Places
Appalachian Trail Through Hikers
A hiker follows the Appalachian Trail across Max Patch Bald in Haywood County, NC. The Appalachian Trail extends 2,160 miles from Springer Mountain in North Georgia to Mount Katahdin in northern Maine. “Through Hiker” is the name given to those who hike the...
Brown Mountain Lights
Since the early 1700s, travelers have reported seeing the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights on clear, moonless nights. According to local folklore, the lights are actually the spirit of a slave searching for his lost master across ridges and through the valley....
German Settlers in the Appalachians
People of German descent are one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. They came to be known by the misnomer “Dutch” because Germans refer to themselves as Deutsch. Germans’ persistent and hardworking nature allowed them to thrive in backcountry...
Happy Land
In 1865, a band of former slaves newly freed in Mississippi began searching for a new home. They settled near Tuxedo in Henderson County, North Carolina. They eventually bought 200 acres of land that they declared to be “The Kingdom of the Happy Land”. . .
Oconaluftee Indian Village
In 1952, the Cherokee Historical Association opened the Oconaluftee Indian Village, a recreated Cherokee village set in the 1750s. . .
Migration of the Scotch-Irish from Ulster to Western North Carolina
Migration has been a major feature of human history, beginning with the earliest hunter-gatherers who ranged widely in pursuit of food. Other motives for migration have included war, economic hardship, religious strife, and the promise of a better life. The migratory...
Biltmore Estate
George Washington Vanderbilt II was born into money. His grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt, amassed a huge railroad and shipping empire. His father, William Henry Vanderbilt, financed the founding of New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Vanderbilt University. . .
Basilica of St. Lawrence
In 1905 Asheville’s Catholic community built the Basilica of St. Lawrence, a church specially designated by the pope for its dramatic architecture. . .
Judaculla Rock
Judaculla Rock, located along Caney Fork Creek in Jackson County, is North Carolina’s largest example of a Native American petroglyph, or rock carving. . .
Flat Rock
Flat Rock, North Carolina, the home of one of the nation’s top ten summer theaters, is a wonderful place to enjoy a play. Begun in a tent by actor/director/producer Robroy Farquhar in 1953, it presents about ten Broadway musicals, dramas, and comedies each year.