Out and About - The Hills of N.C.

Are you looking for a place to beat the swelter heat of Dog Days in Northwest Florida. Well the hills of North Carolina are callin’. Located in the western portion of the Tar Heel State, the Great Smokey Mountains and the Nantahala National Forest are the perfect get away places to for us Floridians. It’s no wonder that is seems like every other car tag I saw last week in North Carolina was from the Sunshine State. There are a multitude of opportunities when vacationing in western North Carolina and the following are just a few suggestions.

Hiking enthusiasts will feel like they have died and gone to heaven. This region is a mecca of hiking trails with amazing scenery. Of course the grand daddy of the hiking trails is the Appalachian Trail, but there are literally hundreds of other hiking trails in this region. I thoroughly enjoyed hiking the Big Laurel Falls trail on Standing Indian Mountain in the Nantahala National Forest. The long drive to get there was worth the hike and trip to Big Laurel Falls, which offered nice little pool of cool water just right for a summer time dip. The nearby portions of the Appalachian Trail are worth the hike as well, including the Wayah Bald Tower (elevation 5,342 feet). This stone lookout tower offers some spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

The town of Cherokee offers a variety of fun things to do as well as some cultural enrichment opportunities to learn more about the history of the Cherokee Indians. While some aspects of Cherokee fall into the classic “tourist trap” category, don’t let that steer you away. My favorite place in Cherokee is the Oconaluftee Islands Park in downtown Cherokee. This public park has pavilions, grills, and shade trees that invite you and your family for some quality outdoor time. The main attraction though is the Oconaluftee River. The river offers an opportunity to tube or swim, which are ideal on a hot summer afternoon. The kids will absolutely love playing along the river’s shallows with the thousands of river rocks.

The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad departs out of Bryson City and offers two routes, one to the Nantahala Gorge and the other to Dillsboro. The route to the Nantahala Gorge offers nice scenery of the mountains, Fontana Lake and the Nantahala River. An hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center offers the opportunity for lunch and, if you are brave enough, a dip in the frigid waters (52 degrees) of the Nantahala. I can attest that the Nantahala River makes Blue Springs feel like a hot tub.

The region demonstrates their love of music as almost every community offers “Music In The Park.” On most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights these communities offer free musical entertainment in the downtown park areas. And their first choice of music is their beloved “mountain music” or better known as Bluegrass music. With a little scouting of local newspapers you can map out the various musical opportunities available. While the music may not be what you normally listen to, I assure you that you will see and hear some of the finest musicians anywhere when taking in these venues.