Page Updated: September 12, 2023
North Carolina Mountains
Hello, snow! We kicked off leg 14, the winter, and the new year with a bang at the south end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Did we know January might not be the greatest month to be tourist? We did not. Lots of local establishments were closed until February. In some cases, they were closed until spring. Still, we found plenty to keep us occupied during our stay. Since North Carolina is high on the list of places for us to settle down in the future, we took it slow and explored what this area of the state had to offer.
Our rental for the leg was epic. By far our favorite across the board.
Wonderfully secluded with amazing views of the Smokey Mountains just outside of Bryson City, we had zero complaints when we were snowed in for a few days.
We spent 4 weeks in the area and visited several museums. The Swain County Heritage Museum in Bryson City provides a little history of the area and serves as one of the Visitor Centers for Great Smokey Mountain National Park. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee has some fantastic exhibits chronicling the span of the Cherokee Indian over thousands of years; highly recommend it if you’re in the area. And the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill, also in Cherokee - and adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center (also for the park) - is a collection of historic buildings pooled into a single location to provide a glimpse of the life that was.
THE LOCAL GRUB
Tater Tot-choes with Fried Chicken
Popping in to check out the local brews at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City, these Tater Tot-choes stole the show. Cute location with laid back atmosphere. Patio/lawn area I’m certain is fantastic in the spring. Info says they’ll even let you bring your pup.
Deciding to sample and share this day at the Stable Café Biltmore, we were pleasantly surprised the pork and accompanying sauce were entirely respectable. Description from menu: applewood smoked pulled pork, Spicewalla roasted Chicken, house BBQ baked beans, crispy Brussles sprouts, bacon braised collard greens
Stable Café Sampler
Chicken and Waffle Sandwich
There are no words good enough to describe it… Well done, chef. Well done. Carmel’s Kitchen and Bar Ashville
scenes from the leg!
THE FUN STUFF
01/15/2022
We learned a little about the hows and whys of the settling of the area at the Swain County Heritage Museum. The Museum is located on Everett St in the 1908 historic...
Swain County Heritage Museum
01/22/2022
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian works to creates an immersive experience for visitors wishing to learn about the history and culture of the Cherokee people…
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
01/23/2022
Our plan in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was to hike Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte. Snowstorms and road closures had us pivot to Deep Creek Loop…
Deep Creek Loop
01/27/2022
The Biltmore is the largest privately owned home in the United States. Built as French Renaissance chateau, the home contains 250 rooms. Has 65 fireplaces…
Biltmore
01/27/2022
Van Gogh Alive is an immersive experience blending classical music with 3,000+ moving Van Gogh images creating…
Van Gogh Alive
01/28/2022
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
We’ve visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park a couple of times over the past couple of decades. In our early days we weren’t as appreciative of the experience…
01/28/2022
Mingus Mill and Mountain Farm Museum
At the southern entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Cherokee, NC sits a collection of historic buildings that have been gathered from throughout…