Bryson City is a small North Carolina town near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. This was another spur of the moment roadtrip in June 2019 that my husband was pumped about but it was pre-approved!
Cabin
We did a vacation rental by owner that we found at a decent price. This was actually the best part of the trip. It was so peaceful and secluded with the most amazing views I have ever seen. Even though it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere we were only 10 minutes from town at most. There were 3 bedrooms which was more space than we ended up needing for the 4 of us. It has a huge deck that offered amazing mountain views. The house also included a fire pit, hot tub, horse shoes, TVs, gas grill, games/puzzles for the kids, and more. The loft area had a King bed with a the master bath. The highlight of this was the windows and that view. I just can’t say enough about it. If you would be interested in this rental shoot me a message and I can provide you the owners info and pricing.
Things to do
We enjoyed the quiet laid back vibe of the little downtown as we walked around ducking in and out of shops and restaurants. A big attraction is the Great Smoky Railroad. They offer some different tour packages available of the area and then in the fall they have the Pumpkin Patch Express and around the holidays the Polar Express.
There are a lot of outdoor adventures to be had around here such as mountain biking, hiking, tubing, white water rafting, fishing, and I am sure more that I am missing. We opted to go white water rafting with the kids which was a blast and I highly recommend. We used Tuckaseegee Outfitters and they were great. They drive you up river and then you raft back down to the main location where your car is parked. On your way down river you pass a scene from the movie The Fugitive which is pretty cool!
If you want less of an adventure, tubing is a nice relaxing option as well. We wanted to do some easy hikes with the kids. Therefore we went to the Deep Creek Waterfalls. It was about an easy 10 minute drive from town to the trail head. There you are within walking distance to 3 waterfalls. We did 2 of the 3 and they were both extremely easy even with the 4 and 6 year olds tripping over their own feet the whole time.
Also, Cherokee Casino is about 15 minutes away. Near there is also a kid-friendly option called Santa’s Land Fun Park and Zoo. We enjoyed just relaxing around the cabin and taking in the mountains. However, there is plenty of area activities. Not only is Bryson City a great family destination but would also be fun for a girls weekend, guys fishing trip, or romantic escape. It is the best of both worlds and we can’t wait to go back!
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