A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Community Open House this weekend at Penland School of Crafts

March 2 - Penland School of Crafts holds its annual Community Open House. Each year, Penland's community open house welcomes hundreds of visitors into the studios for demonstrations and hands-on activities. The event is free and all ages are welcome. Hundreds of adults and children from the local Mitchell County as well as mountain visitors will engage in free, quality hands-on studio experiences with over 100 artist volunteers.

Activities may include making glass beads, rollerprinting copper bracelets, creating clay sculptures, screenprinting on bandanas, papermaking, forging garden stakes, painting colorful pastepaper, blowing glass cups or paperweights, making photographic “sun prints”, assembling wooden birdhouses, making souvenir books, and more.

Penland School of Crafts is located just outside Spruce Pine NC.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

FREE 2013 Visitors Guide to Jackson County NC

Get details about hiking, rafting, fly fishing and other mountain outdoor activities in the 2013 Jackson County NC Visitors Guide, now available at no charge from the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA).

The 48-page, full-color guide explores a variety of leisure pursuits in Jackson County's popular mountain towns of Cashiers, Cherokee, Cullowhee, Dillsboro and Sylva.

Visitors may learn about unique destinations like the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail, the nation's only fly fishing trail, and the Richland Balsam Overlook, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,053 feet in elevation.

There's also information on shopping, dining and lodging, as well as a detailed pull-out map of hiking trails and waterfalls. Lodging options include cozy bed-and-breakfast inns, cabin rentals, riverside hotels and notable mountain inns.

"Unplug from the hustle and bustle and relax in the scenic mountains of Western North Carolina," said Julie Spiro, executive director of the Jackson County Chamber. To receive a complimentary NC Mountains Visitors Guide, call (800) 962-1911, or submit a request online at: www.MountainLovers.com. The guide can also be downloaded online.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is located at 773 West Main Street in historic downtown Sylva NC

Wine and Cheese Festival at the Vineyards of Swan Creek

March 2 - Vineyards of Swan Creek Wine and Cheese Festival Join the Vineyards of Swan Creek as each vineyard pairs one of their wines with a unique, local cheese from the Ashe County Cheese Factory. The Vineyards of Swan Creek include Raffaldini Vineyards, Dobbins Creek Vineyard, Shadow Springs Vineyard, and Laural Gray Vineyard.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Community Open House this Weekend at Penland School of Crafts

March 2 Penland School of Crafts holds its annual Community Open House. Each year, Penland's community open house welcomes hundreds of visitors into the studios for demonstrations and hands-on activities. The event is free and all ages are welcome. Hundreds of adults and children from the local Mitchell County as well as mountain visitors will engage in free, quality hands-on studio experiences with over 100 artist volunteers.

Activities may include making glass beads, rollerprinting copper bracelets, creating clay sculptures, screenprinting on bandanas, papermaking, forging garden stakes, painting colorful pastepaper, blowing glass cups or paperweights, making photographic “sun prints”, assembling wooden birdhouses, making souvenir books, and more.

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.