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.
Averaging 1,400′ deep, the Linville Gorge was carved by the Linville River on its way down the Blue Ridge Escarpment.
A small but beautiful waterfall that is located only a few minutes hike form the Deep Creek Parking Area.
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.
Glen Falls is three tiers of 70, 60, and 15 feet in height for a total of about 145 feet of falling water.
Wayah Bald provides a beautiful view of Franklin and the surrounding Western North Carolina Mountains.
The Cherokee Skate Park is not only a great place to skateboard, bmx, or ride anything with wheels.
A privately owned National Heritage Site, Chimney Rock Park encompasses 1000 acres, including rock formation seen here with a 360 degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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.
This a location full of decadent and delightful desserts that are bursting with unique and interesting flavors.
Charlies Bunion is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, characterized by a large boulder-like protrusion just below the summit on its otherwise-sheer northern face.
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.
The area around Hot Springs is full of opportunities to get outdoors and have a blast.
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 […]
This river has become the centerpoint for a visit to the Grandfather Ranger District
A mecca for outdoor adventure lovers makes Boone a great place to visit and live.
Marked by charming rural character and the scenic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Mars HIll is a great stop and play location in Western North Carolina.
Mouse Creek Falls pours into the larger Big Creek, which is one of the clearest and most pristine waterways in the Park.
Offering up Italian favorites to locals and visitors to Bryson City, NC.
Western North Carolina is home to some of the most beautiful and exciting single track trails in the Southeast.
Located between Asheville and Hendersonville, Fletcher is a place where you can enjoy the thrills of the city within a short drive while still feeling like you are tucked away in a quiet mountain hide-away.
13 Acres of aquatic ponds are the home to many varieties of water lilies and lotuses that begin blooming in May and continue blooming into August.
The Asheville Art Museum is the single visual arts facility serving Western North Carolina.
The highest dam east of the Rockies is located just 35 miles West of Bryson City, North Carolina.
Sitting on the banks of Deep Creek, Camp Living Water offers week-long Christian camps and High Trek Adventures for various age groups from 7 to 18.
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.
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.
The Diner, as locals refer to it has been serving up traditional breakfast dishes and lunch specials to patrons for many years.
Visiting Weaverville means having a chance for you and your family to experience life at a slower pace.
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.
Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Franklin is a city filled with many things to do for the whole family within the city.
Situated in a valley surrounded by the Smoky Mountains, Maggie Valley is a fun city to visit for the entire family.
A family Theme Park and Zoo, Santa’s Land is an enchanted Christmas theme park everyone will love.
This impressive, multi-streamed cascade has a roadside view, but accessing it can be dangerous. US Hwy. 64 has cliffs on both sides and is narrow and curvy here.
Do you get a hint of what this place serves from the name? Well, you should because they serve up fried goodness every day of the week.
Located at the top of this mountain, in Maggie Valley, is a mile high fun center with an old west setting.
This beautiful distinguished city is full of upscale dinning and shopping locations and surrounded by some of the south’s most prestigious golf clubs.
An attractive, two-tiered cascade with some free-falling sections, across tilted rocks.
Pisgah View Ranch is a Western North Carolina Dude Ranch that offers a horse ranch get a way for Family and Guests.
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.
Do you remember the atmosphere that was portrayed on the show “Cheers”? Well, if you do Mountain Perks is Bryson City’s Cheers.
This city is set up beautifully along the banks of Lake Lure, offering visitors a great balance between outdoor adventure, rest, and relaxation.
The Hazel Creek area inside the Great Smoky Mountains National park is rich with history about Western North Carolina and early Appalachia.
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 Cradle of Forestry in America is a 6,500 acre Historic Site within the Pisgah National Forest.
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.
This waterfall is a narrow tumble and cascade into a deep trough, that opens up and spills out into a deep pool – a fantastic swimming hole (if the water isn’t super high).
Located right in between a state and national forest, and surrounded by waterfalls, Brevard is another great city where the outdoors are just minutes away.
Shining Rock became one of the original components of the Wilderness System in September 1964. It is the largest Wilderness area in North Carolina.
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.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad winds up, down, and around the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.
Discover America’s largest home, magnificent gardens, award-winning winery, great shopping and delicious dining.
A wooden fire tower at the summit provides hikers with amazing 360 degree views of the mountains of western North Carolina.
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.
Sometimes to see the things you want to see in Western North Carolina it requires you to hike for multiple days, and we love it.
A community that takes pride in it’s small hometown atmosphere makes Canton a city full of heritage and history.
The North Carolina Bartram Trail, blazed in yellow, crosses over some of the most scenic mountains of the state.
This falls is not high, but it’s absolutely beautiful and accessible via a fairly easy hike.
318 curves in 11 miles is the ultimate thrill ride for many motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts when visiting Western North Carolina.
Bent Creek’s watershed contains a collection of trails for all kinds of hikes, for beginners and familes to advanced hiking groups.
One of the most compelling outdoor dramas, Unto These Hills, tells the tragic story of how the Cherokee ancestors were forcefully driven out of the Great Smoky Mountains.
A unique sandwich shop located in the heart of downtown Bryson City, where a wide variety menu serving up signature deli sandwiches, salad, soups, and more can be found.
This is a long slide in two main parts. Only the lower part is visible from the overlook constructed by the park.
Tucked away in the mountains on Western North Carolina is this small town with a unique charm.
Darnell Farms offers many weekend festivals: Strawberry Jam Festival, Tomatoefest and Timberfest plus a Corn Maze depending on the season.
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.
Surrounded by the Appalachian mountains Waynesville has so much to offer within a short drive from outdoor activities to shopping and dinning.
This falls starts with a short drop, which goes into a very long, gentle slide into a deep pool.
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.
Visitors are invited to view their family tartan, connect with their clan, and learn about the history of Highland Dress.
Cataloochee is a ski area located near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The area has fourteen ski slopes and trails.
“The Road To Nowhere”, as most local residents call it, is a 6-mile scenic drive into the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where it dead-ends
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 valley full of historic buildings, wildlife, and beauty, this is a great family destination inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A city with something for everyone! Whether you enjoy art and music, the outdoors, eating and shopping local, or all of the above.
Nature trails, parks and scenic roadways abound in Western NC. Walk the Appalachian Trail; explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Nantahala National Forest, or Pisgah National Forest; or drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, or Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. There is fun for everyone in Western NC.
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.
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.
Sylva is the closest city to Western Carolina University; and is another great location for exploring the great outdoors.
Leaf Lookers come from all around to see the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of Western NC as they change colors in the Fall of the year.
The water is clear, and in higher water the falls feels pretty powerful despite the creek’s relatively small size.
The 4500-acre Needmore Tract was purchased by the State of North Carolina in January of 2004 as a nature preserve.
