Little Switzerland is located in the
premier area for exploring the best the Appalachia offers of spectacular scenery, outdoor sports, fine art crafts demonstrations and shops, gemstones and the American-Scots heritage. Excursions take you through rural and wild landscapes, far
from the crowds of people and bears to the west near Gatlinburg and the
Smokies, or the more densely populated areas
toward
Milepost refers to markers along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Little Switzerland is at Milepost 334.
Click image to enlarge.
1.
Located
in Spruce Pine, site of one of the five largest annual gem festivals in the US, the
official state minerals museum displays gems and most of the 300 minerals
mined in the state. There are also exhibits showing the geological
processes that created the surrounding mountains and valleys. (Milepost
331)
2.
Grassy Creek Golf and
Country Club (Milepost 331)
.
An
eco-destination offering quiet beauty, fresh apples, live music, hayrides,
storytelling and other special events, the
two-mile long nearly 100 year old orchard adjoins the Parkway on a sunny
south-facing slope overlooking a forested valley. Heritage apples from
vintage trees begin bearing around July 4. The orchard received a British
Airways Tourism for Tomorrow 2001 Award as one of five businesses
worldwide in the Environmental Experience category, and has been
recognized as one of two
4.
One
of the original components of the National Wilderness system, the Linville
Gorge has been called “the
The
expansiveness and grandeur of the gorge is balanced by areas of quiet, sunny
trout-fishing waters and a visitors' center. The center's bookstore, run
by the Parkway service, stocks nature, geology, literature and history
books on the area. (Mileposts 316.3 and 316.4)
5. Flat Rock Loop Trail
Flat
Rock
Loop Trail is
an easy 30-minute round trip hike that opens to incredible views of
6.The
Town of
The
town of
The
bark shingles such as those covering the walls of Esseola Lodge came from trees felled by the blight
that killed virtually all American chestnut trees during the first half of
the last century. The architectural use of chestnut throughout the town is
a lasting testimony to the artistic and ecological spirit of the
settlers.
Distinctive
homes are set off by flowerbeds and trimmed hemlock hedges.
Across
a bridge, the Old Hampton Store sells cornmeal that is ground on the
premises, sugarless apple butter, and other mountain fare.
7.
A
popular tourist attraction,
From
the mile-high swinging bridge at the top of
Rivaling
The
traditions were brought to this area by the many Scots immigrants
who--finding the best farmland in Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and
Delaware already taken by English and German immigrants-- pushed into the
Appalachian Mountains into this gently undulating terrain reminiscent of
the Highlands in Scotland.
As
a monument of the games, each of the clans brought a stone from their
ancestral home to build the cairn at MacRae
Meadows.
MacRae
Meadows
is also used for other events. For example, the storyteller Ray Hicks,
world-famous “living treasure,” has drawn large audiences to hear him
retell stories that have roots in a Scots Gaelic past, such as the Jack
and the Beanstalk tales.
8.
9.
“The
Roan,” as it is called locally, may be the most beautiful mountain in the
eastern U.S. Nature and man’s interventions have created a “bald” on the
6,286-foot summit that is renowned for the largest natural rhododendron
gardens in the world, stands of Fraser fir, Scotch heather and other
remarkable flora. Adding to its allure, from time to time mysterious
“music” is heard on the Roan that sounds like the buzzing of hundreds of
bees. While the summit with its modern facilities is easily reached by
road, it is more memorable to hike up the trails edged with fairy-tale
pillows of moss.
10.
Ski Beech and
Ski Beech and
Beech’s
alpine village has a festive outdoor ice-rink and a learner’s ski area
along with plenty of places to relax and watch.
11.
Valle Crucis
Beyond
Banner Elk, along winding roads, is a place where streams and valleys form
a
Nearby,
the Mast General
Store and Annex and Candy Barrel preserve the flavor of mountain life
60 years ago. Started in 1883, the Mast stores still stock many
hard-to-find country-living items.
12.
Moses H.
Cone Memorial Park
The
4,344 acre
Flat
Top Manor is home to one of the two craft shops on the
14.
Blowing
Rock
Blowing
Rock is a long-established upscale summer residential community. Quaint
buildings housing art shops and tearooms make for enjoyable main street
shopping. The nearby “blowing rock” from which the town takes its name is
a popular tourist attraction. For
more information, visit here.
Tweetsie
is
a popular tourist destination.
Episcopal
missionaries from Valle Crucis served in the
Glendale Springs area as early as 1852. By 1905, Holy Trinity and St.
Mary’s churches had been built there. They were a small parish until the
summer of 1980 when famous painter Ben Long and his students took up
residence and began work on two limestone and pigment frescoes that are
some of the most significant in the
17.
Canoeing and Tubing on the
The
New River is actually one of the two oldest rivers in the world. Even though there are plenty of other places to
canoe, tube, and raft that are closer to Little Switzerland, the New River has a special
appeal that makes the drive worthwhile.
18.
Crabtree Meadows and Waterfalls
Just
six miles from Little Switzerland, Crabtree Meadows has wilderness trails
and fields of flowers bordered with hawthorn. A trail over varied terrain
takes visitors to a wooden bridge below a bridal veil waterfall.
(Mileposts 339.5 – 340.3)
19.
Penland School
of Crafts and Artists’ Studios
Among
them, within 5 miles of the chalet is the iron
forge of a man whose work is on permanent display in the Smithsonian
collection; and the glass studio of the “Father of American art glass.” It
is from the Little Switzerland-Penland area that
Tiffany's in NYC and stores on
The trend is to market more local art in the mountains, where
it is created. The Penland Gallery store
displays the work of jewelers, glass blowers, basket makers, iron workers,
potters, woodworkers, weavers, and other artisans. The Twisted Laurel in
Spruce Pine also has a range of work for sale. Some artists’ studio homes
are opened for visitors to watch them at work and browse in their shops.
Maps locating these studios are available.
Established
in 1867, the Dellinger Grist Mill is now on
the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only genuine
19th-century water-powered grist mill still operating in the
state of
21.
North
of the
22. Celo:
An Agrarian Utopia
Celo
is
a utopian community devoted to wholesome, sustainable living located a
short distance north of Carolina Hemlocks.
A
Quaker camp in Celo that offers wholesome outdoor adventures may be
the perfect, nearby place for your children to spend a week or two.
24.
At
6,684 feet,
25. Craggy
Gardens Pinnacle Trail
This
trail is an uphill climb with overarching rhododendron; it is recognized
as one of the two most spectacular June bloom sites in the
26. Craggy
Gardens Visitors’ Center
The
visitors’ center provides a welcome break for those not used to driving
through wild and spectacular mountain scenery, through tunnels and
alongside cliffs dripping icy waters onto brilliant flowers clinging to
vertical rock. Inside, the displays of local flora and fauna are oddly
comforting and very informative. (Milepost 364.4)
27.
The
large and contemporary Folk Art Center has on-going exhibits upstairs,
special events, and demonstrations by craftsmen.The center also houses a
craft shop and the administrative offices of the Southern Highland
Handicraft Guild. (Milepost 382)
28.
From the chalet via the Blue Ridge Parkway to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi is less than 25 miles. This is just one of many splendid places in the nearby Black Mountains to hike.
Another nice town is the historically prominent Black Mountain, a favorite of many with its antique, craft, and furniture stores.
29.
Asheville has received international attention recently: Frommer's writes, "This year, the editors at Frommer's Travel Guides and Frommers.com scoured the globe and polled our stable of authors and experts to identify twelve surprising, thriving, or emerging travel destinations. After careful thought and consideration, we are thrilled to announce our picks of the places not to be missed in 2007."
Asheville is among the 12 international destinations chosen by Frommers. They write, "Recently, Asheville has been drawing literati and celebrities who had gravitated to New Orleans as a hub of culture."
The
world-renowned 8,000 acre Biltmore Estate in
Next
to Biltmore Estate, the
You
can drive from Little Switzerland to Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
To save time, instead take 221 toward Marion, taking a right on Tom's Creek Road right after OLD Tom's Creek Road and a brick Presbyterian church on the right. Following it to a T at 80, where you take a left. Continue to the T at 70, where you take a right. Follow it to Old Fort, past the raiload museum, to I-40, which leads to Asheville.
Carl
Sandburg, poet of the people and biographer of Abraham Lincoln, lived with
his wife at
Very
close to Carl Sandburg's home, Flat Rock Playhouse is one of the top ten
summer theaters in the country.
32.
The official web site of the Cherokee Indians shows the variety of activities on their reservation.