their retail and custom inventory consists of spectacular handcrafted pieces in a variety of styles and an array of precious stones and metals. This is a must-see gallery if you have a special occasion coming up. The gallery describes its stock as ranging in price from “$65 to $16,000,” and most items cost upward of $2,000. Even if you’re not about to mark a major life event or spend that kind of money just for fun, it’s worth stopping in to gaze at all that sparkle.
Waynesville’s S Frogs Leap Public House (44 Church St., 828/456-1930, http://frogsleappublichouse.com, 5pm-9pm Tues.-Thurs., 5pm-10pm Fri.-Sat. mid-May-Oct., 5pm-9pm Fri.-Sat. Nov.-mid-May, brunch served 11am-3pm Easter-late Oct., $8-29) serves an interesting menu that’s quite sophisticated, yet not afraid of its Southern roots. Dishes like the wood-grilled sirloin tip in a bourbon-shallot demi-glace or the spicy Korean pork belly sliders show an adventurous spirit that diners appreciate, not just because it’s ambitious, but because it’s excellent.
If you’re just passing through town and need a jolt of good strong coffee, visit Panacea Coffee (66 Commerce St., 828/452-6200, http://panaceacoffee.com, 7am-5pm Mon.-Fri., 8am-5pm Sat., 10am-3pm Sun., $5-11) in the funky Frog Level neighborhood downhill from downtown. The proprietors give back to their community, and trade fairly with the communities that supply their coffee. They stock beans, blends, and brews from all around the world.
The ever-popular Bogart’s (303 S. Main St., 828/452-1313, www.bogartswaynesville.com, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $8-24) is locally famous for its filet mignon, though their local trout also has a good reputation. The menu is huge but very steak-house; vegetarians will have a tough time, although a few dishes, like the chipotle black bean burger and the grilled portobello salad, provide options.
Beer lovers, take note: Waynesville has several good breweries. Boojum Brewing Company (50 N. Main St., 828/246-0350, www.boojumbrewing.com, 11:30am-10pm Mon. and Wed.-Thurs., 11:30am-midnight Fri.-Sat., 11:30am-9pm Sun.) takes their name from a gem-stealing mountain man. They brew beer in a variety of Belgian, German, and American styles. Their brown ale, porter, and slate of IPAs are quite good. At Frog Level Brewing (56 Commerce St., 828/454-5664, www.froglevelbrewing.com, 2pm-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 2pm-10pm Fri., noon-10pm Sat., 2pm-7pm Sun.), they make six brews, including an IPA, a porter, a rye ale, and a peaty scotch ale.
Waynesville has quite a selection of luxury inns. The Andon-Reid Inn (92 Daisey Ave., 800/293-6190 or 828/452-3089, www.andonreidinn.com, $135-225, no children or pets) is a handsome turn-of-the-20th-century house close to downtown with five tranquil guest rooms, each with its own fireplace. The sumptuous breakfast menu might include sweet-potato pecan pancakes and pork tenderloin, homemade corn bread with honey butter, or the intriguing baked lemon eggs. With advance notice, they can cater to special dietary needs.
In the community of Balsam, seven miles southwest from Waynesville, the S Balsam Mountain Inn (68 Seven Springs Dr., Balsam, 800/224-9498, www.balsammountaininn.net, $100-230, no pets) has stood watch for a century in a haunting location—an imposing old wooden hotel with huge double porches overlooking a rather spooky little railroad platform and the beautiful ridges of Jackson and Haywood Counties beyond. The interior has barely changed since it was opened in 1908, paneled in white horizontal beadboard throughout and with 10-foot-wide hallways said to have been designed to accommodate steamer trunks. The one telephone is at the front desk, and there are no TVs, so plan to go hiking or to sit on the porch before dining in the downstairs restaurant, and then curl up and read in the library. There is, incongruously, fast Wi-Fi. Among the inn’s reported ghosts is a woman in a blue dress, said to originate in room 205 but to come and go elsewhere on the second floor. This inn has a few rough edges, but the atmosphere can be found nowhere else.
For absolute tip-top luxury, try The Swag (2300 Swag Rd., 800/789-7672 or 828/926-0430, www.theswag.com, $500-875). Superb guest rooms and cabins of rustic wood and stone each have a steam shower, and several have saunas, wet bars, and cathedral ceilings. The menu is decidedly country and upscale, two things you wouldn’t think go together, but they do, and quite nicely. The inn is at 5,000 feet elevation in a stunning location at the very edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (1110 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, 800/334-9036, http://visitncsmokies.com, 9am-5pm Mon.-Sat.) has a wealth of information about visiting Waynesville and surrounding towns. MedWest Haywood (262 Leroy George Dr., Clyde, 828/456-7311, www.myhaywoodregional.com), accessible from the Lake Junaluska exit off US-23/US-74, is the region’s hospital.
The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center (828/298-0398, 10am-5pm daily May-Sept.) is a small affair. A tiny gift shop, restrooms with pit toilets but no running water, and a parking area with a fabulous view of the sunset of the Smokies round out what you’ll find here. There is a trail that takes you out to Waterrock Knob, a picturesque spot drawing its name from a cool stream where hunters would come to fill waterskins or canteens. It’s a beautiful hike that I highly recommend.
Distance: 1.2 miles round-trip
Duration: 1 hour
Elevation gain: 600 feet
Difficulty: strenuous
Trailhead: MP 451.2 at the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center
This trail is short but surprisingly strenuous as it’s all uphill (until you come back, and then it’s all downhill, which is even worse). While many visitors will take the quarter-mile paved trail to a platform with a great view of its own, for the best vista, keep climbing.
As you follow the trail beyond the platform, the paving falls away, and the path turns into a typical dirt trail. The view keeps opening up the farther you go. You’ll pass through huckleberry brambles, as well as blackberries and blueberries (ripe in late summer), and picture-perfect rock outcroppings.
In a few spots, you may have to scramble over some rocks for the best views or pictures, and so long as you’re careful, it’s worth it. At the summit, you’ll find a bench where you can rest your legs and soak in the scenery.
Follow the trail a few steps more and you’ll come to another rock outcropping where you’ll have views of Clingmans Dome (6,643 ft.), Mount LeConte (6,593 ft.), and Mount Guyot (6,621 ft.), the highest peaks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to your west.
US-19 North: Maggie Valley (MP 455.7)Maggie Valley is a vacation town from the bygone era of long family road trips in wood-paneled station wagons. Coming down the mountain toward Maggie Valley, you’ll pass an overlook that, on a morning when the mountains around Soco Gap are looped with fog, is surely one of the most beautiful vistas in the state. Only four miles east of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 455.7 via US-19 North, it’s an easy spot to reach for a refuel for you or your vehicle.
In a state with countless attractions for automotive enthusiasts, Maggie Valley’s Wheels Through Time Museum (62 Vintage Ln., 828/926-6266, www.wheelsthroughtime.com, 9am-5pm Thurs.-Mon. Apr.-late Nov., $15 adults, $12 seniors, $7 children ages 6-14, free ages 5 and under) stands out as one of the most fun. A dazzling collection of nearly 300 vintage motorcycles and a fair number of cars are on display, including rarities like a 1908 Indian, a 1914 Harley-Davidson, military motorcycles from both world wars, and some gorgeous postwar bikes. This collection, which dates mostly to before 1950, is maintained in working order—almost every one of the bikes is revved up from time to time, and the museum’s founder has been known to take a spin on one of the treasures.
Near Maggie Valley, the mountains become rough. Located on the valley floor, Maggie Valley is surprisingly short on trails, and what trails there are are quite strenuous. There’s the 2.6-mile stroll around Lake Junaluska, but other than that, the majority of the trails are found at the crest of the mountains, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. To the east of Maggie Valley, the mountains are a little more forgiving and there are many trails of various intensities and lengths. In the immediate area, you’ll have to take the Heintooga Spur Road, a connector road between the Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to a mile-high campground, picnic area with unparalleled views, and the Flat Creek Trail. On Heintooga Spur Road, you’ll pass into Great Smoky Mountains National Park proper and be treated to no fewer than five stunning overlooks, the best of which is the Mile High Overlook, offering a glimpse of Clingmans Dome, Mount LeConte, Mount Kephart, and Mount Guyot.
Distance: 5 miles round-trip
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation gain: 250 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Trailhead: Heintooga Ridge picnic area off Heintooga Spur Road, accessible at MP 458.2
Though named the Flat Creek Trail, you will find a waterfall—the 200-foot Flat Creek Falls, a beautiful but difficult-to-see waterfall—along the path. The main trail is easy, with little elevation gain or loss until you turn off onto the short spur trail that takes you to the falls. The falls trail is steep and slick, so be careful if you decide to explore in this area.
Heavy logging at the turn of the 20th century opened the forest up and allowed a thick swath of grass to grow here. Today, much of the grass remains, and the forest seems to rise from it like an island in a sea of green. It’s a strange sight.
Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee Ski Area (1080 Ski Lodge Rd., off US-19, 800/768-0285, snow conditions 800/768-3588, www.cataloochee.com, lift tickets $32-65 adults, $20-40 children ages 12 and younger; rentals under $30) has slopes geared to every level of skier and snowboarder. Classes and private lessons are taught for all ages.
Cataloochee’s sister snow-sports area, Tube World (US-19, next to Cataloochee Ski Area, 800/768-0285, www.cataloochee.com, $25, must be over 42 inches tall, mid-Dec.-mid-Mar.) caters to the non-skiing snow lover. Here you can zip down the mountain on inner tubes, and there’s a “Wee Bowl” area for children (call ahead, $5). It’s a fun time and it gets packed, so plan ahead and consider making a reservation.
Rendezvous Restaurant (70 Soco Rd., 828/962-0201, 11:30am-9pm Mon.-Wed., 11:30am-10pm Thurs., 11:30am-11pm Fri., 7:30am-11pm Sat., 7:30am-8pm Sun., $8-20) serves a menu that has a little bit of something for everyone. Pizza and calzones, burgers, fish sandwiches, cheesesteaks, fried chicken, steaks, and ribs are just some of what they serve.
J. Arthurs Restaurant (2843 Soco Rd., 828/926-1817, www.jarthurs.com, 4:30pm-9pm Tues.-Thurs., noon-2:30pm and 4:30pm-9pm Fri.-Sun., $15-25) is a popular spot for steaks, which are the house specialty; they’ve been serving them up since 1986. The restaurant also has a variety of seafood and pasta dishes, but there are few vegetarian options.
A Maggie Valley dining institution that’s been around since 1952 is Maggie Valley Restaurant (2804 Soco Rd., 828/926-0425, www.maggievalleyrestaurant.net, 7am-9pm daily May-Oct., $4-12). Expect comfort-food classics—meatloaf, meatloaf sandwiches, something called a chuck wagon, pork chops, biscuit sandwiches, grits, bottomless coffee, and even buttermilk—along with one of the best pieces of fresh fried trout you’ll find in these mountains.
The main drag through Maggie Valley (Soco Rd./US-19) is lined with motels, including some of the familiar national chains. Among the pleasant independent motels are The Valley Inn (236 Soco Rd., 800/948-6880, www.thevalleyinn.com, from $85 in-season, from $39 off-season) and Jonathan Creek Inn and Villas (4324 Soco Rd., 828/926-1232 or 800/577-7812, www.jonathancreekinn.com, $109-155), which has creekside rooms with screened-in porches and a few cabins with Jacuzzi tubs.
When you reach the 4,570-foot Soco Gap, you’re on the edge of the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee country. The overlook here is less of an overlook and more of a parking area until the National Park Service clears a few trees. Don’t worry about views, though. As you round some of the big sweeping turns on the descent toward Cherokee and the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, you’ll have plenty more views to take in.
Like Devil’s Courthouse, this spot is intriguing, with the potential to see the namesake Big Witch, the anglicized name of a famous Cherokee medicine man who lived in these parts for more than 90 years. Here, at the Big Witch Gap Overlook, you have an excellent view of the Great Smoky Mountains. If you’re here at the right time of day or year, you’ll see why they call them the Great Smoky Mountains, as fog and mist rise like tendrils of smoke from what seems like every cove and hollow in these hills.
Congratulations, you made it to the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. At Milepost 469.1, you’ll intersect US-441 just a mile or so from Cherokee to the south and east, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the north and west. This is the time to pull off, get out of the car, and snap a selfie in front of the Blue Ridge Parkway sign at the southern end of the route. After that, it’s on to Cherokee for a meal, a massage, and some blackjack.
US-441 South: CherokeeThe town of Cherokee is a study in juxtapositions: the cultural traditions of the Cherokee people, the region’s natural beauty, a 24-hour casino, and community-wide preparation for the future. Cherokee is the seat of government of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, who have lived in these mountains for centuries. Today, their traditional arts and crafts, government, and cultural heritage are very much alive. The Qualla (KWA-lah) Boundary is not a reservation but is rather a large tract of land owned and governed by the Cherokee people. Institutions like the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual provide a solid base for the Eastern Band’s cultural life. As you drive around, take a look at the road signs. Below each English road name is that same name in Cherokee, a beautiful script created by Sequoyah, a 19th-century Cherokee silversmith. This language was once nearly extinct, and few Cherokee people speak it fluently, but it is now being taught to the community’s youth, and there is a Cherokee language immersion school on the Qualla Boundary.
The main street in Cherokee is a classic cheesy tourist district where you’ll find “Indian” souvenirs—factory-made moccasins, plastic tomahawks, peace pipes, and faux bearskins. In a retro way, this part of Cherokee, with its predictable trinket shops and fudgeries, is charming; check out the garish 1950s motel signs with comic-book Indians outlined in neon. Aside from the town’s proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (which is just two miles from Cherokee along heavily traveled Newfound Gap Road), the biggest draw here is Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, one of the largest casino hotels in the state. Take all that you see—the casino, the tacky tourist shops, and the stereotyping signs—with a grain of salt, as they don’t represent the true nature of the Cherokee people and their long history.
Cherokee is located on a pretty, winding section of US-19 between Maggie Valley and Bryson City, 2.5 miles south of the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, a six-minute drive south along US-441 will take you right to the cultural center of Cherokee.
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (589 Tsali Blvd., 828/497-3481, www.cherokeemuseum.org, 9am-7pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-5pm Sun. Memorial Day-Labor Day, 9am-5pm daily Labor Day-Memorial Day, $10 adults, $6 children ages 6-12, free ages 5 and under) was founded in 1948 and was originally housed in a log cabin. Today, it is a well-regarded modern museum and locus of community culture. In the exhibits that trace the long history of the Cherokee people, you may notice the disconcertingly realistic mannequins. Local community members volunteered to be models for these mannequins, allowing casts to be made of their faces and bodies so that the figures would not reflect an outsider’s notion of what Native Americans should look like; the mannequins depict real people. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian traces the tribe’s history from the Paleo-Indian people of the Pleistocene epoch, when the ancestral Cherokees were hunter-gatherers, through the ancient days of Cherokee civilization, and into contact with European settlers.
A great deal of this exhibit focuses on the 18th and 19th centuries, when a series of tragedies befell the Cherokee as a result of the invasion of their homeland. It was also a time of great cultural advancement, including Sequoyah’s development of the script to write the Cherokee language. The forced relocation of Native Americans called the Trail of Tears began near here, along the North Carolina-Georgia border, in the early 19th century. A small contingent of Cherokees remained in the Smokies at the time of the Trail of Tears, successfully eluding, and then negotiating with, the U.S. military, who were trying to force most of the Native Americans in the Southeast to move to Oklahoma. Those who stayed out in the woods, along with a few others who were able to return from Oklahoma, are the ancestors of today’s Eastern Band, and their history is truly remarkable.
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
kayaks at the Nantahala Outdoor Center
Tuckasegee River
The best parts of the museum are the stories, legends, and myths described on placards throughout the museum. There’s the story of a boy who became a bear and convinced his entire clan to become bears also. There’s one about Spearfinger, a frightening creature that some say still lives in these woods. And there are tales about Selu, the corn mother, and Kanati, the lucky hunter. Cherokee member and contemporary writer Marilou Awiakta has written widely about Selu, tying the past and present together with taut lines of thought that challenge our views on culture and technology.
Across the street from the Cherokee museum is the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual (564 Tsali Blvd., 828/497-3103, http://quallaartsandcrafts.com, 8am-7pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-5pm Sun. June-mid Aug., 8am-4:30pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-5pm Sun. Sept.-Dec. and Mar.-May, 8am-4:30pm Mon.-Sat. Jan.-Feb.), a community arts co-op where local artists sell their work. The gallery’s high standards and the community’s thousands of years of artistry make for a collection of very special pottery, baskets, masks, and other traditional art. As hard as it is to survive as an artist in a place like New York City, artists in rural areas such as this have an exponentially more difficult time supporting themselves through the sale of their art while maintaining the integrity of their vision and creativity. The Qualla co-op does a great service to this community in providing a year-round market for the work of traditional Cherokee artists, whose stewardship of and innovation in the arts are so important. The double-woven baskets are especially beautiful, as are the carvings of the masks representing each of the seven clans of the Cherokee people (the Bird, Deer, Longhair, Blue, Wolf, Paint, and Wild Potato).
Oconaluftee Indian Village (218 Drama Rd., 828/497-2111, http://visitcherokeenc.com, 10am-4pm Mon.-Sat. May-mid-Oct, $19 adults, $11 children, free ages 5 and under) is a recreated Cherokee village tucked into the hills above the town. Here, you’ll see how the tribe lived in the 18th century. Tour guides in period costumes lead groups on walking lectures with stops at stations where you can see Cherokee cultural, artistic, and daily-life activities performed as authentically as possible. (Tours depart every 15 minutes 10am-4pm.) From cooking demos to flint knapping (for arrowheads and spear points) and clay work, you’ll get a look at how the Cherokee lived centuries ago. The highlight of the tour is the ritual dance demonstration showing a half dozen dances and explaining their cultural significance.
The Eastern Band of the Cherokee operates Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (777 Casino Dr., 828/497-7777, www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee, 24 hours daily). This full-bore Vegas-style casino has more than 3,800 digital games and slot machines along with around 150 table games, such as baccarat, blackjack, roulette, and a poker-only room. Inside the casino complex is a 3,000-seat concert venue where acts like Alicia Keys and the Black Crowes have performed, as well as a huge buffet and a grab-and-go food court next to the casino floor. Unlike in the rest of the state, smoking is allowed on the casino floor, though certain areas have been designated as nonsmoking. If you’re a nonsmoker, it may take some patience. Inside the hotel portion of the casino are a restaurant, a Starbucks, and the Mandara Spa, which offers salon and spa services such as massages and facials.
Of the several outdoor dramas for which North Carolina is known, among the longest running is Cherokee’s Unto These Hills (Mountainside Theater, 688 Drama Rd., adjacent to Oconaluftee Indian Village, 866/554-4557, www.visitcherokeenc.com, 8pm Mon.-Sat. June-Aug. 15, $20-23 adults, $10-13 children ages 6-12, free under age 6). For more than 60 summers, Cherokee actors have told the story of their nation’s history from ancient times through the Trail of Tears. Every seat in the house is a good seat at the Mountainside Theater, and the play is certainly enlightening. If you’re gun-shy or easily startled, be warned: There is some cannon fire and gunfire in the play.
Hear stories, learn dances, and interact with Cherokee storytellers at the Cherokee Bonfire (Oconaluftee Islands Park, Tsalagi Rd. and Tsali Blvd., intersection of US-19 and US-441, 800/438-1601, www.visitcherokeenc.com, 7pm-9pm Fri.-Sat. May-Oct., free). Bring your bathing suit and some water shoes to the bonfire; afterward, you may want to go for a wade or a quick dip in the Oconaluftee River, which is wide, rocky, and fun.
Cherokee has more than 30 miles of streams, rivers, and creeks ideal for fishing. Add to that the fact that the Eastern Band owns and operates a fish hatchery that releases around 250,000 trout into these waters every year and you have the perfect mix for fantastic fishing. Unlike in the rest of North Carolina, you don’t need a North Carolina fishing license; you need a tribal fishing permit (www.fishcherokee.com, 1 day $10, 2 days $17, 3 days $27, 5 days $47), sold at a number of outlets in Cherokee. You’ll find brook, brown, golden, and rainbow trout, and it’s fly-rod-only, so you have to have your cast down pat if you want to bring in a big one. There are both catch-and-release and catch-and-keep waters in the Qualla Boundary. If you want to fish outside the boundary, where several streams and the Oconaluftee River have great fishing, you need a North Carolina or Tennessee fishing permit. Tennessee permits are only valid inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundaries in North Carolina.
The Sequoyah National Golf Club (79 Cahons Rd., Whittier, 828/497-3000, www.sequoyahnational.com, 18 holes, par 72, greens fees from $55), five miles south of Cherokee in Whittier, is a stunning mountain golf course. Making the most of the contours and elevation, the course offers tee boxes with breathtaking views of the fairways and the Smoky Mountains. The course record is 62, an impressive feat on a normal course, but here it’s something else. Holes like number 12, a par 5 that plays uphill the whole way, present the usual par-5 difficulties combined with steep elevation gain, and number 15, a par 4 that entices golfers to play over aggressively and drop a ball short of the fairway and into the woods, test a golfer’s club knowledge and course IQ. This is a tough course for first-timers because so many of the holes have blind approaches, doglegs, or both, but it’s enjoyable enough.
For fun on the water, try Smoky Mountain Tubing (1847 Tsali Blvd., 828/497-4545, http://cherokeetubeandraft.com, 10am-6pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day weekend, weather permitting, $10). They do only one thing: rent tubes on which you’ll drift down the river and splash your friends. Smoky Mountain Tubing has mountains of tubes, so rent one and float down the Oconaluftee River for two or three hours. They have a fleet of shuttle buses to pick you up a few miles downstream.
The arrival and expansion of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino (777 Casino Dr., 828/497-7777, www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee) brought with it a bevy of restaurants. Ruth’s Chris Steak House (828/497-8577, 5pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 5pm-11pm Fri.-Sat., 4pm-9pm Sun., $60) is here and, like its other locations, serves a variety of steaks and chops, a handful of seafood dishes, and more than 220 wines.
Brio Tuscan Grille (828/497-8233, 11:30am-10pm Sun.-Thurs., 11:30am-11pm Fri.-Sat., lounge opens 10:30am daily, $25-40) at Harrah’s is a fine Italian restaurant specializing in dishes from northern Italy. This isn’t a spaghetti-and-meatballs kind of place; it’s more refined, with dishes like lasagna Bolognese al forno, lobster and shrimp ravioli with crab insalata, Tuscan grilled pork chops, and bistecca alla Fiorentina. The ambience is nice, the wine list is nicer, and the food is great.
What’s a casino without a buffet? Anyone can find something that satisfies at Chef’s Stage Buffet (4:30pm-10pm Mon. and Thurs., 4:30pm-11pm Fri.-Sat., 1pm-10pm Sun., $26), where four chefs run four distinct micro-restaurants. There’s everything here: Asian dishes, Latin, Italian, seafood, Southern, barbecue, a salad bar you could land an airplane on, and desserts for days. A second buffet option is the Selu Garden Café (7am-2:30pm daily, $15), which offers up a hearty breakfast every day, an à la carte lunch ($15-58), a slightly more upscale brunch on weekends (11:30am-2:30pm Sat.-Sun.), and a bottomless soup and salad bar.
Just outside of the town of Cherokee is Granny’s Kitchen (1098 Paint Town Rd., 828/497-5010, www.grannyskitchencherokee.com, 11am-8pm Tues.-Sun. mid-Mar.-late Mar.; 11am-8pm Tues.-Thurs., 7am-8pm Fri.-Sun. Apr.-May, Sept., and Nov.; 7am-8pm Tues.-Sun. June-Aug. and Oct.; $12), a country-buffet restaurant where you can get some of the best fried chicken in North Carolina. You won’t find Granny here; Granny is actually a man who likes to joke, “no one wants to eat at grandpa’s, so I became granny.”
Cherokee has many motels, including a Holiday Inn (376 Paint Town Rd., 828/497-3113, www.ihg.com, from $115) and an Econo Lodge (20 River Rd./US-19, 828/497-4575, www.choicehotels.com, from $72).
S Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (777 Casino Dr., 828/497-7777, www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee, $130-510) is without a doubt the best place to stay in Cherokee. The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and well kept; there’s the casino and a number of dining options an elevator ride away; and the spa provides an added layer of amenities you don’t find at other hotels in town. From the higher floors, the view of the mountains is spectacular.
There’s something about visiting a place and living where the residents live, and S Panther Creek Cabins (Wrights Creek Rd., 828/497-2461, www.panthercreekresort.com, cabins $79-340) gives you that chance with your choice of 10 cabins, ranging from private two-person affairs to larger lodges that could easily sleep you and seven others in four beds. These quaint cabins are quiet, just outside of downtown Cherokee, and comfortable.
The Cherokee Welcome Center (498 Tsali Blvd., 800/438-1601, www.visitcherokeenc.com, hours vary) can help you with tickets, directions, and things to do and see.
US-19 South: Bryson CityTo look at the mountains here, you’d think that the defining feature in this part of North Carolina would be the surrounding peaks, but that is only half right. This is a land dominated by water. Smoke-thick fog crowds valleys in the predawn hours. The peaks stand ringed in clouds. Moss, ferns, and dense forests crowd the edge of rivers and streams. All of it—the mountains, the mist, the ferns, the fog—makes it feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale when you’re in the Nantahala Gorge. According to Cherokee stories, a formidable witch called Spearfinger lived here, as did a monstrous snake and even an inchworm so large it could span the gorge. Spearfinger and her cohorts haven’t been seen in years, and the Nantahala River runs through the narrow gorge, attracting white-water enthusiasts to the rapids.
To reach Bryson City from Cherokee or the Blue Ridge Parkway, take US-19 south. Bryson City is 20 minutes from Cherokee.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (45 Mitchell St., 800/872-4681, www.gsmr.com, from $50 adults, from $29 children) is one of the best and most fun ways to see the Smokies. On historic trains, the GSMR carries sightseers on excursions, from two to several hours long, through some of the most beautiful scenery in the region. The half-day trips between Dillsboro and Bryson City (with a layover at each end for shopping and dining) follow the banks of the Tuckasegee River, while 4.5-hour round-trips from Bryson City follow the Little Tennessee and Nantahala Rivers deep into the Nantahala Gorge. Many other excursions are offered, including gourmet dining and wine- and beer-tasting trips, Thomas the Tank Engine and Little Engine That Could themed trips for kids, and runs to and from river-rafting outfitters.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
The stunningly beautiful Nantahala River Gorge lies just outside Bryson City in the Nantahala National Forest. Nantahala is said to mean “land of the noonday sun,” and there are indeed parts of this gorge where the sheer rock walls above the river are so steep that sunlight only hits the water at the noon hour. Eight miles of the Nantahala River flow through the gorge over Class II-III rapids. The nearby Ocoee River is also a favorite of rafters, and the Cheoah River, when there are controlled water releases, has some of the South’s most famous and difficult Class III-IV runs.
The Nantahala River Gorge supports scores of river guide companies, many clustered along US-19 West. Because some of these rapids can be quite dangerous, be sure to call ahead and speak to a guide if you have any doubts as to your readiness. If you are rafting with children, check the company’s weight and age restrictions beforehand.
Endless River Adventures (14157 US-19 W., near Bryson City, 800/224-7238, www.endlessriveradventures.com, from $20) has white-water and flat-water kayaking instruction, rentals, and guided trips on the Nantahala, Ocoee, and Cheoah Rivers. They’ll be able to suggest a run suited to your skill level. Carolina Outfitters (715 US-19, Topton, 800/468-7238, www.carolinaoutfitters.com, from $27) has several package outings that combine river trips with horseback riding, bicycling, panning for gems, and riding on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Wildwater Rafting (10345 US-19 W., 12 miles west of Bryson City, 828/488-2384, www.wildwaterrafting.com, from $40) offers river guide services and zip-line canopy tours (828/488-8899, from $66 for adults and $50 for children).
You can explore the mountains around Bryson City with the Nantahala Outdoor Center (13077 US-19 W., Bryson City, 828/785-5082, www.noc.com, 9am-5pm daily, from $30), which offers a variety of adventure options that include white-water rafting, stand-up paddleboarding on the flat-water sections of the river, hiking, mountain biking, and zip-lining. Half-day, full-day, and overnight trips are possible, and excursions like the Rapid Transit combine a relaxing morning train ride with an afternoon rafting trip.
The Smoky Mountains, especially the eastern grade of the Smokies, are laced with streams perfect for fly-fishing. Anglers from all over come here to float, wade, camp, fish, hone their fly-tying craft, and learn the finer points of fly-fishing. The Tuckasegee River flows right through downtown Bryson City, and many of its feeder streams and creeks are ideal spots to throw a line.
Fontana Guide Service (3336 Balltown Rd., Bryson City, 828/736-2318, www.fontanaguides.com, $200-500 full-day trips, price depends on group size) has a number of options depending on season, interest, and skill level, including options to fish in the national park. In addition to fly-fishing excursions, they also offer kayak fishing, bass and lake fishing, and night fishing in select spots.
Fly Fishing the Smokies (Bryson City, 828/488-7665, www.flyfishingthesmokies.net) has a number of guides and options for a day or more of fishing. Wade the streams with them for two hours (one person $120, two people $150), a half day (one person $160, two people $180), or a full day (one person $220, two people $260). Try a float trip (half day $225 per boat, full day $325 per boat) or go backcountry camping and fly-fishing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park ($500-850 pp). They also go bass fishing on nearby Fontana Lake (half day $275, full day $400).
Top fishing guide Steve Claxton’s Smoky Mountain Adventures (Bryson City, 828/736-7501, http://steveclaxton.com) specializes in leaving civilization behind in favor of camping, catching wild mountain trout, and getting a true taste of the wilderness. Four-day, three-night camping and fly fishing trips are $575-675 per person. They also offer daylong fishing trips (one person $225, two people $275, three people $325) and half-day excursions (one person $150, two people $200, three people $250).
Nantahala Fly Fishing Co. (Robbinsville, 828/479-8850 or 866/910-1013, www.flyfishnorthcarolina.com, guided trips and private lessons half day $150 one angler, $75 per additional person, full day $300 one or two anglers, $75 per additional person) provides guided trips for fly-rod fishing. If you’ve never held one of these odd fishing rods in your hand, they also provide a fly-fishing school ($300 for two days) and private instruction. Best of all, they have a “No Fish, No Pay” guarantee.
The Bistro at The Everett Hotel (24 Everett St., 828/488-1934, www.theeveretthotel.com, 4:30pm-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 4:30pm-9:30pm Fri., 8:30am-3pm and 4:30pm-9:30pm Sat., 8:30am-3pm Sun., $9-36) serves excellent meals, using local and seasonal ingredients to create updated takes on familiar dishes or regional specialties. The trout cakes (or any preparation of locally sourced trout) are outstanding, as is any venison dish, but you can’t go wrong with a burger either. Guests at The Everett Hotel can also enjoy complimentary breakfast (Mon.-Fri.) or brunch (Sat.-Sun.), and brunch is open to the public on weekends.
The Appalachian Trail passes only a few feet from River’s End Restaurant (13077 US-19 W., 828/488-7172, www.noc.com, 8am-8pm Sun.-Fri., 8am-9pm Sat., $6-20) at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Given its proximity to the trail (really a footbridge over the river, but on the trail nonetheless) and to the center’s rafting, paddling, hiking nexus, it’s a popular spot for outdoorsy sorts. The menu reflects this with dishes like the Sherpa bowls (rice, veggies, and optional meat) that are packed with protein, calories, and carbs to fuel you through a day on the trail.
Just across the footbridge from River’s End Restaurant is another restaurant from Nantahala Outdoor Center, Big Wesser’s BBQ & Brew (828/488-7174, www.noc.com, 11am-6pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat, $8-14). Barbecue platters and sandwiches, live music on weekends, and an open-air bar on the banks of the river make it a perfect place for hikers, paddlers, and outdoors lovers.
For a hearty steak, check out Jimmy Mac’s Restaurant (121 Main St., 828/488-4700, www.jimmymacsrestaurant.com, 11:30am-9pm Wed.-Thurs., 11:30am-9:30pm Fri.-Sat., noon-8pm Sun., $8-25). In addition to steak, they serve seafood and beef, elk, and buffalo burgers. Service is fantastic; let them know you’re there for a special occasion and they’ll treat you even better.
The S Folkestone Inn (101 Folkestone Rd., 828/488-2730 or 888/812-3385, www.folkestoneinn.com, $125-169) is one of the region’s outstanding bed-and-breakfasts, a roomy 1920s farmhouse expanded and renovated into a charming and tranquil inn. Each room has a balcony or porch. Baked treats at breakfast include shortcake, kuchen, cobblers, and other delicacies. An 85-year-old hotel listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Fryemont Inn (245 Fryemont St., 828/488-2159 or 800/845-4879, www.fryemontinn.com; mid-Apr.-late Nov. $125-310 with meals; late-Nov.-mid-Apr. $115-215 no meal service) has a cozy, rustic feel with chestnut-paneled guest rooms and an inviting lobby with an enormous stone fireplace.
The Everett Hotel (16 Everett St., 828/488-1976, www.theeveretthotel.com, $129-349) was once the Bryson City Bank, opening its doors in the early 1900s. Since 2015, this boutique hotel has been offering modern, luxurious rooms and chic social areas, making it a comfortable place visitors can call home.
Some river outfitters offer lodging, which can be a cheap way to pass the night if you don’t mind roughing it. The Rolling Thunder River Company (10160 US-19 W., near Bryson City, 800/408-7238, www.rollingthunderriverco.com, no alcohol permitted) operates a large bunkhouse with beds ($10-12 pp per night) for its rafting customers. Carolina Outfitters (715 US-19, Topton, 828/488-6345, www.carolinaoutfitters.com) has a number of accommodations available ($50-100), including two-room cabins, two-bedroom apartments, and three-bedroom cabins suitable for a large group. Many of the outfitters also offer camping on their properties.
the Nantahala River
Nantahala Outdoor Center (13077 US-19 W., 828/785-5082, www.noc.com) has more than just white-water rafting and guided hikes. You can stay here, too. Their Dogwood Motel ($70-170) is an eight-room lodge on the NOC campus. Basecamp (from $40) is the hub for Appalachian Trail hikers and offers hostel-style lodging. There are also platform tents (from $200) perfect for groups. The deluxe cabins ($200-600) sleep up to 22 and are packed with creature comforts.
Among the nicest camping options available in the Nantahala National Forest is Standing Indian Campground (90 Sloan Rd., Franklin, 877/444-6777, www.recreation.gov, Apr.-Nov., $16). Standing Indian has a nice diversity of campsites, from flat, grassy areas to cozy mountainside nooks. Drinking water, hot showers, flush toilets, and a phone are all available on-site, and leashed pets are permitted. At 3,400 feet in elevation, the campground is close to the Appalachian Trail.
Deep Creek Tube Center and Campground (1090 W. Deep Creek Rd., 828/488-6055, www.deepcreekcamping.com, early Apr.-Oct., camping $27-53, cabins $75-205) has more than 50 campsites and 18 cabins, as well as access to Deep Creek, where you can go tubing (tube rentals $5 per day). The creek runs right by many campsites. You can also go gem “mining” here, a great mountain tradition; they sell bags and buckets of gem-enriched dirt in the camp store. The best part is that the facility is within walking distance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.