We wanted to share with others what we love about the Waynesville home!
Having vacationed for many years in different mountain towns, we realized we wanted to be able to enjoy our vacation home year-round, and Waynesville is a great place to visit in any season. Whether one is looking to explore the mountains during our mild summers, gaze at the natural splendor of fall leaf changes, or view snow covered mountains during the winter, the location offers all these possibilities. With the home located inside the city limits, the town takes care of snow plowing the roads if it becomes necessary. We’re lucky because we are on the south facing side of the mountain and the sun generally makes the road very accessible. The roads coming in to Waynesville are large, easy to drive for a flatlander, well-maintained roads and highways. We found that other mountains towns close up in winter and the roads getting in and out were difficult.
With the close proximity to the natural wonders of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park , Pisgah Forest and Nantahala Forest, as well as the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, the town is truly a place of recreational opportunities. We love hiking with our dogs; and both the town and nearby forests offer many dog-friendly places and trails. We love being able to take guests out boating on beautiful Lake Fontana, whitewater rafting or tubing – you name it, there is something close by for all ages!
We love trying new restaurants and our town has no shortage of award-winning cuisine and boutique wine shops. With Asheville just a short drive away, one never wants for variety. Farm to table offerings are everywhere, and a few of the local farmers markets are larger than some grocery stores! The Biltmore Estate offers complete holiday feasts you can pick up the day before - what more can you ask for! We love going to the Estate to take the dogs hiking, visit the winery and partake in the unlimited free wine tastings, enjoy Sunday brunch, and take in the beautiful gardens and home!
Our home is so easy to maintain. The lush native landscaping, and very little grass, requires minimal upkeep. In the spring, we spruce up the pine straw beds, and in the fall the leaves are blown down the bank where the town picks them up with a huge leaf vacuum truck. We have daffodils that greet us each spring in the front beds and impressive rhododendrons that bloom each May everywhere on the property! Look at the rhododendrums starting to bloom on our Additional Photos page!
We love the privacy of our home, yet we feel good knowing there are neighbors nearby for security. And we love the fact we are at a high enough elevation (between 3500-4000ft) for an absolutely incredible view and cooler summer temps than nearby towns, yet it only takes us 5 minutes to run up and down the mountain.
Although we're on vacation while we're enjoying the home, we like to be able to check in at work if need be, and the home has high-speed Charter internet avilable. We currently use all three Charter Services in addition to Direct TV. We found at our elevation, many homes did not have 3or4G service available, let alone high speed internet.
We’ve highlighted just some of the many things to see and do on the Nearby Attractions and Outdoor Activities pages of this website. We’re sure you will love Waynesville as well!
Have a question you'd like to ask, feel free to e-mail us and we'll be happy to answer.
We’re not the only ones that love Western North Carolina…
The Discovery Channel consistently ranks us in all of their “Top 10” Lists each year ...
Top 10 Outdoor Family Vacations in North America
6. Great Smoky Mountains Road Trip, North Carolina and Tennessee
What says “family vacation” better than a road trip?
(Okay, those National Lampoon road trip vacation movies featuring the Griswolds weren’t exactly all fun … but this one will be, we promise.)
First a fact we’ll bet you didn’t know: The Great Smoky Mountains ranks as America's most popular national park … really!
On a family drive through the peaks, valleys and passes, your family will encounter more than 1,600 varieties of plants, trees and flowers.
Are they more the wildlife aficionados? There are plenty of deer, elks and black bears throughout the park's half million acres.
Baby boomer parents and grandparents may even want to share a relic of their heyday — the fully peaced-out hippie enclave of Asheville.
Top 10 Most Amazing Hikes in North America
7. Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee
When a place has “great” in its name you expect a lot — and for the walking man or woman, the Great Smoky Mountains deliver.
Being located relatively south makes it it’s easier to hike year-round here than in most other mountain ranges in the United States.
It’s not rugged like the Rocky Mountain or Glacier National Park, but there are incredible sights to be seen ... clear streams and rushing waterfalls, and plenty of forest and wildlife opportunities.
Choosing a trail may be the hardest part, as the Smokies are massive, with over 800 miles of trails — so the choices seem never-ending.
5. Appalachian Trail, East Coast United States
Now, this one is a little different.
For one thing, the exact length of the trail changes over time as trails are modified or added.
The total length is approximately 2,200 miles, as it passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
So you can pick it up wherever you like.
It’s best to either head to the area closest to you, or really do your research and pick out the parts of the trail that will satisfy what is that you are looking for out of a good hike.
Another oddity: The majority of the trail is in wilderness, although some portions traverse towns, roads and cross rivers.
4. Pisgah National Forest, Brevard, North Carolina
You know you’re in for a treat when a place is called “The Land of Waterfalls.”
There are hundreds of miles of gorgeous singletrack trails in the dark depths of Pisgah that lead to gorgeous views of those natural wonders.
And the experience is rewarding just about any time of the year. The seasons orchestrate entirely different vistas for the hiker who craves an intimate relationship with the natural wonders here.
Three long-distance recreational trails — the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the Shut-In Trail, and the Art Loeb Trail — are part of an attempt to connect as many trail systems and natural scenic areas as possible for the greater enjoyment of hikers of all levels.
Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in North America
8. Tail of the Dragon, Deal’s Gap, North Carolina
It takes quite a bit of confidence to claim to be America's number one motorcycle and sports car road, as the website for Tail of the Dragon does. But with 318 curves in 11 miles, and one bodacious name, who would quibble?
Bordering the southeastern portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the ride can be spectacular.
If your tastes run to the macabre, check out the "Tree of Shame," a monument to the unfortunate souls who have crashed their bikes along the Tail of the Dragon. Bike parts are nailed to the tree and dangle from branches.
And just in case you need more testimony to its awesomeness, Tail of the Dragon is a Hollywood favorite … having been featured in movies and television shows, including The Fugitive and Top Gear.
