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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
We had a great time this past weekend, despite the rain - Railfest was in Bryson City! Festivals such as this one is a bonus find in any Smoky Mountain vacation packages. There are festivals all fall in the mountains this time of year and are definitely worth working into your visit!
Railfest is 3 days of railroad fun for trail enthusiasts of all ages. Those interested in railroad history can enjoy visiting equipment, motor car displays and of course Bryson City's Lionel Train Museum! There are musical performances and good eats too!
Bryson City NC cabin rentals are available all year long, but fall festival season is a favorite time to fill the cabins because there is so much to see and do in the fall. (The colors are just beginning to turn... more on that soon.)
A like bluegrass, a little gospel, a little folk, a little rock-n-roll, a little reggae...you might hear any or all of during North Carolina mountain vacations and here in Bryson City, we have Music In The Mountains every Saturday night at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad train Depot. You can grab a pizza on the deck at Anthony's and listen while you eat, or pull up a chair right in front of the musicians and feel part of the band!
September 19th, The Caribbean Cowboys got the crowd moving with a tunes mix of reggae, calypso, and good old rock 'n roll. Then on the 26th, we have local bluegrass/rockabilly with Isaac Deal & Aaron Plantenberg, formally of Commonfolk, playing guitar and banjo favorites.
We were thrilled to learn that Hinnant Family Vineyards chose three paintings by local Bryson City, NC artist Charles Heath to grace the labels of their latest North Carolina Wines: Electric Pelican, Moondance Magnolia, and Loggerhead Red. These sweet muscadine table wines are made from handpicked grapes and the lively art on the labels will make you smile. Charles will even sign your bottle if you stop by his gallery!
If your North Carolina mountain vacation needs a little twist or you are looking for a unique sourvenir or gift to take home with you, these wines are a perfect option! Pick them up at The Cottage Craftsman in downtown Bryson City, NC.
There's nothing quite like sitting on the front porch here in Bryson City, NC with a cup of coffee in one hand, watching the mist rise off mountains. I settled down just this morning and let myself wake up as the fog lifted through the trees and the Great Smoky Mountains did their thing. They are so aptly named! Mornings on the porch are like my personal mini Carolina mountain vacations, and you can't go wrong with a daily dose of that.
This time of year, the sun rises a little later - 7:30ish - so getting up to view a sunrise from is easy. If I miss a sunrise, sunsets are equally worth pulling up a rocking chair for. Morning and evening, the cicadas are also singing. They have their own appalachian melody and everytime I stop to listen, I think how lucky I am to have a cabin in the mountains and how nice it is to have a cabin rental business that allows us to help other people experience the Great Smoky Mountains in the same way.
Can We Make a Difference? We are ready to try! Every morning that we wake up in the Smoky Mountains we get to see how beautiful these mountains truly are.We deeply appreciate growing up here, raising our families here, and running a Cabin rental and real estate business here that helps others enjoy these beautiful mountains on their vacations. Our guests comment repeatedly how magical this area is in Western North Carolina.
We have been looking at what basic changes could we begin making in our business operations that would help keep our area as beautiful as it is.We found a small step we could take right away – switching all of the soaps and shampoos in our rental cabins to biodegradable Basic Earth products.Not only do they help keep chemicals out of the water table, but they passed the "does it smell good?" and "does it work?" tests as well!It’s a baby step, but we’re excited about it. We are continuing to look for more more green products for the cabins and our overall business operations. Send us your ideas - we can make a difference, one basic step at a time.
The Cherokee Festival of Native Peoples is something we always make a point of going to. It's a mini smoky mountain vacation for us locals and we look forward to it all year long. This year was no exception during the July 17-18 festival. (It will come back again nextyear, mark it on your calendar for next year's summer vacation in the Smokies.)
The Great Smoky Mountains are the ancient home of the Cherokee, rich with history, some glorious, some tragic.This is the perfect place to bring together Native People from all across the Americas and celebrate the traditions and cultures of the those who were the first residents of this land.
This festival draws people from all over the Americas – as far away as Hawaii and Central America. The participants are traditional artists, craftspeople, storytellers, dancers and more.The music is incredible, and the dancers so captivating we have to remind ourselves there are other things to see, like art and sortytelling!And the food…And the singing...and well, we could go on for a while. It’s one event we tell everyone we know not to miss! Our NC cabin rentals are conveniently located close to Cherokee and Bryson City, and we have more than 60 cabins from which to choose. Come explore the land of the Cherokee on your vacation getaway to the Smokies.
Festivals are a highlight of the summer and fall here in Bryson City, and the 4th of July Freedom Fest is always a good one.What’s not to like about great live music, funnel cakes, kettle corn, games, and local arts & crafts?The town enjoys a very strong group of artists and craftspeople who choose to make Bryson City their home.We have wood turners, musical instrument builders (guitars, banjoes, mandolins, dulcimers), jewelers, potters, weavers, jam makers, photographers, painters…
We hear a lot from visitors about how much our little town has to offer – and we’re excited that Bryson City is becoming known for the quality for our local artists as much as for outdoor recreation.
From what we saw on the 4th, walking around town, Freedom Fest was a hit for kids and adults alike.There was a big pile of shoes outside the ‘bouncy thing’ play area all day as kids lined up for their turn and parents enjoyed their respite to finish off great ice cream cones from Soda Pop's right next door.We saw some of our cabin rental guests and local folks chatting on the street corner, cheering as the Wagon Train rolled through town.Up the street, the Rotary Club was selling fresh barbeque in its annual fundraiser for Swain County student scholarships, and local bands were jamming. There was great music all day long right up till the fireworks started. We finished it off with fireworks over the mountains. Bryson City is actually known for great fireworks, year after year. This year's were no exception, mighty mighty fine! Great vacation packages and summer specials on cabin rentals are good through August 31, check out your next vacation opportunity here. Till next time.
Here in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, we're watching spring become summer. It is getting hotter, mist is hanging over the mountains in the morning, the rivers and lakes are full and inviting, and the canopy is lush and green. With the wonderful rain we've had in May, we are reminded that we are indeed a temperate rainforest here in the Smokies. The birds' chorus is fantastic now.
School's out in a matter of days across our southeast region - have you planned your summer getaway yet? Early summer is traditionally a time of value packages, and this year it's even better as some outstanding free night offers are available. Check out our specials on Bryson City cabins rentas, Cherokee cabin rentals, and Smoky Mountain vacation packages to find your best deal in the Smokies.
During an economic slowdown like now, opportunities actually abound for savvy, patient, investors. I've been watching our North Carolina mountains real estate market for over a decade now, and no matter what the current trends are, the long term fundamental investment value has always held for real estate here. With January almost over, we see historical lows in interest rates and negotiable property owners. The federal government has moved to aggressively stabilize the housing market, and the largest economic stimulus package in history is being debated in Congress as I write this blog. It's the time to act on wealth-building real estate opportunities.
Investing in any form is an expectation of profits at some future date, but there are smart investments in today's real estate market that generate profits now, and build real wealth over time. We all know there is no more "land" being produced anywhere, unlike other investments. Land is a finite, tangible asset. This area of NC backs up to the most popular National Park in the United states, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with over 11 million park visitors annually. The western North Carolina real estate market for vacation rental properties meets the criteria for a smart investment. The customer market interested in Carolina Mountain Vacations is big! Stay tuned for more about wealth-building through vacation rental ownership in my next post. Johnny Ensley, co-owner Yellow Rose Realty
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. 
We've got Smoky Mountain golfing, fishing in the Smokies,
If you happen to have arrived at your 
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 
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. 
As with the newest children's-book-turned-movie, Where the Wild Things Are, imagination came to life a few years ago with 
Fall in the 
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.
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?
We had a great time this past weekend, despite the rain - 
A like bluegrass, a little gospel, a little folk, a little rock-n-roll, a little reggae...you might hear any or all of during North Carolina 
There's nothing quite like sitting on the front porch here in 
Can We Make a Difference? We are ready to try!
Here in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, we're watching spring become summer. It is getting hotter, mist is hanging over the mountains in the morning, the rivers and lakes are full and inviting, and the canopy is lush and green. With the wonderful rain we've had in May, we are reminded that we are indeed a temperate rainforest here in the Smokies. The birds' chorus is fantastic now. 
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