maggie valley

the family and i are going to maggie valley n.c. 4-28 to do some exploring, has anyone been , chime in.......................marty

My wife and I spent a couple days of our honeymoon there 18 years ago, and have been back about half a dozen times since. One of the reasons we love it is that it is a lot less "touristy" than other areas of the Smoky Mts. Definitely check out the Blue Ridge Parkway, both for the scenic driving and the hiking. Lots of trailheads on the parkway for dayhikes from easy to moderately difficult. Cherokee used to be worth a visit before the casino moved in IMHO, not so much now. Waynesville is a nice little town nearby with some cool shops and restaurants, check out the Mast General Store.

Lived in Waynesville for 4-5 years...My whole family is from there on my Dad's side. Went to Tuscola High when my Dad retired from the military and went for a few years. In fact, Ghost Town, the "Amusement Park" in Maggie Valley, was built on the mountain that my Grandma's dad used to own...my Aunt still lives on and owns quite a bit of the other side of it.

But, for exploring, hmmm...alot of that stuff around there is private now a days, but there are a few "tourist"/show caves. As far as getting out, the Blue Ridge parkway up there is really nice. There's also a nice place to go check out some water falls. Do a search for "Sunburst" campground...you'll have to go through Wayneville and Bethel to get there. Anyways, once yer at Sunburst and have checked that place out, follow the road up the mountain...there are some very nice waterfalls to see on the way up there...but, pay attention, as the "parking areas" (patch of dirt next to the road) are small, and you come upon them pretty quick. If you have a hard time finding Sunburst and the road it's on, let me know, and I'll hunt down the actual road name, etc. Other than that, there's some wild caves in the area, but the speological society's keep them hush-hush, so you have to do some pretty extensive searching. Oh, and you have to eat at DuValls, the oldest restaraunt in Waynesville...my Grandma worked there, and so did I when I had to finish up a summer class for high school.


While yer eating at DuValls, if you see a "husky" EMT that looks like Kris Krostofferson , that's my "Uncle Bobby"...and my buddy "Corn Dog" is the hospital dispatcher...so if ya have an emrgency while yer there...oh, my dad was a warden at the county jail while he was there, and is good friends with the Sheriff, Laverne...and my high school buddy, Billy, is on the police force. His dad built most of the bigger housing developemtns between Maggie Valley and Waynesville...so I could help ya out there as well...LOL!

Have fun! That place is beautiful, and the air and water alone is worth it!

thanks neon and aow, duvalls is on the list.I am so needing this get away. we hope to see some elk and i want to scout for turkey. i plan on doing some turkey hunting this season [locally mid n.c.] and want to try some calling. if i see uncle bobby i'll tell him you said you will bring back his .22 rifle [ kiddin ] any how ,wish yall were coming. it going to be fun.......................marty

daytec said:

thanks neon and aow, duvalls is on the list.I am so needing this get away. we hope to see some elk and i want to scout for turkey. i plan on doing some turkey hunting this season [locally mid n.c.] and want to try some calling. if i see uncle bobby i'll tell him you said you will bring back his .22 rifle [ kiddin ] any how ,wish yall were coming. it going to be fun.......................marty

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A good place to check for Elk is up by Cataloochee (Ski Area). There's a nice camp-site up there as well.

aow the cataloochee was worth the trip .we went twice thanks buddy...................................marty