Bryson City's location is ideal for
exploring all of Western North Carolina

It's the ideal home base for an event-filled Western North Carolina vacation. Here are some of the great day trips that you can enjoy while staying in Swain County. (The website links below will open in a new window.)

Attractions Within A One-Hour Drive

Biltmore House and Gardens

Interstate 40, Exit 50

Asheville, NC

828-255-1700 or 800-543-2961

George Vanderbilt’s 250-room mansion is virtually the same as it was at the turn of the 20th century. Sculptures, paintings, furnishing, and household items have been carefully preserved. Tour the gardens and the winery, and enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal or a sandwich in one of several restaurants. Photo used with permission of The Biltmore Company, Asheville, NC.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway Association

PO Box 2136

Asheville, NC 28802

The first leg of the Blue Ridge Parkway begins in Cherokee, at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and continues 26 miles to the Balsam Mountain exit at milepost 443. Exiting the Parkway at that point puts you on US 74 just west of Waynesville. Along the way, you'll pass Waterrock Knob where there is a visitor information center, comfort station and a spectacular view. Take the one-mile hike to the summit for an even better view. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Calaboose Cellars Winery
565 Aquone Road
Andrews, NC 28901
828-321-2006

Just 15 minutes south of the Nantahala Gorge, there's an old stone building with bars on the windows that overlooks our small vineyard. Legend has it that the local lawman locked up the hooligans here to cool down until they went before the magistrate. Now the Calaboose is used to incarcerate our wines.

Cataloochee Ski Area

1080 Ski Lodge Road

Maggie Valley, NC

800-768-0285

On a mountain overlooking Maggie Valley, Cataloochee was the first ski area in the Southeast. It offers ten slopes and trails, from beginner to expert. And for the kids, a snow tubing slope. Photo courtesy of the Cataloochee Ski Area.

Deals Gap (The Dragon)

U.S. Highway 129, connecting Western North Carolina with East Tennessee, is world-famous among motorcyclists and sports car drivers, for its eleven-mile section with 318 continuous curves.

Fun Factory in the Smokies

1024 Georgia Road
Franklin, NC 28734

866-482-2386 or 828-349-8888

A 56,000 square-foot family entertainment center with a variety of arcade games, two miniature golf courses, bowling, go-carts, kids play area, carousel, batting cages, laser tag, three restaurants, and more.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Cherokee, NC

828-497-1900

Popular portions of the Park within an hour’s drive from Bryson City include Deep Creek, Lakeview Drive (The Road to Nowhere), Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Mountain Farm Museum, Mingus Mill, Smokemont, Newfound Gap, Clingmans Dome and Cataloochee Valley. Photo courtesy of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

John C. Campbell Folk School

1 Folk School Road

Brasstown, NC 28902-9603

828-837-2775

A school dedicated to the preservation of time-honored crafts, music and dance since 1925. Courses and special events. Photo Courtesy of the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

National Forest Service Supervisor's Office

100 Otis Street

Asheville, NC, 28802

828-257-4200

This magnificent 3800-acre forest is a remnant of an old growth cove hardwood forest. Enormous yellow poplar, hemlock, basswood, beech and other trees tower over the two loop trails. This forest stands as a living memorial to Joyce Kilmer — teacher, journalist, soldier, and poet — best known for his poem, "Trees". Twelve miles northwest of Robbinsville, NC, off Hwy 143. Photo courtesy of the NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.

Nantahala River Gorge

S Hwy 19/74 west of Bryson City, NC

One of the first, and now one of the most popular whitewater rafting and kayaking venues in the nation. With its class II and III rapids, the eight-mile whitewater course is popular with beginners and Olympic-class kayakers alike. But you can stay dry and still enjoy the beauty of the area, or the shops and restaurants. For a list of Whitewater outfitters and other information, click here. Photo courtesy of Wildwater Ltd. Rafting.

Scottish Tartans Museum
and Heritage Center

86 East Main Street

Franklin, NC

828-524-7472

A museum dedicated to the history and heritage of the Scottish Tartan. Contains the official registry of all publicly known tartans. The American extension of the Scottish Tartans Society in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo courtesy of the Scottish Tartans Museum. 

WNC Farmers Market
570 Brevard Road
Asheville, North Carolina 28806
828-253-1691

Located near downtown Asheville between Interstates 40 and 26. With a panoramic view of the mountains and the Biltmore Estate, the market is open seven days a week, year round. The public is invited to enjoy the atmosphere and character of the mountains. Admission is free.

Attractions Within A Two-Hour Drive

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway Association

PO Box 453

Asheville, NC 28802

The Blue Ridge Parkway drive from Cherokee to Asheville is 87 miles, and driving at the speed limit of 45 mph, you can be in Asheville in two hours. But then you'd miss all the great stops along the way like the Richmond Balsam Overlook (at 6,047 feet, the highest point on the entire Parkway); or a stop for lunch with a spectacular view at the Mt. Pisgah Inn; or before leaving the Parkway, a visit to the Folk Art Center at milepost 382. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Cradle of Forestry In America

Located off U.S. 276, 14 miles northwest of Brevard,

4 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway

800-660-0671

This major visitor attraction was once part of George Vanderbilt's vast Biltmore Estate. It was here that Dr. Carl Schenck started the first forestry school in the nation and first practiced forest conservation. A visitor center, exhibits, guided tours, historic buildings, and two paved trails lead you back to the era of the first forestry school, established 1898. Open May - October. Photo courtesy of the Cradle of Forestry.

Cherohala Skyway

Hwy. 143 west of Robbinsville, NC

The spectacular 51-mile skyway connects Hwy. 143 in Robbinsville, NC to Hwy.165 in Tellico Plains, TN, traveling through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. Photo courtesy of Vicki Rozema.

Chimney Rock Park

US 64/74A

Chimney Rock, NC

800-277-9611

Spectacular 75-mile views, sheer cliffs and unique rock formations. Trails leading to the 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls. Famous as the filming site for the climactic scenes of The Last of the Mohicans. Photo courtesy of Chimney Rock Park.

Fields of the Wood

Highway 294, 18 miles west of Murphy, NC

828-494-7855

From the top of Prayer Mountain to the gigantic Ten Commandments spread across the mountainside, to the All Nations Cross, Bible passages are presented in marble and stone in an outdoor park. Open every day from sunrise to sunset. Free. Photo used with permission of Fields of the Woods.

Folk Art Center

Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 382 (east of Asheville)

828-298-7928

Home of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild. Changing craft exhibits in three galleries, Daily demonstrations April thru December, Also the Allenstand Craft Shop. Free. Photo courtesy of Katherine Caldwell.

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

US 441 on the Tennessee side of the Park

These two towns, just five miles apart, serve as the principal Tennessee gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and host most of the Park's nine million annual visitors. The busy tourist center offers a many attractions including Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, the Ripley's Aquarium and Dollywood. Photo courtesy of the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

Great Smoky Mountains
National Park

107 Park Headquarters Road

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

423-436-1200

Popular portions of the Park within two hours of Bryson City include Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove, Parson Branch Road, Laurel Falls, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Greenbriar, Cosby Creek and the Fontana North Shore (Hazel Creek, Eagle Creek and Forney Creek areas, accessible by boat). Photo courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina Arboretum

100 Fredrick Law Olmsted Way

Asheville, NC

828/665-2492

Miles of nature trails, cultivated gardens, and state-of-the-art greenhouse complex. Free.  Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Arboretum.

Sliding Rock

In the Pisgah National Forest

North of Brevard, NC

Slide down Mother Nature's 60-foot smooth rock waterslide and plunge into a pool of cool water at the bottom. Photo courtesy of Sliding Rock.

Western North Carolina
Nature Center

75 Gashes Creek Road

Asheville, NC

828-298-5600

A living museum of plant and animal wildlife in the Southern Appalachian mountains. Photo courtesy of the WNC Nature Center.

Whiteside Mountain

Whiteside Mountain Road

Highlands, NC

Named for its sheer white cliffs, Whiteside Mountain rises above the Nantahala National Forest. A two-mile loop trail leads to the 4,930-foot summit. Photo Courtesy of Marjorie Owen, Panther Ridge RV Park.

Whitewater Falls

Hwy 281 south of Cashiers, NC

With a drop of 441 feet, Whitewater Falls is the highest falls in the Eastern US. Photo courtesy of Ken Rivenbark.