Our Top 10 List
(In no particular order)
1. Pull On Your Boots And Head to the Woods
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
So many miles…so little time. Maybe you’ll never hike the entire Appalachian Trail (the “AT”), but you can hike a good portion of it right here in our little corner of the mountains. The AT crosses 14 states on its journey up the East Coast, but it begins nearby in Georgia. One of our favorite hikes is the AT Approach Trail. The trail is 15-miles roundtrip and makes for a challenging day hike, complete with mountaintop vistas and views of stunning Amicalola Falls. You’ll hike from the crest of the falls to Springer Mountain, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail which has served as the starting point for countless bucket-list adventures. From there, it’s entirely up to you if you want to pull out your compass and keep heading north for another 2000+ miles!
If you’d like to hike the AT but are looking for something a little kinder to your feet, we’re happy to help you find the AT hike that’s just right for you. We have lots of hiking books, trail reports and maps, and personal experience to share – just give us a holler!
2. The John C. Campbell Folk School
“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” – Francis of Assisi
3. The Copper Door
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." – Virginia Woolf
MSN.com – Get Lost: 20 Must-Visit U.S. Restaurants in the Middle of Nowhere
Only in Your State – These 20 Restaurants In North Carolina Will Make Your Mouth Explode
Huffington Post – OpenTable Names Top 100 Restaurants For Service
Only in Your State – 25 Restaurants You Have To Visit In North Carolina Before You Die
4. Whitewater Rafting
“I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam… its roar shook both the earth and me.” – Wallace Stegner
5. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” – Joyce Kilmer
“…But only God can make a tree.”
6. Elk Viewing In The Cataloochee Valley
“If you lived through only one of those winters the way this elk has, you would write books about it. You would become a shaman.
You would be forever changed.” – Craig Childs, author
7. A Day On The Lake
“A little tranquil lake is more significant to my life than any big city in the world.” – Munia Khan
8. Tumbling Waters And Waterfalls
“There’s no better place to find yourself that sitting by a waterfall and listening to its music.” – Ronald Kemler
9. Trout Fishing In Nearby Fires Creek
“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after” – Henry David Thoreau.
10. Small Town Hayesville
“This town of churches and dreams; this town I thought I would lose myself in, with its backward ways
and winding roads leading to nowhere; but, I found myself instead.” – Kellie Elmore
Hayesville and Clay County – Good for the soul.