Feature image: On a warm spring day at Frog Level Brewing, forgo the taproom in the former warehouse for a seat next to Richland Creek.
No matter which direction you walk down the red-brick sidewalks on Main Street, mountains rise up ahead of you. It’s a reminder that in Waynesville, an adventure is never too far away. For more than 200 years, this town has been a gateway to the beauty that surrounds it.
In the 1800s, tourists came for the purported health benefits of the clean mountain air. Today, they also come for the town’s vibrant personality: Around every corner, you’ll find art galleries and studios. Cozy wine bars and craft breweries. A gourmet grocery and a colorful kitchen shop. Ask a local where to eat, and be ready to take notes on the farm-to-table restaurants.
You could ready your hiking boots — head into Great Smoky Mountains National Park or hop onto the Blue Ridge Parkway — but you could also just stay put. Settle in. Because there’s plenty to admire and explore right in front of you.
During the chilliest months of the year, only a soul-warming stew will do.
In this season finale of the Away Message podcast, we check back in with our hikers to see what changed (and what didn't) after their hike across North Carolina came to a close.
A new mobile museum helps visitors understand the deep history of the country’s first incorporated African American town, its faith born of resilience, and, most important, its hopes for the future.
Western North Carolina is at its most stunning when autumn arrives and the leaves burst into color. Before you head out leaf-peeping this fall, check in weekly to see what colors our experts are seeing at 22 of our favorite mountain spots.
