Related: Click here to read about historic Main Street in Sylva.
Sylva’s Neoclassical Revival courthouse, with its Corinthian portico, 16-ton cupola, and 105 steps — it’s lost a couple over the years — is reported to be the most photographed building in western North Carolina. photograph by Robert Stephens
By the 1980s, the historic courthouse began to suffer structural problems, and in 1988, it was condemned. The building was restored, and a two-story addition was built to house the county’s library. The new complex opened in 2011, with the addition connected to the old courthouse via a glass-walled atrium. The original portion of the structure now houses the Jackson County Genealogical Society, the Jackson County Historical Association, and the Jackson County Arts Council.
(828) 586-2016
Dine on smoked chicken with cheese tortellini, seared Atlantic salmon, or Korean short ribs in a long-standing Main Street restaurant.
(828) 586-8989
lulusonmain.com
At Breadheads’ Tiki Shak, take a seat at the original Hooper’s Drug Store counter and sip a Purple Haze cocktail as you dig into (clockwise from left) the Poke Around, a Shroom Philly, and Korean corn dogs. photograph by Tim Robison
Located in the old Hooper’s Drug Store building, Breadheads’ features the original low stools at the old snack counter and the original malt machine that mixed up milkshakes for generations of Sylva children. Today, the restaurant serves buffalo chicken sandwiches, BLTs, and tacos along with tropical cocktails.
(828) 307-2160
breadheadstikishak.com
First opened by owner Steve Dennis’s grandfather Linzie Hollifield in the old Sylva Pharmacy building, Hollifield Jewelers has been a mainstay on Main Street for 65 years. “I still have a number of folks that come in and say, ‘You know, my grandfather got his engagement ring right in this chair. He picked it out with your granddaddy, and I’m bringing my grandson to do the same,’” Dennis says. “That just gives me a chill saying it.”
(828) 586-4274
facebook.com/p/Hollifield-Jewelers-100040112472471
Sylva Supply Company opened in 1898. Four years later, it moved to a new location on Main Street, where it became a commissary for employees of the Harris-Reese Tannery, owned by C.J. Harris. Sylva Supply issued coupon books that tannery employees would use to make purchases here. Later, the store, which sold just about everything, became a gathering place for residents and was Main Street’s oldest business until it closed in 1999. Today, Blue Ridge Bootleg Coffee serves freshly brewed cappuccinos, macchiatos, and lattes in the same building.
(828) 307-2016
blueridgebootleg.com
Once you stock up on your lures and accessories, book one of Tuckaseegee Fly Shop’s guided fly-fishing trips to reel in mountain trout. photograph by Tim Robison
Shop for fly rods and reels, waders, and fly-fishing accessories in the former location of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company — also known as the A&P — which opened on Main Street in 1925. Eager to take your new rod for a spin? Book a guided trip through the shop and cast your line over the waters of western North Carolina.
(828) 488-3333
tuckflyshop.com
The Queen Anne-style home of Dr. D.D. Hooper was constructed from plans he purchased from Sears, Roebuck & Co. photograph by Tim Robison
Dr. D.D. Hooper constructed his home in Sylva in 1906 after beginning his practice here the year prior. Hooper was the area’s only doctor for 10 years and worked out of his home, though he often traveled by foot or horseback to reach his patients. His residence was restored in 2002 and now houses the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center as well as the office of architect Mahaley Odell Thompson. Look for the two stained-glass windows that were gifted to the doctor as payment for medical care.
(828) 586-2155
historichooperhouse.com
At Mad Batter Kitchen, the red coconut curry and Margherita pizza (feature photo, left) pair well with a beer from Lazy Hiker Brewing. photograph by Tim Robison
The restaurant and the Franklin-based brewery share the same building, which was once the Lyric Theatre, one of Sylva’s original cinemas. The space still features a balcony, where patrons can enjoy a hand-tossed pizza and sip on a Trail Candy Tropical IPA.
(828) 586-3555
madbatterkitchen.net
(828) 349-2337
lazyhikerbrewing.com
Walk through a gallery featuring art painted on authentic fragments of the Berlin Wall, dismantled in 1989. You can even choose your own and take home a piece of history.
(828) 216-6274
freedompavilionsylva.com
Peruse decades of music on vinyl, cassette, and CD; pick up a turntable; or test out a new guitar at Main Street’s music store, in business for 32 years. While you’re here, be sure to pet Edison, the shop’s resident rescued feline.
(828) 586-6404
inyourearmusicemporium.com
Split-rail fences don’t shout “keep out.” They lean, they shift, they invite. And in western North Carolina, they remind us that some lines are meant to hold, not harden.
Each May, spring climbs nearly 3,000 feet to the seat of Alleghany County. Here, as the rhododendrons blush, a beloved mountain town welcomes visitors with its food, art, and flourish of color and creativity.
For 127 years, this Wilson County store has been keeping its community well supplied — by relying on people just as much as what’s on the shelves.
In art class, we learn to notice texture, form, color, and light. On the plate, those same techniques guide chefs, bakers, and makers across North Carolina, turning ingredients into compositions meant to be admired before they’re savored.
