by Great Smokies | Attractions, History & Culture
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...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture, Lodging
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...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture, Lodging
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...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture
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...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture
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...
by Great Smokies | History & Culture
Jeff Marley’s enthusiasm for the programs at the Nantahala School for the Arts (NSA) is contagious as he leads a tour through the 1943 Almond Elementary School building just west of Bryson City, NC in the Smoky Mountains. As Heritage Arts Department Chair,...
