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 | Activities
In the Smokies, the nighttime sounds can be magical — a comforting chorus of katydids, crickets and tree frogs occasionally interrupted by a polite conversation of owls. But imagine the surprise when that nocturnal tranquility is broken by the startling “whooshes” of...
by Great Smokies | Activities
If you enjoyed Robert Redford’s 1992 film starring Brad Pitt, the phrase “a river runs through it” evokes images of fly fishermen casting for Montana mountain trout. Yet that phrase also describes Bryson City, an Appalachian fly fisherman’s paradise where the...
by Great Smokies | Activities, Nature
White Fringed Phacelia and Creeping Phlox (Photos mid-April on the Oconaluftee River Trail) With more than 1500 native wildflower species, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is sometimes called “Wildflower National Park” thanks to the steady parade of...
by Great Smokies | Activities
Here in the Smoky Mountains, we’re known for outdoor adventures. So with our “new normal,” how do we stay six feet apart from others on trails and while pursuing our favorite sports? Here’s our list of fun adventures, and our thoughts on how to be...
