Ghost Town: a new start for an old favorite
A weekend-long reunion event brought dozens of former Ghost Town in the Sky performers together to share some old memories, but it also brought together a small group of developers, investors, business owners and elected officials who are now working together to make some new ones.
The spiritual appeal of waterfalls
Whether one is an avid outdoorsman or an occasional hiker, there is something special about making a gorgeous waterfall the destination for a hike.
Blue Ridge Parkway serves up the best of the mountains
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road that winds for 469 miles from the southern end of Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive in Virginia to U.S. 441 at Oconaluftee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee.
Mountain biking
This is one of the fastest growing recreational activities in the Smokies, one easily witnessed by all the vehicles with mountain bikes strapped to the back or top. Pretty straightforward as to why so may partake of this sport: the Smokies contain some of the best bike trails anywhere. Here are the popular spots:
Hiking trails of the North Carolina Smokies
With a quiet step you stand a great chance of seeing some of the multitude of wildlife Western North Carolina has to offer.
The Joy of Discovery: Foreign students, host families relish cultural exchange
It’s easy to imagine the ways in which a foreign exchange student’s world is broadened by an experience studying abroad, but for many of the families that host foreign students, the world grows just as much.
WNC towns debate future of room occupancy tax
If passed, legislation introduced by Western North Carolina Republican representatives would allow municipalities within Haywood County to levy their own occupancy tax to be spent on tourism marketing. While Bryson City was originally a part of the bill, the town has now been removed.
Maggie Valley occupancy tax on the horizon
Maggie Valley may have the opportunity to create its own Tourism Development Authority for the purpose of promoting tourism in the town if House Bill 412 becomes law. Both the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen have expressed support for the idea.
New vaccinations continue to slow
Vaccinations continue to slow down in the four-county area and in the state as a whole, but case counts are dropping too, with the 981 new cases reported statewide May 4 — marking just the fourth time since October that figure has fallen below 1,000.
WNC behind state average in educator diversity
North Carolina has about 1.5 million public school students, and according to a report from the Department of Public Instruction, 52.3 percent are minority students, while only 20.5 percent of teachers are minorities.
