NC Smokies

  • Blue Ridge Parkway: MP 312 to MP 423


Follow the footsteps of the Cherokee through North Carolina’s Great Smokies past sparkling waterfalls, up rugged peaks and through dense forests. Learn the history of the area’s first residents at Oconaluftee Indian Village and other sites in the town of Cherokee.  View the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains by car on the parkway or chugging along the tracks of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Try a winding drive of hair pin twists along the Cherohala Skyway, connecting Tennessee and North Carolina. Visit the Smokies’ small towns, each has a personality all its own. Try gem-mining in Franklin or photograph waterfalls at Cashiers.  Snow-ski at Cataloochee Ski Area or check out the Wheels Through Time Museum, home to the world’s premier collection of rare American Vintage Motorcycles.  See the work of local artisans at the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts in Waynesville. Each stop in North Carolina’s Great Smokies tells a story of the land’s heritage and natural beauty

Events

SPRING

  • Great Smoky Mountain Brewfest Trout & Heritage Festival. May 6-7. Maggie Valley. Music, food, crafts. (828) 926-0866.

SUMMER

  • Patchwork Fabric Festival. June 4. Cullowhee. Appalachian spinning, weaving, quilting, sewing, and other hand stitchery. (828) 631-4587.
  • Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s International Folk Festival. July 21-31. Waynesville. Dance, music and international cultures. (828) 452-2997.

FALL

  • Cherokee Indian Fair. October 4-8. Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds, Cherokee. A cultural celebration. (828) 497-8122.
  • John C. Campbell Folk School Fall Festival. October1-2. Brasstown. Regional artists. (800) 365-5724.

Area Links