Seize The Day: My beautiful home

I love to travel! I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but we occasionally get away for a family vacation and frequently cross the North Carolina/Tennessee state line.

I live in one of the most sought out places in the country, as I stated a few days back. We are surrounded by rivers and lakes like Glenville and Fontana Lake or Nantahala and Tuckasegee Rivers, but as far as tourist attractions go, Dillsboro, Sylva and Bryson City are full of quant little shops where you can find locally made chocolate, hand crafted art, and unique gifts for anyone. Bryson City in particular is home to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and white water for kayaking and rafting sport.

Continuing in the direction of Tennessee, Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park are also full of water attractions like fly fishing and tubing, but include so much history and wildlife that you'll want to spend the day shopping, picnicking, and taking in the view of the mountains. Visitor centers which include working farms and unique shops that offer baked goods and Native American gifts crowd the entrances to the national park.

Through out the park are dozens of hiking trails and waterfalls, as well as wildlife including turkey, black bear and elk, which can be seen in the early mornings and evenings. It's fun to watch a bear waltz across the road or climb a tree at record speed while also stumbling upon a herd of elk in the same day.

Over the park, you enter into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. These towns see enormous amounts of people who come to visit year round. With their Appalachian feel, you would find live banjo music on the sidewalks, unique gift shops and restaurants that you can't find anywhere else.

My favorite spots in Gatlinburg are the Thomas Kincaid Gallery, Ripley's Aquarium, and Ripley's Davie Crocket Put Put Golf. In Pigeon Forge, I greatly enjoy the Old Mill shopping plaza, The Island shopping plaza, Tanger Outlets and Dollywood. Of course, being home to Dolly Parton, you'll also find the Dixie Stampede and many other attractions from her corporation.

As you continue on towards Sevierville, you will find pleasant and breathtaking drives through Weirs Valley and Cades Cove. These are areas where you can see what the mountains were created to look like. Weirs Valley is residential, but for the main part is still untouched. Several cabin rentals, farmers markets, and homes pepper the hillsides, but are maintained as to attract tourists.

Cades Cove, however, is part of the National Park and is completely preserved for wildlife and history. This eleven mile loop allows you to take a tour in your car to view historic homes and churches while also getting a chance to see bear, dear and turkey; ride horse back; take a dip in the water; go on a waterfall hike; or just enjoy a car ride with a stop for ice cream on the way out. Camping and picnicking are also a treat available in this area of the park.

Now, back over to my neck of the woods. From Sylva, going in the other direction, Waynesville is about 20 minutes away. Again, quant little shops can be found on main street while progression can be found everywhere else with new restaurants and retail stores being built every year.

Driving on toward the city of Asheville, you can find a wealth of locally owned stores and restaurants that offer hand crafted items and farm-to-table food. The Biltmore Park Shopping plaza, The Chocolate Lounge and Tupelo Honey Company are just a few of my favorite places to shop and eat, but I have to mention the Vanderbilt Family Home!! The Biltmore Estate!!

This attraction is the largest family owned home in America and is breathtaking with it's architecture and landscape. The property also includes gardens designed by the same person who designed central park, petting zoo, and exquisite food and boutiques.

Asheville also contains all of your local chain restaurants and outlet malls, and being nestled in the Pisgah National Forest, the mountains and the elevation keeps the city cool and pleasant even during the summer months. You can find just about anything there.

Now, south of Asheville and in between Sylva, is a beautiful place called Highlands and Cashiers. These two towns are directly beside each other, and I would have to say, these areas of the mountains are literally my piece of heaven.

With art work and pottery in every shop, locally owned restaurants, and beautiful spas and hotels, Highlands and Cashiers if the classiest area of the ones I mentioned. You can see the more expensive vehicles driving those who are wearing the more expensive outfits. The prices are average, but they offer a lot more of the higher end.

All in all, where I live is full of fun, shopping, and eating. I failed to mention that 2 hours in the Tennessee direction is Knoxville and 3 1/2 hours south is Atlanta. Just 4 hours towards the East is Charlotte and of course beyond that is the beach! I love where I live and this is not even where I'm from!

Where do you like to travel??

Is there a vacation or trip that you took that leaves the best memory??

Tell me your story -- where are you from??

Of course, this post is not an all inclusive or fully exhaustive description of this area, but you can kind of get the idea of what's available. Some of my family and friends come to visit yearly. One friend in particularly has traveled and lived all over the world and has said that Western North Carolina is one of the prettiest places in the world.

Come check us out! Until next time, be blessed ~~

To find out more:

Sylva - http://www.mainstreetsylva.org/

Dillsboro - http://visitdillsboro.org/index.html

Bryson City - https://www.greatsmokies.com/

Great Smoky Mountain Railway- http://www.gsmr.com/

Cherokee - http://visitcherokeenc.com/#home

Great Smoky Mountain National Park - https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Gatlinburg - https://www.gatlinburg.com/

Pigeon Forge - http://www.mypigeonforge.com/

Wears Valley - http://www.aboutwearsvalley.com/

Cades Cove - https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm