by Great Smokies | Activities, History & Culture
In September 2013, NOC was the center of the paddling universe when it hosted the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships. 200 athletes from 30 different countries competed for the title of Freestyle World Champion. Bryson City’s phenomenal growth as an outdoor...
by Great Smokies | Activities, Attractions
On just about any drive through the North Carolina countryside, you may see a colorful painted quilt block pattern adorning a barn, public building, shop or private home. Such encounters are always a pleasant and unexpected surprise. They’re all part of...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture
Years before Bryson City had its well-known ‘Road to Nowhere’, there was another road that really did go somewhere. In the 1930s, NC 288 was the only road connecting Bryson City to Proctor, a lumber town in the western end of Swain County, and beyond. The...
by Great Smokies | Attractions
50th Annual Bryson City Christmas Parade December 7, 2024, 2 pm “The Biggest Little Christmas Parade in the Smokies” is always held on the first Saturday in December at 2 pm in downtown Bryson City. It’s a true community effort with local businesses, churches,...
by Great Smokies | Attractions, Nature
By 2010, ten years after Elk had been reintroduced to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, park officials were concerned that the herd population might never grow in size. Calves were being born but two out of three were not surviving the first year, mostly the...
