About Western North carolina

Pack Place is home to five member institutions, which include the Asheville Art Museum, Colburn Gem & Mineral Museum, Diana Wortham Theater, The Health Adventure and YMI Cultural Center.

Perry's Water Gardens is the home to many varieties of water lilies and lotuses that begin blooming in May and continue blooming into August. Perry's Water Gardens are said to be the largest commercial aquatic nursery in the US.

Pisgah National Forest consists of over half a million acres of forest surrounding Mt. Pisgah. James Hall, a Presbyterian minister, named Mt. Pisgah for the mountain Moses saw the promised land from after wondering forty years in the wilderness.

Road To Nowhere, The, as most local residents call it, is a 6-mile scenic drive into the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where it provides spectacular views of the Tuckasiegee River, Fontana Lake and the Appalachian Mountains.

Santa's Land is a family Theme Park and Zoo with a Christmas theme. Enjoy rides, shops, domestic and exotic animals, or visit with Santa and his elves. Bring a picnic lunch or dine at one of our establishments.

Scottish Tartans Museum was founded by Scottish Tartans Society, formed in Scotland in 1963 to “study the origins, history and development of tartans.” The Society has two museums--one in Keith, Scotland, and one in Franklin, NC.

Soco Gardens Zoo, located in Maggie Valley, is a small zoo with unique animals. Our guided tours allow you to learn how the animals came to live in our zoo and by the time you leave you will know many of our animals by name.

Ski Slopes in WNC Lists the ski slopes we currently know about in the Great Smoky Mountains and Western North Carolina with the phone numbers and website information.

Tuckasiegee River Rafting, a fun filled way for the family to spend a hot afternoon. Kids 4 years of age and over can have loads of fun and enjoy the calm, cool waters rafting the Class I rapids of the Tuckasiegee River.

Tribal Bingo, an Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is open year round seven days a week and is located on Hwy 19 North 2 miles from downtown Cherokee.

Tsali Biking, Hiking and Horseback Riding Trails wind around the Fontana Lake and through US Forest Service land. Bring your bike, horse, or just a pair of hiking boots and enjoy the great outdoors.

Waterfalls abound in the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina including the 411 feet Whitewater Falls which is the tallest series of falls east of the Mississippi.

Western NC Nature Center offers a Main Exhibit Building, Petting Area, Educational Farm, Predator Habitat, Otter Habitat, Nocturnal Hall and The Trillium Glen Nature Trail for your enjoyment.

Wheels Through Time Museum is an All-American museum offering a collection of over 250 rare antique American Motorcycles and Automobiles, plus a unique memorabilia collection.

Nature trails, parks and scenic roadways abound in Western NC. Walk the Appalachian Trail; explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Nantahala National Forest, or Pisgah National Forest; or drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, or Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. There is fun for everyone in Western NC.

Appalachian Trail is a 2,160-mile foot trail along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in the central Maine wilderness to Springer Mountain in a designated wilderness area in north Georgia.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles of senic roadway that connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Clingmans Dome elevation 6,643 feet is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains and offers a great views of the mountains and surrounding states on a clear day.

Cherohala Skyway crossing through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests, from which it gets it's name, this National Scenic Byway connects Robbinsville in North Carolina to Tellico Plains in Southeast Tennessee.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, established in 1934, covers 520,408 acres of land with heights ranging from 840 feet at Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is a tribute to a hero whose poem "Trees" inspired millions. The Forest Service inaugurated the Little Santeelah as the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in 1935.

Mountain Waters Scenic Byway begins in Highlands traveling approximately 61 miles winding through southern Appalachian hardwood forests, by numerous waterfalls and lakes and through two river gorges.

Nantahala National Forest lies in the mountains and valleys of western North Carolina with elevations as high as 5,800 feet at Lone Bald in Jackson County, to a low 1,200 feet in Cherokee County along the Tusquitee River.

Western North Carolina Waterfalls

Waterfalls and many cascades are located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Nantahala National Forest, around the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest and the Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina, including the 411 feet Whitewater Falls which is the tallest series of falls east of the Mississippi.

Bryson City Waterfalls include Juney Whank Falls, Toms Branch Falls, Indian Creek Falls and Bird Falls.

Cherokee Waterfalls include Mingo Falls and Chasteen Creek Falls.

Nantahala Falls and Cascades include Camp Branch Falls, White Oak Falls and Queens Falls.

Cashiers/Highlands/Sapphire Waterfalls include Silver Run Falls, Whitewater Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Dry Falls.

These waterfalls are beautiful and we hope to eventually visit each set for a picture and for specific directions on how to get to them. It is also our goal to list helpful links to other waterfall websites, many of which has been our inspiration to expand the former waterfall page, so if you have a Western North Carolina waterfall website and would like to be listed on this site please email us at wnc_attractions@hotmail.com with your link information. All we ask in return is a reciprocal link back to Western NC Attractions.

Great Smoky Mountains Fall Color Guide

Leaf Lookers come from all around to see the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of Western NC as they change colors in the Fall of the year. The Birch, Dogwood, Poplar and Sourwood trees are the first to turn at the end of September. The beech, hickory, oak and the sweet gum tree will keep a dark summer green foliage for about two weeks then they begin to turn also.

The peak this season is almost always the third weekend in October, but sometimes the colors turn sooner or will last into early November. For those who like a lot of green in their color scheme the first and second weekends of October are the best time to visit the mountains and for those who enjoy lots of reds, oranges, yellows and browns from the third weekend in October till the first weekend in November.

Make reservations early if you plan to spend the night in western NC during October and when planning to view the fall colors be sure you have your camera, a jacket, and you might want to bring a picnic lunch to avoid the crowded restaurants and a pair of binoculars for spotting wildlife. Scenic Drives include the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Clingmans Dome, Mountain Waters Byway and The Road To Nowhere.

Western North Carolina's Area Attractions & Travel Guide:

Western North Carolina's exciting attractions and fun activities vacation guide for the Appalachian Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park catering to everyone looking for fun things to do in WNC. Our Western NC Attractions included the heart of the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains . Our Western NC area attractions offer many fun and educational activities which include the Appalachian Trail, Biltmore House & Gardens, Blowing Rock, Cherohala Skyway, Cherokee Bear Zoo, Cherokee Indian Museum, Cherokee Indian Reservation, Chimney Rock Park, the Cradle of Forestry, Deep Creek Tubing, Fields of the Wood, Fontana Dam & Lake, Grand Father Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains Railway, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Linville Caverns, Mountain Farm & Museum, Mountain Waters Scenic Byway, Nantahala National Forest, Nantahala River Rafting, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Pack Place, Pisgah National Forest, The Road to Nowhere, Soco Gardens Zoo, Tribal Bingo, Tsali Biking & Horseback Riding Trails, Tuckasiegee River Rafting, the outdoor drama Unto These Hills and WNC Nature Center. Activities available include biking, boating, fly fishing, gem mining, hiking, horseback riding, knee-boarding, lake fishing, mountain biking, rafting, site seeing, snow skiing (at Cataloochee), swimming, tubing, water skiing and waterfall guide.

Located in the southwestern corner of North Carolina in the Blue Ridge chain of the Great Smoky Mountains, Cherokee County encompasses an area of about 455 square miles. It is about 32 miles from east to west and about 20 miles from north to south. There are two towns which embody the spirit and charm of small town America. They are Murphy, the county seat, and Andrews. There are also many small communities with colorful and unique names. At the time of the 2000 census, the population of the county was 24,298, with Murphy having 1,568 and Andrews having 1602. However, the area is growing rapidly. The county contains 300,100 acres, with 92,363 acres of United States Forest Service Land, 8,700 acres of lakes, and 6,000 acres of Indian land, with the remaining area being farmlands. The county is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. The highest elevation in the county is about 5,100 feet, on the corner where Cherokee and Clay counties meet at Fires Creek. The lowest elevation is about 1,200 feet, where Apalachia Lake crosses into Tennessee. The many lakes and breathtaking mountain views create many scenic backdrops. There are hiking trails, fishing streams, and camping areas, where the air is crisp and clean. There are nearby white water adventures, golfing, boating, horseback riding and many other activities available in the area. Cherokee County has theaters, craft shows, antique shops, festivals and fairs. The crime rate is low and one can find serenity in this beautiful mountain area. The Cherokee Indian Reservation has a wealth of culture, natural beauty, and fun filled family entertainment. The Native Americans living in the Cherokee Reservation are known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. A few brave souls hid in the Great Smoky Mountains during the Indian Removal in 1837-1838 and eventually settled the Cherokee Indian Reservation that is there today. There are six communities (Yellowhill, Birdtown, Painttown, Snowbird, Big Cove, and Wolftown) within their reservation. The Cherokee have there own language, culture, and Tribal Government which is primarily responsible for keeping their culture alive today. For example, the Cherokee language is a required subject in their schools.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park receives over 12 million visitors each year. It is the most visited park in the nation. Great Smoky Mountain National Park has over 4,000 species of plant life. A walk from mountain base to peak compares with traveling 1,250 miles north. Several resident plants and animals live only in the Smokies. It also has a rich cultural history. From the Cherokee Indians, to the Scotch-Irish settlers, this land was home to a variety of cultures and people. Many historic structures remain standing. Congress established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on 6/15/34, and turned its stewardship to the National Park Service. On September 2, 1940, President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt officially dedicated the park. The Park is administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the United States Federal government's Department of Interior.

HISTORY:

TENNESSEE was named for Tanasie an early Cherokee village. The Cherokee Chief Sequoyah developed a written alphabet of 86 characters for the Cherokee language . Born in the late 1700s, Sequoyah became a silversmith painter, warrior and scholar. He taught many of his people to read and write. The Cherokee formed their own schools and printed their own books. The huge Sequoyah trees of California were named for this remarkable man.

ACTIVITIES:

Cherokee is a favorite destination for vacationers. It has an outdoor drama show "Unto These Hills", the Oconaluftee Indian Village, the Museum of the Cherokee Indians, Qualla Arts and Crafts, Cherokee Heritage Gallery, horseback riding, gift shops, cabin rentals, various types of lodging, Harrahs Casino and much much more.

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose

No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the "Trail Where They Cried" than the Cherokee Rose. The mothers of the Cherokee grieved so much that the chiefs prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits and give them strength to care for their children. From that day forward, a beautiful new flower, a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear fell to the ground. The rose is white, for the mother's tears. It has a gold center, for the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem that represent the seven Cherokee clans that made the journey. To this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Rose is now the official flower of the State of Georgia.

Cherokee. A powerful detached tribe of the Iroquoian family, formerly holding the whole mountain region of the south Alleghenies, in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and South Carolina, north Georgia, east Tennessee, and northeast Alabama, and claiming even to the Ohio River.

The tribal name is a corruption of Tsálăgĭ or Tsárăgĭ, the name by which they commonly called themselves, and which may be derived from the Choctaw chiluk-ki 'cave people', in allusion to the numerous caves in their mountain country. They sometimes also call themselves Ani'-Yûñ'-wiyd', 'real people,' or Anĭ'-Kitu'hwagĭ, 'people of Kituhwa’, one of their most important ancient settlements. Their northern kinsmen, the Iroquois, called them Oyata’ge'ronoñ', 'inhabitants of the cave country' (Hewitt), and the Delawares and connected tribes called them Kittuwa, from the settlement already noted. They seem to be identical with the Rickohockans, who invaded central Virginia in 1658, and with the ancient Talligewi, of Delaware tradition, who were represented to have been driven southward from the upper Ohio River region by the combined forces of the Iroquois and Delawares.

The language has three principal dialects:

(1) Elatĭ, or Lower, spoken on the heads of Savannah River, in South Carolina and Georgia;

(2) Middle, spoken chiefly on the waters of Tuckasegee River, in western North Carolina, and now the prevailing dialect on the East Cherokee reservation;

(3) A'tŭli, Mountain or Upper, spoken throughout most of upper Georgia, east Tennessee, and extreme western North Carolina. The lower dialect was the only one which had the r sound, and is now extinct. The upper dialect is that which has been exclusively used in the native literature of the tribe.

Traditional, linguistic, and archeological evidence shows that the Cherokee originated in the north, but they were found in possession of the south Allegheny region when first encountered by De Soto in 1540. Their relations with the Carolina colonies began 150 years later. In 1736 the Jesuit (?) Priber started the first mission among them, and attempted to organize their government on a civilized basis. In 1759, under the leadership of A'ganstâ'ta (Oconostota), they began war with the English of Carolina. In the Revolution they took sides against the Americans, and continued the struggle almost without interval until 1794. During this period parties of the Cherokee pushed down Tennessee River and formed new settlements at Chickamauga and other points about the Tennessee-Alabama line. Shortly after 1800, missionary and educational work was established among theme, and in 1820 they adopted a regular form of government modeled on that of the United States. In the meantime large numbers of the more conservative Cherokee, wearied by the encroachments of the whites, had crossed the Mississippi and made new homes in the wilderness in what is now Arkansas. A year or two later Sequoya (q. v.), a mixed-blood, invented the alphabet, which at once raised them to the rank of a literary people.

At the height of their prosperity gold was discovered near the present Dahlonega, Ga., within the limits of the Cherokee Nation, and at once a powerful agitation was begun for the removal of the Indians. After years of hopeless struggle under the leadership of their great chief, John Ross, they were compelled to submit to the inevitable, and by the treaty of New Echota, Dec. 29, 1835, the Cherokee sold their entire remaining territory and agreed to remove beyond the Mississippi to a country there to be set apart for them-the present (1905) Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. The removal was accomplished in the winter of 1838-39, after considerable hardship and the loss of nearly one-fourth of their number, the unwilling Indians being driven out by military force and making the long journey on foot. On reaching their destination they reorganized their national government, with their capital at Tahlequah, admitting to equal privileges the earlier emigrants, known as "old settlers." A part of the Arkansas Cherokee had previously gone down into Texas, where they had obtained a grant of land in the east part of the state from the Mexican government. The later Texan revolutionists refused to recognize their rights, and in spite of the efforts of Gen. Sam Houston, who defended the Indian claim, a conflict was precipitated, resulting, in 1839, in the killing of the Cherokee chief, Bowl (q. v.), with a large number of his men, by the Texan troops, and the expulsion of the Cherokee from Texas.

When the main body of the tribe was removed to the west, several hundred fugitives escaped to the mountains, where hey lived as refugees for a time, until, in 1842, through the efforts of Win. H. Thomas, an influential trader, they received permission to remain on lands set apart for their use in western North Carolina.

They constitute the present eastern band of Cherokee, residing chiefly on the Qualla reservation in Swain and Jackson counties, with several outlying settlements.

The Cherokee in the Cherokee Nation were for years divided into two hostile factions, those who had favored and those who had opposed the treaty of removal. Hardly had these differences they been adjusted when the civil war burst upon them. Being slave owners and surrounded by southern influences, a large part of each of the Five Civilized Tribes of the territory enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, while others adhered to the National Government. The territory of the Cherokee was overrun in turn by both armies, and the close of the war found them prostrated. By treaty in 1866 they were readmitted to the protection of the United States, but obliged to liberate their Negro slaves and admit them to equal citizenship. In 1867 and 1870 the Delawares and Shawnee, respectively, numbering together about 1,750, were admitted from Kansas and incorporated with the Nation. In 1889 Cherokee Commission was created for the purpose of abolishing the tribal governments and opening the territories to white settlement, with the result that after 15 years of negotiation an agreement was made by which the government of the Cherokee Nation came to a final end Mar. 3, 1906: the Indian lands were divided, and the Cherokee Indians, native adopted, became citizens of the United States.

The Cherokee have 7 clans, viz:

Ani'-wa'`ya (Wolf)

Ani'-Kawĭ' (Deer)

Ani'-Tsi'skwa (Bird)

Ani'-wi'dĭ (Paint)

Ani'-Sah'a'ni

Ani'-Ga'tagewĭ

Ani'-Gi-lâ'hĭ

The names of the last 3 cannot be translated with certainty. There is evidence that there were anciently 14, which by extinction or absorption have been reduced to their present number. The Wolf clan is the largest and most important. The "seven clans" are frequently mentioned in the ritual prayers and even in the printed laws of the tribe. They seem to have had a connection with the "seven mother towns" of the Cherokee, described by Cuming in 1730 as having each a chief, whose office was hereditary in the female line.

The Cherokee are probably about as numerous now as at any period in their history. With the exception of an estimate in 1730, which placed them at about 20,000, most of those up to a recent period gave them 12,000 or 14,000, and in 1758 they were computed at only 7,500. The majority of the earlier estimates are probably too low, as the Cherokee occupied so extensive a territory that only a part of them came in contact with the whites. In 1708 Gov. Johnson estimated them at 60 villages and "at least 500 men" (Rivers, So. Car., 238, 1856). In 1715 they were officially reported to number 11,210 (Upper, 2,760; diddle, 6,350; Lower, 2,100), including 4,000 warriors, and living in 60 villages (Upper, 19; Middle, 30; Lower, 11). In 1720 were estimated to have been reduced to about 10,000, and again in the same year reported at about 11,500, including about 3,800 warriors (Gov. Johnson's Rep. in Rivers, op. cit., 93, 94, 103, 1874). In 1729 they were estimated at 20,000, with at least 6,000 warriors and 64 towns and villages (Stevens, Hist. Ga., r, 48, 1847).

They are said to have lost 1,000 warriors in 1739 from smallpox and rum, and they suffered a steady decrease during their wars with the whites, extending from 1760 until after the close of the Revolution. Those in their original homes had again increased to 16,542 at the time of their forced removal to the west in 1838, but lost nearly one-fourth on the journey, 311 perishing in a steamboat accident on the Mississippi. Those already in the west, before the removal, were estimated at about 6,000. The civil war in 1861-65 again checked their progress, but they recovered from its effects in a remarkably short time, and in 1885 numbered about 19,000, of whom about 17,000 were in Indian Territory, together with about 6,000 adopted whites, Negroes, Delawares, and Shawnee, while the remaining 2,000 were still in their ancient homes in the east.

Of this eastern band, 1,376 were on Qualla reservation, in Swain and. Jackson Counties, N. C.; about 300 are on Cheowah River, in Graham County, N. C., while the remainder, all of mixed blood, are scattered over east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama. The eastern band lost about 300 by smallpox at the close of the civil war. In 1902 there were officially reported 28,016 persons of Cherokee blood, including all degrees of admixture, in the Cherokee Nation in the Territory, but this includes several thousand individuals formerly repudiated by the tribal courts.

There were also living in the nation about 3,000 adopted Negro freedmen, more than 2,000 adopted whites, and about 1700 adopted Delaware, Shawnee, and other Indians. The tribe has a larger proportion of white admixture than any other of the Five Civilized Tribes.