Located on a 42-acre Natural Heritage site the center has many species of wildlife, gardens, trails, indoor exhibits and farm animals.
The Panthertown Valley is one of those unique places that are well revered by hiking and outdoor enthusiasts, as well as ecologists, in the Southern Appalachian mountains.
Cabins in the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina are as unique as each family who owns them.
Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains atop a plateau, Cashiers is a great spot for the whole family to visit and experience the beauty of Western North Carolina.
The ultimate Western North Carolina destination for gambling and late night entertainment.
These trails travel along the shores and hills beside Lake Chatuge, and all trails are open to mountain biking and hiking.
A small mountain town rich with history and a love for the mountains that surrounded it.
Known as the “Little Charleston of the Mountains”, Flat Rock is a small community filled with historic inns, shops, restaurants, and galleries that will keep you exploring the area for days.
This is a long slide in two main parts. Only the lower part is visible from the overlook constructed by the park.
A beauty worth visiting. A steep cascade drops over a ledge onto an outcrop among boulders before shifting right, and dropping over another, smaller, cascade into a deep and wide pool.
A “planned community” or small downtown area not far from the Asheville Airport that was designed to make you feel like you where in a actual city once inside.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, established in 1934, covers 520,408 acres of land with heights ranging from 840 feet at Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome.
This beautiful distinguished city is full of upscale dinning and shopping locations and surrounded by some of the south’s most prestigious golf clubs.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,159.1-mile foot trail along the ridge crests and through the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains.
A valley full of historic buildings, wildlife, and beauty, this is a great family destination inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Dillsboro is a small city where you can take a step back in time and tour around the downtown area visiting shops, restaurants, and art galleries that are held within historic buildings.
A small town located deep in Western North Carolina offering a charming small town experience for all visitors.
For great family rafting fun enjoy the Class I rapids of the Tuckaseigee River.
Tsali has 39 miles of trails in a four loop system that wind around the Fontana Lake and through US Forest Service Land.
This paved two-lane road climbs to elevations over 5300 feet and extends over 50 miles. In April 1997, the state of North Carolina declared it a Scenic Byway.
This is one of the most popular destination for visitors to the park, attracts more than two million visitors a year because of its well-preserved homesteads, scenic vistas, and abundant display of wildlife.
The Cherokee Skate Park is not only a great place to skateboard, bmx, or ride anything with wheels.
Famous for its Catawba Rhododendron gardens with its brilliant purple flowers in spring, the Roan is a wonderful place to visit and hike any time of the year.
Bridal Veil Falls is unique in that you can drive behind them. US Hwy. 64 used to pass behind the falls until it was rerouted in front of the falls for safety.
Hayesville in known as “The Best Kept Secret in North Carolina” by Western North Carolina locals, and rightly so.
Rising 6,643 feet above the Great Smoky Mountains, Clingman’s Dome is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail and provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains.
A community that takes pride in it’s small hometown atmosphere makes Canton a city full of heritage and history.
A scenic roadway, which travels 469 miles to connect the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee.
The creek can have a decent flow during wet weather, but it spreads out wide across this bumpy rock outcrop, forming lots of little falls over the mini ledges and giving it lots of character.
The water is clear, and in higher water the falls feels pretty powerful despite the creek’s relatively small size.
The Hazel Creek area inside the Great Smoky Mountains National park is rich with history about Western North Carolina and early Appalachia.
Bent Creek’s watershed contains a collection of trails for all kinds of hikes, for beginners and familes to advanced hiking groups.
The Lake is 3,000 feet in elevation and offers to visitors many activities ranging from boating and fishing, to swimming and sightseeing.
A combination of free falls and cascades. This is one of the most photogenic waterfalls around.
In this most beautiful, unmarred, and natural setting, that was the uncharted hunting ground of the Cherokee Indians, virgin trees grow more than 100 feet tall and some 20 feet around the base.
The beautiful valley of Shelton Laurel Creek – and the coves, tributaries, and mountains lining it to its North – comprise a remote part of the Pisgah National Forest, known as the Shelton Laurel Backcountry Area.
Pisgah View Ranch is a Western North Carolina Dude Ranch that offers a horse ranch get a way for Family and Guests.
Specializing in fresh baked Amish style goods, the Stoltzfus family has been baking great things for Bryson City for a long time.
The Cherokee Indian Museum contains a unique collection of original artifacts used by the Cherokee Indians many years ago.
This city is set up beautifully along the banks of Lake Lure, offering visitors a great balance between outdoor adventure, rest, and relaxation.
Beginning in Highlands, this approximately 61 miles of nationally-recognized byway winds through southern Appalachian hardwood forests, by numerous waterfalls and lakes and through two river gorges.
The area around Hot Springs is full of opportunities to get outdoors and have a blast.
Averaging 1,400′ deep, the Linville Gorge was carved by the Linville River on its way down the Blue Ridge Escarpment.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad winds up, down, and around the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.
Some of the most beautiful golf courses you will ever play on can be found amongst the mountains and valleys of Western North Carolina.
Soco Falls is located on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee Indian Reservation) just beside US Hwy. 19, between Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC
A mecca for outdoor adventure lovers makes Boone a great place to visit and live.
Known as “The Crown of the Blue Ridge”, Blowing Rock is a special place to many visitors and residents alike.
This excellent loop, designated a National Recreation Trail, climbs to the top of Whiteside Mountain, with its spectacular 700′ high cliff walls lofting the hiker for amazing views.
Deep Creek, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has a campground complete with showers if you like spending the night in the great outdoors.
Darnell Farms offers many weekend festivals: Strawberry Jam Festival, Tomatoefest and Timberfest plus a Corn Maze depending on the season.
Visitors are invited to view their family tartan, connect with their clan, and learn about the history of Highland Dress.
Nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, across from a mountain where God revealed a vision, lie the world’s largest set of the Ten Commandments.
A great small town experience in the heart of the Appalachian mountains.
Stand Up Paddling is one of the fastest growing water sports today. It fun, healthy, and can help improve the overall quality of a persons life. Strengthen your core, improve your balance and get to know a part of nature you may be unfamiliar with. Bryson City Outdoors – Come see what all the fuss […]
North Carolina’s longest trail, the North Carolina Mountains to Sea Trail, is an ambitious project to provide a foot path linking the Mountains in the West to the Coastal Plain in the East.
The 4500-acre Needmore Tract was purchased by the State of North Carolina in January of 2004 as a nature preserve.
The historic town of Hendersonville offers visitors many different recreational activities for the entire family, along with local festivals that will satisfy any apple craving you have ever had.
Sylva is the closest city to Western Carolina University; and is another great location for exploring the great outdoors.
The North Carolina Bartram Trail, blazed in yellow, crosses over some of the most scenic mountains of the state.
The Diner, as locals refer to it has been serving up traditional breakfast dishes and lunch specials to patrons for many years.
At 5,964 feet above sea level, Grandfather Mountain is the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range and the only private park in the world.
In Western North Carolina you will be able to find a very calm river or one that is a little more raging, depending on what suits you best.
Lying in the mountains and valleys of western North Carolina it is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina
This small town located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is literally a ‘base camp” for anything outdoor related.
Visiting Weaverville means having a chance for you and your family to experience life at a slower pace.
The Asheville Art Museum is the single visual arts facility serving Western North Carolina.
With an elevation of 6,593 ft Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the national park, it is however the tallest peak in Tennessee.
A collection of over 250 rare antique American Motorcycles and Automobiles.
Indian Creek Falls is the largest waterfall in the Deep Creek area when it comes to the volume of water flowing across it.
Enjoy a soaring and gliding experience naturally fueled by a gradual elevation change at Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours.
A small but beautiful waterfall that is located only a few minutes hike form the Deep Creek Parking Area.
This historic city offers a hometown experience where your family can watch local craftsmen demonstrate and age-old technique.
A relatively large creek pours over a nearly vertical bluff into a big, deep, beautiful pool, complete with a sandy beach, before spilling over some smaller cascades and into a dark, rocky cove.
Asheville, NC – This 18 hole disc golf course is one of the most played courses in Asheville. It features a wide range of obstacles and is pretty difficult as you throw through the woods, over valleys, and down ridges.
The Spectacular Mingo Falls located in Cherokee, NC are over 120 feet high and are rated one of the most impressive falls in Western North Carolina.
Shining Rock became one of the original components of the Wilderness System in September 1964. It is the largest Wilderness area in North Carolina.
318 curves in 11 miles is the ultimate thrill ride for many motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts when visiting Western North Carolina.
This very popular activity is mainly enjoyed in the water of Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A city filled with a rich history and lasting culture of the Cherokee Indians. This city has much to offer from outdoor activities, cultural arts and crafts, to family entertainment. This popular stop in Western North Carolina is sure not to disappoint.
Offering up Italian favorites to locals and visitors to Bryson City, NC.
Surrounded by mountains exceeding 6000′ in elevation, the base of the valley is itself over 5000′, which accounts for some of its unique characteristics. A variety of hiking trails wind throughout the valley for your exploration.
Deep inside of Humpback Mountain lie the Linville Caverns, North Carolina’s only caverns.
The Green River Narrows Race happens once a year in November and is probably one of the most exciting kayak races to watch in the southeast.
Situated in a valley surrounded by the Smoky Mountains, Maggie Valley is a fun city to visit for the entire family.
At 4629 feet elevation, this grassy summit is not the highest mountain around, but it is considered by some to be the “crown jewel of the Appalachian Trail”.
Waterfalls and many cascades are located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Nantahala National Forest, around the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest and the Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina, including the 411 feet Whitewater Falls which is the tallest series of falls east of the Mississippi.
