This marker is located in the town square just across from the county courthouse and points out the…read moreeducational institution nearby. There is ample parking. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "A Baptist preparatory school, 1901-1926. Two of the buildings later used by public schools. 1/2 mile northeast." It is marker number N-27 and it was erected in 1987 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Online, there is more information. Yancey Collegiate Institute operated in Burnsville from 1901 to 1926 as a Baptist preparatory school, offering secondary education when public high schools were scarce in North Carolina. The idea for the school emerged from a Baptist Association meeting in 1899, and local support led to the acquisition of land and construction of brick buildings funded by church boards and private donors. Initially focused on high school subjects, the curriculum expanded in 1917 to include college-level courses in history, Biblical studies, and classical languages. Student life featured literary societies and athletics, with facilities for basketball, baseball, tennis, boxing, and wrestling. After closing as a private institution in 1926, the site transitioned into a public high school and later Burnsville Elementary, which closed in 1993. Today, the location houses the Blue Ridge Reading Team and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Review 1292 of 2025 - 4437 in North Carolina - 24844 overall]

It was easy to spot this marker on the highway at the intersection of Penland Road. It is about as…read moreclose to the actual subject so that it can be seen by passersby. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Penland School. Founded 1929 by Lucy Morgan (1889-1981) to promote traditional crafts including pottery, metalworking and weaving. Campus 1 mile southwest." There is more information online. The school originated from Morgan's efforts to revive traditional weaving in western North Carolina, using a cabin at the Episcopal Appalachian School to train locals and sell their work to tourists. In collaboration with other regional craft leaders, Morgan helped establish the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild and expanded Penland's curriculum to include pottery, metalwork, and silversmithing. After her retirement, Bill Brown introduced woodworking and glassblowing, and today the school spans 400 acres, hosting over 1,200 artists annually. This is marker number N-46 as it was erected by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History in 2007. [Review 1289 of 2025 - 4434 in North Carolina - 24841 overall]

You might drive right past this pedestrian bridge and not think much about it. But this relic from…read morethe past built in 1928 once carried Highway 70 over the Stones River, one of America's longest roads designated in 1926 connecting Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean! It's also one of the world's last surviving fusions of a K-truss design (at the center) and a Parker truss design (outer panels). The k-truss, debuting in 1918, is exceptionally strong and supports tremendous weight, even fully loaded trains! This design features a framework that branches off a central vertical post, connected to the top and bottom in a pattern that resembles the letter "K." The Parker truss, first patented in 1870, features the top of a bridge sloping upward to its central pinnacle instead of approaching it perpendicular to the street below.

The Bob Sheehan Memorial Bridge sits alongside Lebanon Pike and is now part of the Stones River…read moreGreenway, and is easily accessible via Lebanon Pike or the Kohl's Greenway entrance. What once was an iconic bridge for travelers is now a historic pedestrian bridge that passes over top of Stones River and connects portions of the ever expanding Greenway. The bridge is small, but mighty with the large steel overhead and wide pathway. On one side you have river views and the other is Lebanon Pike, so one is definitely nicer than the other! The bridge is kept clean and for the most part is kept up by the city. It's a nice landmark, and a great part of the Greenway!

At the center of the town square that is next to the county courthouse, I was sure that this was…read moregoing to be another Confederate memorial. Well, it's not. It's WAY better than that. Otway Burns is honored here with both a statue and the town's name because of his legacy as a naval hero and his support for western representation in state politics. A celebrated privateer during the War of 1812, Burns commanded the schooner Snap Dragon and captured numerous British vessels, earning national recognition. After the war, he served in the North Carolina General Assembly, where he advocated for increased political representation for the North Carolina's western counties. This stance resonated so deeply with mountain communities that the newly established town in Yancey County was named Burnsville in 1834. The statue in the town square, donated by his grandson in 1909, commemorates his service and symbolizes the enduring respect held for his contributions to both state and country. The statue is made of copper. It depicts him standing upright in a commanding pose, dressed in 19th-century naval attire with a long coat and high boots. His right arm is raised, pointing forward, symbolizing leadership and vision. The plaque on the plinth reads, "He guarded well our seas, let our mountains honor him." [Review 1226 of 2025 - 4411 in North Carolina - 24778 overall]

The Otway Burns Statue is located on the square in Downtown Burnsville. It is a nice tribute to the…read moreman the town was named after. It is a copper statue on a granite block. I became familiar with Otway Burns while in Beaufort, NC. So before visiting this statue I wondered why there was a monument for him in Burnsville, NC. Burns was a war hero, privateer, ship builder and legislator from Swansboro, NC. His last act as a politician was to allow Western North Carolina more representation in the state by a vote of thirty-one to thirty. So this was the town's way to honor what he did for them. The inscription reads: "Otway Burns, born in Onslow County N.C. 1775. Died at Portsmouth N.C. 1850. Sailor-Soldier-Statesmen. North Carolina's foremost son in the War of 1812-15. For him, this town is named. He guarded well our seas, let our mountains honor him."

This seems important and people were just walking by without taking time to understand why we're…read moreexactly HERE as opposed to on some other hilltop in North Carolina. The marker reads, "Elisha Mitchell, 1793-1857. Scientist and professor. Died in attempt to prove this mountain highest in eastern U.S. Grave is at the summit, 285 yds. S." Online, there is more information. "On June 27, 1857, Elisha Mitchell, exploring the Black Mountain range, slipped and fell to his death in a deep pool at the bottom of a sixty-foot waterfall. Search parties were organized (by Zebulon Baird Vance, future governor and United States senator for North Carolina, among others), and the body was discovered several days later by "Big Tom" Wilson, noted bear hunter and woodsman. Mitchell's death "cast a shadow of profound grief over the entire state."" The marker is in the parking lot summit of Mount Mitchell and you will spot it next to the the trail to the summit. [Review 12710 overall, 22 of 2020.]

Amazing tour!!! Wonderful history! I highly recommend coming here to learn THE TRUTH!read more

Extremely interesting and educational exhibit in Valdese! My family has a distant connection to…read morethe Waldensian faith, so we took a field trip to the Trail of Faith to learn more about it. The staff was very sweet and helpful. The layout of the trail is interactive and engaging. They have an amphitheater for their outdoor drama which shows in August. There is Christmas light display, but we have yet to see it. Every time we drive over to drive through, it's been closed!

A majestic view from an elevation of 3,834 feet along the Blue Ridge Parkway near the town of…read moreBlowing Rock, North Carolina. It seems there aren't many folks traveling along this beautiful parkway who can resist pulling over and taking it all in. Raven Rocks Overlook, located at Milepost 289.5 the view faces northwest, one of the few northern overlooks in the area. It's definitely worth a few minutes of your time...

I like old towns like this with a big grassy square, a monument to some historical dude named…read moreBurns, and some neat shops. It has a quilt shop on the square, some churches, an old historic inn that Elvis stayed at, a coffee house, some galleries, and a few places to eat that nook neat. Worth a stop if you are traveling through, but not a destination unless you are going for some big hiking at Mt. Mitchell or some of the other great outdoors places it has nearby. I'd stop here again.

The road from Asheville was finished last year and already the town is perking up with new…read morerestaurants and longer hours for some of the existing eating establishments. The Grapevine has really great women's clothing, Appalachain Java has nice food all the way until 8pm, Homeplace brewery has some kind of food truck each night, music, trivia, and great beer. Rescue Dog Cafe and Burnsville Donut Company are keeping East Main Street lively and well fed, and Garden Deli and Snapdragon are consistently good on the Town Square. Rad Dawgs and the ice cream parlor next to it are just plain fun. I'm addicted to the Gyrate taco there. Ye Olde Country store has quality deli items and mile high sandwiches. Main Street Shoes has really cute footwear and YummiYarns has a great selection of yarn for knitting, crochet, or weaving. Quilt and Code has quilting supplies on one side and computer help on the other. There's a terrific health food store, an outdoor living store that just opened, a music store, a couple galleries including one that is part of Toe River Arts Council, Dark Sky Wood handcrafted furniture, an outfitter store, Parkway Playhouse, Yancey Theater, a wine shop, a couple of antique stores, a pizza shop and the new Mountain Chef Bistro. NuWray Inn, the Terrell House, and Carolina Country Motel all offer accomadations. The Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Center can direct you to the History Museum and other points of interest. There's a Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings and free events for families and kids on the square on Saturday mornings during the summer. Also there is bargain shopping at New to You furniture, Felicity's Closet, Alexandra's Closet, and Barkin Basement. There is definitely plenty to keep you busy for a full day or more.