The First Week of Fall in the North Carolina Mountains: Signs the Season Is Turning
There is a week in late August or early September when the mountains begin to change. It is not the sudden, dramatic turn most people…
Category: Local Information
The Rivers of the Region: Hiwassee, Valley & Nantahala
The mountains around Murphy are shaped as much by their rivers as by their peaks. Three in particular define this corner of the Southern Appalachians:…
Dining in Robbinsville & Graham County, NC
One of the underrated pleasures of living in Cherokee County is realizing you're an hour west of one of the most beautifully remote food scenes…
Late Summer on Lake Hiwassee: Making the Most of the Warm Season
One of the quiet pleasures of living in Cherokee County is realizing you're five minutes from one of the best places in the Southeast to…
Scenic Drives & Overlooks of the Far-West NC Mountains
Sometimes the best way to take in these mountains is from behind the wheel, windows down, a ridgeline unrolling ahead. The far-west North Carolina mountains…
Why Fall in the North Carolina Mountains Feels Like Home
Ask longtime residents around Murphy when they knew this was the place, and a striking number will point to a fall. Fall in Murphy, NC…
Short & Scenic Trails for Easygoing Mountain Walks
One of the quiet pleasures of living in Cherokee County is realizing that "going for a hike" doesn't have to mean a summit day. Easy…
Day Trips from Murphy: Helen, Cherokee, Asheville & Chattanooga
One of the underrated advantages of living around Murphy is being within two to two-and-a-half hours of four completely different regional destinations — Helen, Georgia;…
Farmers Markets of the NC/GA Mountains
There's no better way to taste a place than at its farmers markets, and the mountains of far-western North Carolina and North Georgia are dotted…
The John C. Campbell Folk School: A Brasstown Institution
One of the quiet pleasures of living in Cherokee County is realizing you're fifteen minutes from one of the most remarkable cultural institutions in the…