Places To Go - Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

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Rockford

Established in 1789, the town of Rockford served as...

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Nantahala National Forest

The Nantahala National Forest anchors the far southwestern corner...

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North Wilkesboro

North Wilkesboro

Early History North Wilkesboro began with a simple transaction...

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Featured Destination

Tryon Rocking Horse in downtown Tryon

Tryon

Small Town with Big Personalities, Welcoming Climate Tryon quickly...

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Mount Jefferson State Natural Area

Mount Jefferson, rising to more than 1,600 feet above...

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Western North Carolina Nature Center

Voted “best place to take kids” in the region,...

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Featured Destination

Southern Highlands Reserve

Southern Highlands Reserve

A private arboretum featuring native plants near Lake Toxaway,...

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Francis Grist Mill

Francis Grist Mill

The Francis Grist Mill, located just outside of Waynesville,...

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Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee River, which can be accessed on...

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North Carolina Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum

North Carolina Arboretum ~ A 426-acre facility, part of...

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Cherokee Heritage Festival dancing

Cherokee Homestead Exhibit

The Cherokee and their ancestors have called Western North...

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Christmas Parade in Black Mountain

Black Mountain

Black Mountain, originally called “Grey Eagle,” was a tiny...

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Mount Mitchell State Park

Lofty Mount Mitchell, near Burnsville, North Carolina, rises to...

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Lansing NC downtown

Lansing

Nestled in the High Country in the Blue Ridge...

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log cabin at Mountain Gateway

Mountain Gateway Museum

The Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center, located in...

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Saint John's Episcopal Church

Saint John’s Episcopal Church

Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Rutherfordton is one of...

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Whiteside Mountain

The sparkling white cliffs of Whiteside Mountain, in the...

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Marshall

The community of Marshall hugs the banks of the...

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Biltmore Estate

The Biltmore Estate: Explore Historical North Carolina The historic...

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Linn Cove Viaduct

Linn Cove Viaduct

Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in 1935,...

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Hendsonson County Courthouse

Hendersonville

Until the 1785 Treaty of Hopewell, present-day Henderson County...

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Panthertown Valley

Panthertown Valley, near Cashiers, has been called the Yosemite...

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Zachary-Tolbert House, Cashiers

Zachary-Tolbert House

The Zachary-Tolbert House in Cashiers is a rare example...

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Craggy Gardens Rhododendron

Craggy Gardens

Craggy Gardens, just north of Asheville, is one of...

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sculpture in Lenoir

Lenoir

The original settlement of Lenoir was first known as...

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Blowing Rock Museum of Art

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, located in...

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Avery County Historical Museum

The Avery County Historical Museum, in Newland, North Carolina,...

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Smith-McDowell House

The Smith-McDowell House

The restored Smith-McDowell House is the oldest surviving house...

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Museum of the Cherokee Indian

A perfect place to begin exploration of Cherokee heritage...

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Railroad in snow in West Jefferson

West Jefferson

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwestern...

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Old Time Music Heritage Hall

Old Time Music Heritage Hall

The Old-Time Music Heritage Hall provides an opportunity for...

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Devil's Courthouse

Devil’s Courthouse

The Devil’s Courthouse, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway,...

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Tryon Arts and Crafts School

Tryon Arts and Crafts School

Tryon Arts and Crafts School is a regional center...

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Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

Thomas Jefferson called the victory of American patriots over...

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Canton Area Historical Museum

The Canton Area Historical Museum in Canton, North Carolina,...

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Southern Appalachian Radio Museum.

Southern Appalachian Radio Museum

The Southern Appalachian Radio Museum in Asheville traces the...

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Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest

The half-million+ acres of Pisgah National Forest drape like...

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Waterfall at Graveyard Fields

Graveyard Fields

Stunning waterfalls and a distinctive landscape make Graveyard Fields...

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The Museum of Ashe County History

The Museum of Ashe County History

Housed in the restored 1904 Courthouse building on Main...

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Pink Beds stream

Pink Beds

Named for the profusion of pink wildflowers, including mountain...

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John C. Campbell Folk School

John C. Campbell Folk School

The John C. Campbell Folk School is one of...

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Saluda, NC downtown street scene

Saluda

First a mere crossroads for traders and drovers after...

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Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center

The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville, North...

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Cradle of Forestry

Cradle of Forestry

The Cradle of Forestry Historic Site near Brevard commemorates...

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Prince House, Highlands Historic Village

Highlands Historic Village

Highlands Historic Village, home to the Highlands Historical Society,...

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Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

I think that I shall never see A poem...

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Pilot Mountain State Park

Rising 1,400 feet above a rolling plain, Pilot Mountain,...

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Mountain Heritage Center

Mountain Heritage Center

The Mountain Heritage Center, located on the Western Carolina...

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Brevard White Squirrel

Brevard

The historic small town of Brevard is the county...

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Caldwell Heritage Museum

Caldwell Heritage Museum

The Caldwell Heritage Museum opened in 1991 and is...

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Mount Hardy

Mount Hardy rises to 6,110 feet in the Great...

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Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve

One of the most beautiful and ecologically significant natural...

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Museum of North Carolina Minerals

The mountains near Spruce Pine, North Carolina are among...

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Burnsville Heritage Day

Yancey History Association and Rush Wray Musuem

Rush Wray Museum The museum is located in...

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Earle Theatre, Mount Airy

Mount Airy

Before there was a state of North Carolina, indeed...

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World Methodist Museum

World Methodist Museum

The World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina...

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Valleytown Cultural Center, Andrews, NC

Valleytown Cultural Arts and Historical Society

The Valleytown Cultural Arts Center in Andrews warmly welcomes visitors...

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Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

A fierce desire for independence led rugged 18th century...

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Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians

The rivers and streams of the NC mountains and...

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Folk Art Center

Folk Art Center

The Folk Art Center, located in Asheville, showcases outstanding...

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cyclists in Rutherfordton

Rutherfordton

As the county seat of one of Western North...

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New River State Park

The New River, the centerpiece of the more than...

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Allison Deaver House

Allison-Deaver House

The Allison-Deaver House is the oldest standing frame house...

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Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is America’s most visited National...

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Asheville Art Museum

This innovative small city museum focuses on 20th century...

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Doughton Park

Winter weather conditions can force temporary and fast-changing closures,...

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Appalachian Trail hiker

Appalachian Trail

Eighty-eight miles of the Appalachian Trail run through the...

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Fort Defiance, Lenoir

Fort Defiance

Fort Defiance, near Lenoir, is a historic home built...

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Elk in Cataloochee Valley

Cataloochee Valley

The picturesque Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains...

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Waldensian Heritage Museum

Waldensian Heritage Museum

The Waldensian Heritage Museum preserves and interprets the history...

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Skiing Sugar Mountain

Winter Skiing

Do you enjoy skiing or snowboarding? Or are you...

Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts

The Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts in Waynesville showcases...

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Cullasaja Falls

Cullasaja River Gorge

The Cullasaja River Gorge offers a spectacular scenic drive...

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most...

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Nantahala River Bogs

The Nantahala River Bogs Natural Area in the Nantahala...

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Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education

The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, located near Brevard,...

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waterfall at Gorges State Park

Gorges State Park

Plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and...

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Fontana Dam and Visitor Center

Located in the far western corner of North Carolina,...

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Vance Birthplace cabin in snow

Vance Birthplace

The Vance Birthplace, near Weaverville, NC, preserves and interprets...

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Old Wilkes Jail Museum

Old Wilkes Jail

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley… Tom Dula, the...

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Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum

Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum

Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum houses around 70 vehicles...

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Big Ivy Historical Park

The Big Ivy Historical Society has developed the Big...

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Blowing Rock downtown

Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock is a quintessential mountain village with beautiful...

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cabin at Hickory Ridge Living History Museum

Hickory Ridge Living History Museum

Hickory Ridge Living History Museum is located on the...

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Rocky Bluff Recreation Area

Rocky Bluff Recreation Area, near Hot Springs, North Carolina,...

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Cherokee Beadwork

Oconaluftee Indian Village

At the Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, you can...

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Featured Destination

Haywood County barn quilt

Haywood Quilt Trails

While the definition of quilting hinges on the joining...

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French Broad river near Marshall

French Broad River

North Carolina’s French Broad River is the third oldest...

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Wayah Bald Tower

Wayah Bald

Wayah Bald, near Franklin, is a popular destination for...

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Grandfather Mountain swinging bridge

Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain, near Linville, is famous for its “Mile...

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Polk County History Museum

Polk County History Museum

The Polk County History Museum in Columbus, NC, comprises...

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Stecoah Valley Arts Center

Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center

The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, located near Robbinsville,...

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Wheels Through Time Museum

Wheels Through Time Museum

Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley is...

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Linville

The town of Linville, located near the Blue Ridge...

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Basilica of St. Lawrence

Basilica of Saint Lawrence

The striking Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Asheville features...

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The History Museum of Burke County

The History Museum of Burke County

The History Museum of Burke County is dedicated to...

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Richland Balsam

Richland Balsam, a mountain near Waynesville, rises to 6,410...

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Historic Johnson Farm

Historic Johnson Farm

Historic Johnson Farm, a late 19th-early 20th century farm and...

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Orchard at Altapass

The Orchard at Altapass

Early History Perched on the crest of the Blue...

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Green River Gorge

Green River Gorge

The Green River Gorge is a rugged landscape of...

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YMI Cultural Center

YMI Cultural Center

The YMI Cultural Center in Asheville, North Carolina features...

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Nolichucky River

The Nolichucky River, near Spruce Pine, North Carolina, is...

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Roan Mountain

Roan Mountain, near Bakersville, is famous for its spectacular...

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Swannanoa Valley Museum

Swannanoa Valley Museum

The Swannanoa Valley Museum in Black Mountain has been...

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McGaha Chapel

The historic McGaha Chapel was finished in 1872 during...

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Street Performers in Waynesville

Waynesville

Waynesville is the largest city west of Asheville. It...

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Qualla Arts and Crafts

Cherokee Crafts in the Western North Carolina Mountains Visitors...

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Transylvania Heritage Museum

Transylvania Heritage Museum

The Transylvania Heritage Museum in Brevard features showcases heirlooms,...

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South Mountains State Park

South Mountains State Park

Located at the edge of the Piedmont, South Mountains...

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Historic Flat Rock

The Village of Flat Rock, considered “the Little Charleston...

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Highlands

The town of Highlands was supposed to become a...

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Wilkes Heritage Museum

Wilkes Heritage Museum

The Wilkes Heritage Museum offers an eclectic array of...

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Pearson’s Falls

The remarkable botanical diversity and beautiful waterfall in this...

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Bat Cave Preserve

Bat Cave Preserve

Bat Cave is the largest known granite fissure cave...

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Banner House Museum

Banner House Museum

One of Banner Elk’s founding families, Samuel Henry Banner,...

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Linville Caverns

Some of the most fascinating geological formations in the...

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From This Day Forward

From This Day Forward is an outdoor drama that...

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Brevard Music Center

Brevard Music Center

Founded in 1936, the Brevard Music Center is one...

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Forest City christmas lights

Forest City

Forest City began as a crossroads on the Shelby-Rutherfordton...

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Mountain Farm Museum

Mountain Farm Museum

The Mountain Farm Museum, in the Great Smoky Mountains...

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Crossnore Weavers Gallery & Museum

Crossnore Weavers and Gallery

A vibrant piece of Southern Appalachian history lives on...

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classic car downtown Elkin, NC

Elkin

The confluence of the Yadkin River and Big Elkin...

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Featured Destination

Elk Knob State Park in snow

Elk Knob State Park

Elk Knob State Park is located in the Meat...

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Historic Carson House, McDowell County, NC

Historic Carson House

The Historic Carson House, located in Pleasant Gardens, just...

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Center for Craft Creativity and Design

Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

Western North Carolina has historically been, and continues to...

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House of Flags Museum

House of Flags Museum

This unique educational museum was opened in 2001, fulfilling...

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Florence Thomas Art School painting lesson

Florence Thomas Art School

Florence Thomas Art School in historic downtown West Jefferson...

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Penland School of Crafts

Penland School of Crafts

Penland School of Crafts is a national center for...

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Hickory Nut Gorge

Hickory Nut Gorge

Rushing waters, rocky cliffs, a giant waterfall, and pristine...

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Cherokee County Historical Museum

Cherokee County Historical Museum

The Cherokee County Historical Museum displays the rich history...

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Whitewater Falls

Upper Whitewater Falls, near Cashiers, drops over 411 feet...

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Ben Long Fresco Trail

Benjamin Long Frescoes

The luminous, life-size Ben Long Frescoes created by world-famous...

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Moses Cone Memorial on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Moses Cone Memorial Park

Come See Crafts in Gilded Age Mansion Moses H....

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Looking Glass Rock

The sheer face of Looking Glass Rock, located in...

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Chimney Rock State Park

Some of the Best Views in the North Carolina...

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Mars Hill gazebo with spring flowers

Mars Hill

A Town Born From Education Before 1856, when no...

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Waldensian Church

Valdese

On May 29, 1893 Southern Railway’s “Number 11” deposited...

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Scottish Tartans Museum

Scottish Tartans Museum

The hundreds of Highland Scots who immigrated to the...

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Horn in the West drama

Horn in the West

Horn in the West, the nation’s longest-running Revolutionary War...

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Wilkesboro Open Air Fest

Wilkesboro

Nestled in the rolling foothills of northwestern North Carolina,...

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Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, founded by Bascom...

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Chattooga River Gorge

The Chattooga River Gorge, which begins near Cashiers, NC,...

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Lake James State Park

Lake James State Park

Spanning 6,510 acres with more than 150 miles of...

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Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum

Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum

Gems & Minerals from the N.C. Mountains and around...

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Clay County Historical and Arts Museum

Clay County Historical and Arts Museum

The Clay County Historical & Arts Council Museum is...

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Carl Sandburg home

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat...

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Gallery 86

The streets of Waynesville are lined with galleries and...

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Mast General Store, Valle Crucis

Valle Crucis

The tiny village of Valle Crucis is perched in...

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Hot Springs

People have been visiting Hot Springs, a tiny village...

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Stone Mountain State Park

Stone Mountain State Park, located off the Blue Ridge...

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Thomas Wolfe Memorial

Thomas Wolfe Memorial

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial in downtown Asheville preserves the...

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Price Lake fall folliage

Julian Price Memorial Park

Julian Price Memorial Park is a popular stop on...

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Cherokee Dancers

Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama

For over 50 years, Cherokee players have performed Unto...

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Linville Gorge hiker at sunset

Linville Gorge and Falls

Linville Gorge is the deepest and perhaps most rugged...

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