You never know what is going to happen in the Great Smoky Mountains, and at 2am on October 25, 2009
a rock slide covered Interstate 40 at mile 2.6 near the NC/TN line. The slide is similar to one that hit the same area in July of 1997, closing both lanes of traffic. As with the 1997 slide, I40 will be closed for 3-4 months while the area is cleaned up, the road repaired and the mountainside stabilized.
Luckily there's more than one way around the mountains to our
Smoky Mountain vacation rentals and all the fun happenings in our corner of the world. Whether folks are coming to do some Smoky Mountain golfing, or to look at
Smoky Mountain cabin properties, or to hike around looking at waterfalls, there are many ways to get here without worrying about Interstate 40!
Here are some alternative routes to Bryson City.
FROM VIRGINIA:- OPTION 1, through Asheville: Driving south on Interstate 81, take Interstate 26 (Exit 57A) east to Asheville. At exit 31B, take Interstate 40 west to US 74 (exit 27) – the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. Follow US 74 past Waynesville and Sylva to Cherokee (exit 74) and Bryson City (exit 67).
- OPTION 2, through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Drive south on Interstate 81 until it merges into Interstate 40. Continue WEST on I-40 to TN-66 (exit 407). Drive south to Sevierville where you'll pick up US 441 South. Continue south on US 441 through Gatlinburg and into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on to Cherokee, NC.
From Cherokee, there are two short routes to Bryson City: (1) the two-lane US 19 West, or (2) you can continue south on US 441 to US 74 west. Continue on US 74 to Bryson City (exit 67).
- Note: US 441 through the National Park reaches an elevation of 5000 feet at Newfound Gap. For current updates of weather related road closings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park please call (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast. Please be aware that road openings/closings may change throughout the day.
FROM KNOXVILLE, TN:
- OPTION 1, through Maryville and Deals Gap: From Knoxville, take US 129 south through Maryville. Continue south on US 129 through Deals Gap and into North Carolina. Just past the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort , turn left on to NC 28 and continue east (passing Fontana Dam) to US 74. Turn left (east) and follow US 74 to Bryson City (exit 67) and Cherokee (exit 74)
Note: US 129 through Deal's Gap is extremely curvy (318 continuous curves in 11 miles). It's one of the nations most popular motorcycle and sports cars roads. Others may find it too curvy.
- OPTION 2, through Maryville and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: From Knoxville, take US 129 south to US 321 in Maryville. Drive east on US 321 through Townsend, TN. Just east of Townsend, turn right on the E. Lamar Alexander Parkway into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Follow the Little River Road until it merges into US 441. Turn right on US 441 and continue south to Cherokee.
From Cherokee, there are two short routes to Bryson City: (1) the two-lane US 19 West, or (2) you can continue south on US 441 to US 74 west. Continue on US 74 to Bryson City (exit 67).
- OPTION 3, through Sevierville and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: From Knoxville, take Interstate 40 east to TN-66 (exit 407). Drive south to Sevierville where you'll pick up US 441 South. Continue south on US 441 through Gatlinburg and into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on to Cherokee, NC.
From Cherokee, there are two short routes to Bryson City: (1) the two-lane US 19 West, or (2) you can continue south on US 441 to US 74 west. Continue on US 74 to Bryson City (exit 67).
- Note: US 441 through the National Park reaches an elevation of 5000 feet at Newfound Gap. For current updates of weather related road closings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park please call (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast. Please be aware that road openings/closings may change throughout the day.
FROM NASHVILLE, TN:
- OPTION 1, through Chattanooga and the river gorges: From Nashville, take Interstate 26 to Chattanooga. When I-26 ends, south of the city, take Interstate 75 north to US 74 (exit 20) near Cleveland, TN. (This is a loop highway that combines US 74, US 64 and TN 60). Look for signs marking an exit to Ocoee and Murphy, NC). To stay on US 74/64, you will take this exit and continue east past Ocoee Lake, the Ocoee River Gorge, and Murphy, NC. In Murphy, continue east on US 74 through Andrews and the Nantahala River Gorge to Bryson City (exit 67) and Cherokee (exit 74).
- OPTION 2, through Knoxville: From Nashville, take Interstate 40 east to Knoxville and choose one of the three options from Knoxville to Cherokee and Bryson City (Click the Knoxville tab above).
Asian Multi-Colored Lady Beetle, Japanese Lady Beetle, Japanese Lady Bug...all of these are common names for
Harmonia axyridis, a common visitor to
Smoky Mountain cabin properties windowsills in the late fall. Like kudzu, japanese honeysuckle, nepalise browntop and english ivy, these little visitors are not native to the United States and love to gather in large groups in an annoying fashion.
When the weather turns cold, the lady beetles group up in dry places to begin their winter hibernation. In their native Asia, lady beetles winter in cracks on cliff faces and other naturally occurring cool, dry cubbies. In America, they settle for wintering in house, garages and other buildings. Being sun lovers, they usually gather on the south side of buildings, and on sunny days, will wander around indoors even in winter. From North Carolina to Michigan, these clever little beetles find there way into homes day after day. They get vaccuumed up and the next day they're back - a harmless but somewhat frustrating part of life in these parts. Luckily, in the spring, the lady beetles all return to the great outdoors and leave houses alone.
Asian Lady Beetles can be distinguished from native Lady Bugs, who prefer not to spend their winters indoors! Asian Lady Beetles have an 'M' (or 'W' depending on how you are looking at them) on the top of their heads.
So if you meet a bunch of lady bugs on a windowsill or doorframe on your
Carolina mountain vacation, know that they're just looking for a place to spend the winter. They don't bite or sting and while they can be vacuumed up easily, there will probably be more of them the next day. It's not the sign of a dirty house, just a creative beetle! Remember all the aphids they'll eat off good garden veggies come summer time and smile at these colorful visitors.
Pottery, hand woven table runners, silver jewelry, blown glass, fresh cheese...all of these handmade products -- and many more -- are created by artists here in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina!
Smoky Mountain vacation packages do not often include opportunities to see artists in action, but for those lucky enough to be staying in Bryson City NC cabin rentals the weekend of November 27-28, 2009, you can take place in the
Artisans Drive-about Studio Tour & Silent Auction from 10 am - 5 pm each day!
Local artists open their doors and studios to the public, letting arts and crafts lovers get a glimpse of the who, where and how behind some of the best arts in the Smoky Mountains. Participating artists include Wood Gallery “at the Old Barn”, Yellow Branch Pottery & Cheese, Bee Global Candles, Karen’s Garden Designs, and many others.
Just a couple miles away from our
Smoky Mountain cabin properties, on Old NC 288, is Lemon's Branch Boat ramp, a little-known put-in to Fontana Lake, where the Tuckaseegee river meets the lake. But if you don't have a boat, there's another gem along the way. Only minutes from town, away from crowds, on quiet backroads, is a surprise -- three picnic tables along side the river.
Like so many places in small towns, this one does not get much traffic from folks who don't live there. If you bring your lunch to this location, you'll most likely have the place to yourself - expect for the occasional fisherman or duck floating by or a Blue Heron wading along in search of fish. And there's also railed deck over the water -- a perfect spot for doing some land-based
fishing in the smokies -- especially if you have kids. So grab a sandwich and come enjoy an easy-to-get-to, quiet picnic spot in the mountains along the river.
When you're ready leave the cozy porch of your
Bryson City NC cabin rentals, a visit to Tom Branch Falls on the
Deep Creek Trail in the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great way to start off the day!
One of three waterfalls on the Deep Creek trail, Tom Branch Falls is the easiest to access. In fact it's one of the most easy to reach waterfalls you'll ever find!
The trail to Tom Branch begins at the Deep Creek Trailhead parking area, and is an old road bed, making it both wide and relatively smooth. Deep Creek itself is on your right as you walk, and you have only to walk just 1000 feet to arrive at the viewing area for the falls!
Settle yourself on one of the large, high-backed benches placed there for your enjoyment and gaze across Deep Creek at the rocky waterfall spilling into the cool waters. Tom Branch is tall - 80 feet - and it drops in a lovely series of various sized-steep-steps into Deep Creek. In the summer, you'll likely see tubers floating past, but in the fall, you'll see the creek in a calmer state. It a great place to sit back and enjoy restful moments of
Carolina mountain vacations.
For folks coming to the area for Carolina mountain vacations, there's an event happening just down the road, in our lovely sister village of Dillsboro, that we're excited to share with everyone: The fifth annual Western North Carolina Pottery Festival. This gathering includes potters from all over the United States - as far away as Texa, Michigan and California - and is happening Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
Western North Carolina Pottery Festival is a juried event and showcases 42 master potters demonstrating a variety of techniques. The festival will take place from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. Admission is $2 per person and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle. Children under 12 get in free! Dillsboro is just a few minutes drive from both our
Bryson City NC cabin rentals and our
Cherokee NC cabin rentals, so make an easy day of it and enjoy.
We've got Smoky Mountain golfing, fishing in the Smokies,
Smoky Mountain vacation rentals and now we have Elvis! Okay, so he's not the real Elvis, but he's a mighty cheerful impersonator. Chris Monteith is bringing "The King" to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot for a Halloween concert that we're expecting to rock our little mountain town.
This is one of our favorite things about Bryson City - the weekly
Music in the Mountains concert. Every Friday night at 6:30, some new and fun local music makers gather at the Depot and play their hearts out. We get over to listen any time we can and it's always a great time - not only do we get to hear great music, but we get to meet visitors from all over the country who've stopped to add some mountain tunes to their
Smoky Mountain vacation.
Elvis in Bryson! We're looking forward to this one....
If you happen to have arrived at your
Smoky mountain vacation rentals in the midst of a rainstorm this fall - don't be blue! Take a look around you and notice how vivid the colors of the changing leaves look in the rain. It's a little recognized fact that gray and rainy days make fall foliage seem to glow brighter and richer than days full of bright sun.
Of course we always wish for sunny skies so we can enjoy some fabulous views from elevation, but if it happens to rain during your
Carolina mountain vacation this fall, don't let it get you down - take a moment to notice how brilliant and intimate the tree colors seems - like they turned yellow or orange just for you. There's nothing dreary in so personal a vision of fall!
Grab an umbrella and go for a walk at Deep Creek, notice the mist off the water and how stunning the waterfalls are thanks to the extra rain - and notice that you have fewer people crowding the trail with you! Ahha - the joys of a rainy fall day. Or go over to the
Biltmore Estate and explore a mansion like none you have ever seen! (Don't forget to buy your
discounted 2 day Biltmore tickets at Yellow Rose for significant savings!) And when you return to your
Bryson City NC cabin rentals, think how nice and cozy it's going to feel for the evening!
The Smoky Mountains have dressed themselves into their fall finery! The colors are stunning and, for two nights so far, we even had dustings of snow on the highest peaks. It melts quickly right now, but the white stuff is a lovely topper for these mountains of ours.
Bryson City North Carolina real estate on the edge of these mountains is prime leaf-looking territory. We're lucky enough to live here, but we love that we can offer
Cherokee NC cabin rentals and
Bryson City NC cabin rentals to allow visitors to enjoy the reds of the maples, yellows of the beech and poplars and the oranges of oaks. Folks come from all over to see Mother Nature's show in the Carolinas. We recommend picking up a copy of
Trees of the Smokies to help the park and learn more about what you're looking at when you gaze in awe at these spectacular trees.
National Parks and National Forests both represent publicly owned lands but they have very different uses, management plans and levels of protection of wild places.
In our area, we have two national parks around which folks can plan a Carolina mountain vacation -- the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and The Blue Ridge Parkway -- easy to reach from either
Bryson City NC cabin rentals or
Cherokee NC cabin rentals! We also have the gorgeous Nantahala National Forest.
National Parks are managed by the Department of the Interior to be protected and
preserved in wild state for current and future generations. Visitors must leave everything they find, and take away everything they bring (i.e. do not pick flowers, collect mushrooms, rocks...or leave orange peels, eggshells, apple cores...). National parks are patrolled by Park Rangers and offer many visitor amenities at designated locations, such as restrooms and maybe even lodging and restaurants. Dogs are usually
not allowed off lead at camping or picnic areas or on any hiking trails in National Parks.
National Forests, such as Nantahala National Forest, are managed by the Department of Agriculture and are used not only for recreation, but
for logging, mining, and hunting. They are less restrictive of activities; more areas are open for camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, All-Terrain-Vehicle use, etc. National Forests are managed by very small staffs; expect to be completely self-reliant while visiting as amenities are few and very basic. Dogs are usually allowed.
It's best to check with the local
Park Service and
Forest Service offices near where you've booked your
Smoky Mountain vacation packages.
It's here! Fall color has arrived in the Great Smoky Mountains - the peaks around our
Bryson City NC Cabin rentals are just pocked yellow and orange and at lower elevations, we're seeing leaves begin to turn too. The air is full of the fall sounds of rustling leaves in the breeze and the crunch of the fallen leaves underfoot! Mornings are cooler and days are still hot, making for perfect days of golf in the smokies after a good, hot breakfast!
Smoky mountain golfing is in full swing among the colorful peaks with the opening of
Sequoyah National Golf Course in Whittier, NC. This course is brand new and we'll bring you more information on it as it becomes more established! The local course already well known is the
Smoky Mountain Country Club, also in Whittier, NC. Roaming the greens while admiring the display of color onthe mountains...now that's a fantastic Smoky Mountain day!
One of our favorite
Bryson City, NC events is the annual
Downtown Trick or Treat, taking place this year on Friday, Oct 30th from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. It's a great event for the kids - even us big kids! Downtown Bryson City is decked out in Halloween trim and the business owners often dress us to greet the crowds of kids and parents going door to door to every business for Halloween treats.
This year, we're been informed, there will be a costume contest! Hmm...what can we go as this year? So for all our guests planning their
Carolina mountain vacation for Halloween weekend - don't forget your dress-up duds -- they are one thing our Smoky Mountain vacation rentals don't provide you! Those in our
Cherokee NC cabin rentals will have to drive a few miles to join the event, but it's worth the trip to see the grins on the kids' faces.
As with the newest children's-book-turned-movie,
Where the Wild Things Are, imagination came to life a few years ago with
The Polar Express as that famous children's tale was turned into a feature film. Here in Bryson City, NC, imagination was taken to the next level - with a real life
Polar Express train ride, complete with Santa, elves, lots of hot chocolate and jingling bells for all! It's the perfect theme for family
Carolina mountain vacations!
Starting November 9, 2009 and running through December 23, 2009, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad transforms itself into a children's wonderland. Kids come in their pajamas for a magic adventure the experience before only in the book or the movie. We love to watch the little ones jumping up and down in anticipation. They'll be dreaming of trains every night in one of our
Smoky Mountain vacation rentals. You can read the book, rent the movie, and bring the whole family out to see the real thing!
Fall in the
Great Smoky Mountains means color, color, color. North Carolina does not have the abundance of maples that make New England famous for red fall color, we do have enough sprinklings of those fabulous flaming red trees to make these southern mountains glow. Layer after layer of yellow, orange and red dappled peaks spread into the distance here, and the colors linger from mid October into November, making late season viewing a treat. We are seeing the color now, marching down the mountainsides. Very color.
Whether we're out fishing in the Smokies, or enjoying a round of Smoky Mountain golf, we are admiring the glorious color on our lovely mountains! We're lucky enough that even where we're not out playing, our Smoky Mountain cabin properties - both the house and the office in town - offer us views of the fall extravaganza. What a treat! And lucky for folks visiting us that we also have
Smoky Mountain vacation rentals so they can enjoy the same views we do!
Fall has come to the Great Smoky Mountains with cool nights and crisp mornings that make you want to wrap your hands around a hot mug of coffee, gaze up at the foggy mountains and give a big "Aaaahhhh!" of contentment. Days here are warm and clear, and the nights just chilly enough to need another blanket to cuddle under.
These are great days to get out on the
lake in a kayak, take a
hike and ride home on a Jet Boat,
explore Biltmore Estate. IT is warm enough to be pleasant, but not too hot and sticky for outdoor activities. With dozens of different things to do in Bryson City and with the crowds of summer gone, folks who come for Fall
Carolina mountain vacations see a whole different side of our lovely mountains. So everyone bring your sense of adventure, and ask us to stock your
Bryson City NC rental cabin with some fresh local organic coffee for our fall mountain mornings.
Did you watch the PBS documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"? What a fabulous series! (If you missed it on TV, you can view it
online.) Seeing it got us thinking about the people behind the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
One of the most famous,
Horace Kephart, author of
Camping and Woodcraft based himself in Hazel Creek and eventually
Bryson City. Another great influence on the creation of the National Park was
George Masa, whose mysterious life is explored in the documentary
The Mystery of George Masa. On the Tennessee side,
Wiley and Rebecca Ann Oakley were influencial in creating appreciation for the uniqueness of the Smokies.
Thanks to these people and many other great men and women, when you enjoy
Great Smoky Mountain vacation packages, you are able to enjoy these fabulous mountains in all their glory.
Ginkgo Trees are one of the most ancient species of tree on Earth, with fossils dating back to the early Jurassic period. One surprising trait of these trees is that they do not loose their leaves gradually. Ginkgos drop their leaves all at once, sending a shower of golden onto the ground, and if you happen to be near the tree on your
Carolina mountain vacation when it happens, it's not a sight you will soon forget!
In 1941, Mary Bryson Tipton (
Bryson City, NC is named for her family), planted a Ginkgo tree on the corner of Everett and Mitchell Streets in downtown Bryson City. Mrs. Tipton had been a missionary in China and returned home to Bryson City NC at the start of the second world war. The tree is still there, shading the building beside it and offering its own unique fall spectacle among our Smoky Mountain fall foliage extravaganza. It's not something typically included in
Smoky Mountain vacation packages, but if you're lucky enough to see our Ginkgo shed its leaves while you're visiting Bryson City, you'll have another great story to take home with you.
We're starting to see color at elevation - over 5000 feet. Lucky for us, living in the Great Smoky Mountains means that we're only a short drive from such elevation and can get to those beautiful leaves in just a few moments.
Here in downtown Bryson City, NC, we're seeing dogwoods already showing their red berries and a tint to their leaves. The mornings are cooler, and the days are warming into the 70s with blue skies, puffy clouds passing by and the first hints of golden fall light. What a great time to be out playing in our
Carolina mountain vacation paradise!
Whether you've chosen
Bryson City NC Cabin Rentals or
Cherokee NC Cabin Rentals, the heights of the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway are a short drive away. And as the season goes on, you'll be able to step right off you cabin porch into a display of fall colors and crunchy leaves. We'll keep you updated as more colors appear!
They tune up in June and spend the next several months singing us to sleep. People spend lots of money on white noise machines to hear a computer-generated version of our Smoky Mountain cicada song - so what better way to fall asleep than to an all-natural white-noise?
And cicadas sing rain or shine - some claim they sing louder in the rain - so you can count on night music no matter what the weather! Many of our Bryson City NC
rental cabins have country front porches on which you can sit and watch the sunset and listen as the night sounds begin.
Good sleep is a hallmark of a Carolina mountain
vacation, and while our Smoky Mountain vacation packages include enough activities to set you up for good rest, our mountain cicada lullaby closes the deal on a great night of sleep.
The
Great Pumpkin vacations in the Great Smoky Mountain! Bryson City North Carolina real estate is perfect for pumpkin patches and the Great Pumpkins loves to hide among them
every weekend in October! The Peanuts characters are all looking for the Great Pumpkin too and will greet you and help you search as well. Kids select their own pumpkins, and enjoy hay rides, live music, storytelling, a hay bale maze, a bouncy house, a petting zoo and more.
Kids and adults are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and to trick or treat. It's a fine time to live and play in Bryson City and we love to have folks visit and be part of it.
Whether you're doing
Cherokee NC Cabin Rentals or
Bryson City NC Cabin Rentals, make the Great Pumpkin Express part of your Carolina mountain vacation! You can book your train ride tickets directly with us at Yellow Rose Realty, when you call (800-528-0760 or when you arrive at our office in Bryson City.
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