Day Trips

The Beauty of Western North Carolina

Great Smoky MOUNTAINS National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway

​The mountains of North Carolina have a rich history going back a millennium.  Two national parks and the longest hiking trail in the world follow the spine of the state border between Tennessee and Virginia.  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to the most diverse plant and animal life known to the world.  Its rich ecosystem is studied regularly by herbalists, biologists and scientists alike.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most traveled scenic byway in America.  Encompassing two states, the parkway weaves through southern Appalachia inviting you to explore the outdoors with stunning vistas, hiking trails, and waterfalls.  Whether you are visiting for a day or week, the beauty of Western North Carolina will touch your soul, renew your spirit and inspire you to return with friends.

Mountain Towns

Within thirty minutes or less of Cherokee are three mountain towns that offer a diversity of activities sure to delight you.  If you travel west you will find the quaint town of Bryson City, home of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and the Road to Nowhere.  You can explore nature through riding a train that journeys through the Nantahala Forest giving you majestic views.  The outdoor enthusiast will find a multitude of activities such as gentle day hiking  inside Deep Creek,  a horseback ride beyond the Road to Nowhere, Mountain biking the many trails or cooling off in the waters of the Tuckaseegee River.

Waynesville, to the east has all the appeal of a big city with a small town feeling. The Downtown shopping district has earned its place in Main Street USA by combining local eateries along side  artisan boutiques.  A short drive out of town down 276 south will take you to Mount Pisgah, one of the area's oldest sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Haywood County is the highest  county in elevation  east of the Mississippi River with mountain peaks above 6000 feet.

Entrepreneurship is alive and well along the Tuckassegee River Valley in the small town of Dillsboro.  A small community within the larger community of Sylva, Dillsboro is home to a quaint railroad shopping district.  You might even catch a glimpse of the  Great Smoky Mountain Train, as she makes her way in to the depot for a short stay allowing passengers to disembark and enjoy a meal or do some shopping.  
Jackson County is a rich medley of towns full of culture and mountain heritage.  Whether you are a nature seeker, who loves getting outdoors, a history buff searching for the  Native American ceremonial grounds such as Judaculla Rock or you enjoy attending collegiate sporting events you are sure to find something to do in our mountain towns.  

On Friday nights in the Summer Sylva invites you to enjoy a  free Concerts by the Creek featuring local musicians performing southern and classic rock, bluegrass, soul, pop, gospel, country and more at Bridge Park.  There's a lot to see and do in our  mountain towns of WNC.  We look forward to introducing you.