| Western North Carolina Travel Guide | |
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There are plenty of places to jump off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and explore the Carolina mountains. Highway 276 South takes you into my home, Transylvania County, by way of the Pisgah National Forest. An early stop along that route is the Cradle of Forestry, the home of the first forestry school in the United States.
Transylvania County is known as the Land of Waterfalls, with hundreds of public and privately owned falls. You can see Looking Glass Falls simply by following Highway 276. Skinny Dip falls is an easy walk for most folks, but viewing Whitewater Falls up-close takes a bit more hiking. Stop in Brevard and pick up a free pamphlet to help you find the most popular waterfalls.
Brevard is also home for a different set of residents, a colony of white squirrels. One legend says our white squirrel population originated with a pair given to newlyweds earlier this century. They've spread throughout the county now, so you're likely to see them anywhere in our area.
Another Parkway stop is Asheville, and just off the first Asheville exit is the North Carolina Arboretum, a 426-acre public garden. The next Parkway exit leads you to the Folk Art Center, where members of the Southern Highlands Guild display and sell traditional mountain crafts.
You may have heard of Asheville's Biltmore Estate, which includes a 250-room home built a century ago by George Vanderbilt. It's still family-owned, and open for tours 363 days of the year. There's so much more to the Biltmore than just the house, so if you're in the area be sure to take time for a tour.
Novelist Thomas Wolfe was an Asheville native, and his home is another popular stop for tourists. Asheville's downtown area is a great place to find unique restaurants and one-of-a-kind shopping.
Farther east on the Parkway is the Linn Cove Viaduct, an impressive piece of engineering that allowed the Parkway to swing around the side of the mountain, rather than destroy it.
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Photo Gallery
The Great Smoky Mountains
Linville Gorge
Pisgah National Forest
The Folk Art Center
Linn Cove Viaduct
Appalachian Trail
Chimney Rock Park
Cradle of Forestry
Fairfield Lake, Sapphire
Above Photos Courtesy NC Tourism
Above Photos Courtesy Janet Wickell
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