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Tourist attractions can be tough to choose from. Some cost a lot but turn out to be disappointing. Others are inexpensive or free and turn out to be meaningful and fun. In Western North Carolina, from Brevard to Asheville, there are many inexpensive sites that are well worth the drive. So, let's take a weekend trip to Western North Carolina.
CRADLE OF FORESTRY IN AMERICA
Located off US Hwy 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, this historic site covers 6,500 acres and commemorates the beginning of forestry conservation in the United States. For a small admission, you can visit the Discovery Center and two guided trails. At the Discovery Center there is an interactive exhibit hall for hands-on learning and a theatre where you can see a short movie on the history of forestry conservation. After that, the real fun begins outside on the trails where you can see and explore seven buildings from the original forestry school, an old sawmill and a 1915 Climax logging locomotive. This is definitely the kind of educational attraction that is fun for all family members!
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
Now, no one would want to visit the Western North Carolina Mountains without actually taking in some of the views. To best see some of the most beautiful scenery in America, be sure to take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although the entire parkway stretches over 460 miles, we'll just jump on from Hwy 276 and enjoy the section that runs up alongside Asheville to mile marker 382. The views are breathtaking so be certain to bring plenty of film for shots from the many scenic pull-offs along the way.
FOLK ART CENTER
At milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, sits the WNC Folk Art Center, where you can see the incredible artistry of the Southern Highland Craft Guild members. These crafts are far from the crocheted poodles and calico aprons you see at many small craft fairs; the Guild members are truly artists. Although many of the handcrafts are for sale, the Folk Art Center also hosts traveling art exhibitions and crafts demonstrations. There is no admission and it is well worth the stop.
WNC NATURE CENTER
As long as we are so close to Asheville, let's visit one of the friendliest "zoos" in America: the WNC Nature Center, located on Gashes Creek Road in Asheville. Nearly all of the animals found in the nature center have either been injured or hand-raised by humans and discarded - making them unreleasable into the wild. Because of this, these are no bored, unhappy zoo animals but friendly interactive creatures that seem genuinely glad you came. The Nature Center also includes a farm exhibit and petting area where you can play with the rambunctious pygmy goats.
The Nature Center is also the home of the Red Wolf Recovery Program by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Program. This program is breeding red wolves for future release into their native habitats. The Nature Center is an inexpensive place to learn about the native animals of Western North Carolina and teach your children about them.
WNC AIR MUSEUM
After Asheville, let's head east on I-26 and visit Hendersonville for some fun and free attractions. Three members of the WNC aviation community who felt that NC - the "first in flight" state -- should have an air museum, began the first in 1989, the WNC Air Museum, on Shepherd Street beside the Hendersonville Airport. This museum includes a dozen restored vintage planes. They also have a lovely 1917 Nieuport 11 replica. Be warned though, as a "flying museum" not all of the airplanes will be on the ground and visible at all times.
HENDERSONVILLE DEPOT
Built in 1879 and recently restored, the Hendersonville Depot houses the model trains of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club and these trains are well worth a look for model train enthusiasts. You can view them free, any Saturday from 9am to noon. The Hendersonville Depot is located on Seventh Avenue.
CONNEMARA
From Hendersonville, it is a short drive down Hwy. 25 South to Historic Flat Rock. There you can find Connemara, the home of poet Carl Sandburg. Connemara was a 240-acre working farm, run by Sandburg and his family. You can tour the grounds for free - which includes farm exhibits and hiking trails. The farm still houses a collecting of milking goats, like the ones raised by the Sandburgs. The goats are tame and love to be petted. For a small charge, you can also take a guided tour of Sandburg's House, which looks much the way it must have when he lived and wrote there. This is no sterile museum environment but a writer's home complete with piled magazines!
So, for small expense, you can breathe the fresh clean mountain air, gasp at the scenic beauty and absorb the history and life of Western North Carolina in a weekend.
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