Welcome to the Great Smokies Blog
Stories From The Smokies highlights interesting, out-of-the-ordinary aspects of life in the North Carolina mountains. We offer insider tips on things to do, places to go, and ways to make your Bryson City visit all the more memorable. Look for new posts in this space every few weeks. Or subscribe to receive updates by email.
A Festival to End All Festivals
Throughout the year, Darnell Farms celebrates each growing season with a festival. They celebrate strawberries, peaches, sweet corn, tomatoes and more. Sixteen in all. And in mid-November Darnell’s festival calendar ends with the grandest of all – a joyous, month-long...
How to Safely Enjoy the Fall Elk Rut in the Smokies
Autumn is a special time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In addition to the beautiful fall colors, Fall also brings the rut, the annual mating season for the elk. With the bull elks’ bugling echoing through the valleys, this is one of the most popular...
In Bryson City, Enjoy “The Fugitive” Escape Day Trip
Each year, thousands get away to Bryson City for a memorable Smoky mountains escape. But few getaways are as memorable as Richard Kimball’s 1993 escape from Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard. That’s when “The Fugitive” Kimball (Harrison Ford) leapt from the top of a tall...
Fontana Dam Was Built to Support Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project
A Massive War Effort Just nine days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress authorized the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to construct Fontana Dam in a rugged and remote mountain area on the Little Tennessee River in Western North Carolina. The dam was needed to...
The Everett Hotel’s Storied Heritage
The Many Lives Of 16 Everett Street The year 1908 saw the completion of Bryson City’s two most significant structures — a columned courthouse with domed cupola, and a permanent home for the town’s first financial institution, the Bank of Bryson City. Anchoring the...
How To View The Smokies Differently
Cruising the Smokies by automobile is a great experience and arguably the most popular way to see the sights. Of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s 13 million recreational visitors in 2022, most toured by vehicle. Yet there are other ways to view the Smokies –...
The National Park’s Junior Ranger Program
Like most national parks, Great Smoky Mountains NP has a kids 'Junior Ranger' program with activities and experiences unique to the Smokes. Dating back to the 1930s, Junior Rangers is a nationwide program where kids can learn about a park through self guided...
10 Tips for a Successful Family Reunion in the Smokies
Congratulations! You've volunteered to plan this years's family reunion. Your only job is to make your relatives happy with the destination, the budget, the activities and the lodging. No big deal, right? Before you lose your mind with internet searches, let us make...
The Fryemont Inn Turns 100
The Quintessential Mountain Lodge In 1923, timber baron Amos Frye built a hotel on a hill above Bryson City — a rambling, rustic, 2-story mountain lodge with massive stone fireplaces in both the lobby and dining hall. It offered 62 guest rooms, built to accommodate...
Name Origins of Places, Rivers and Mountains in the NC Smokies
Spend any time in the Smokies and you're bound to encounter a lot of names unique to the area. Many were derived from the Cherokees who have called this place home for thousands of years. Other names were coined by the Europeans that settled in Western North Carolina...
Books on Every Block
Enjoy books? Stroll through downtown Bryson City and you find books for sale on almost every block. These are not Barnes & Noble big box stores, but local retail stores with sections for readers young and old. Most offer selections reflecting the theme of the...
Spooky Smoky Mountain Happenings
Frightful storytelling by the bonfire. Shadowy figures rustling through a haunted cornfield. A bloodthirsty Count transforming into a bat. These are the terrifying experiences awaiting you at Bryson City / Cherokee’s Haunted October. The Cherokee Bonfire Hear amazing...
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