As several counties have done, the Swain County Courthouse was turned into a heritage museum when…read morecourthouse functions were moved to a modern building elsewhere. This is the "historic" courthouse. Completed in 1909 and designed by Frank Milburn who has done several other courthouse I have visited (Wayne County Courthouse in Goldsboro North Carolina, the Columbia County in Lake City Florida, Wise County Virginia, Boyd County Catlettsburg Kentucky and Lowndes County Valdosta Georga). The front has a large portico supported by four ionic columns with a pediment at the roof line. On the center of the roof is an octagonal dome with a clock. On this rainy Saturday afternoon, we opted not to tour the museum but did walk the grounds. It's an imposing building, much more so than the current modern courthouse not far away. [Review 524 of 2026 - 4619 in North Carolina - 25706 overall]

BLUF: Museum telling the history of Swain County plus a Gift Shop for Smoky Mountain National Park…read morein the historic circa 1907 courthouse. I love local museums so I was looking forward to checking out the exhibits in the former Swain County courthouse that dates back to 1907. Today the courthouse is the Swain County Heritage Center and in addition to providing exhibits that tell the history of the county, it also has a sizable gift shop related to Smoky Mountains National Park. As a bonus, those planning to visit the National Park can purchase a parking pass at the gift shop. Also, there are restrooms inside the building. I was impressed with how nice the exhibits were and it was helpful to understand the roots of Swain County. I particularly enjoyed learning about the original purpose of the tracks that are now used by the Smoky Mountains Railroad for tourism purposes. The museum is well curated and covers many different aspects of Swain County. For those wanting to pop into the museum, there is street parking in the area as well as a small lot behind The Hotel Everett that is right next to the museum. We appreciated how welcoming the employees were.

98 steps. Not 100. I don't know why they missed this opportunity for a round number but I counted…read morethem going up and coming back down, getting the same. 98 steps. However, you can drive to the top where there is parking. If you do that, you'll miss the Jackson County Confederate Memorial that is midway on the stairs. The Historical Jackson County Courthouse is a 1913 Classical Revival structure that towers on a hill above and at the end of Sylva's main street. It has served here until 1994 when the new Justice Center opened a couple of miles away. It sat unused for several years until it was refreshed and restored, reopening in 2011 as the Jackson County Public Library complex that includes the Jackson County Historical Association, the Genealogical Society, and the Arts Council. Two stories and constructed of painted brick, it has a monumental portico at the front with large classical columns and is topped with a three-stage cupola above the central block. If you've been to Marshall NC, it does look a lot like the Madison County Courthouse. [Review 531 of 2026 - 4626 in North Carolina - 25713 overall]

All those stairs!!!! They just call to be climbed!! It's a 55 ft elevation gain…read more It's very pretty from the bottom and from the top of the stairs. Take a moment to notice the Mountain View's. It's just lovely. Don't want to climb those stairs? Don't worry you can get to the Library and Courthouse by car.

This is the new and modern Jackson County Justice Center, completed in 1995 and is a short distance…read morefrom the historic courthouse in downtown. While the older courthouse is a Classical Revival landmark, the Justice Center reflects late twentieth-century civic architecture focused on efficiency and consolidated county services. It has a modern institutional design, prioritizing function over ornament. The building is a two story brown colored brick structure in a rectangular shape with large window bands and controlled entry points, reflecting modern security needs. The northeast and southwest sides are the only real ornamentation - the entrances are flanked by stone pillars. Jackson County was formed in 1851 and Webster was the original county seat. In 1913, the county seat was moved to Sylva which is also when the historic courthouse was built. [Review 530 of 2026 - 4625 in North Carolina - 25712 overall]

Nice courthouse, plenty of good parking and professional, friendly courthouse staff…read more Make certain to arrive early, as it can take some time to go through security. Leave all weapons, mace, etc., at home.

The Haywood County Courthouse is adjacent to the modern Haywood County Justice Center. The historic…read morecourthouse was completed in 1932 in a Classical Revival / Neo-Classical style, a three story stone-veneered structure. It has a projecting entrance pavilion, a pedimented frontispiece (the triangular "temple front" design) and engaged Doric columns, all characteristic of the style and of the times when counties were still choosing monumental, traditional forms to project stability. The county was formed in 1808 from Buncombe County and named for John Haywood, longtime North Carolina state treasurer. The county seat has always been here, though it was originally named Mount Prospect and renamed Waynesville in 1811. Adjacent but part of the same street address is the Haywood County Justice Center, a contemporary purpose-built judicial complex that was designed for efficiency, security and high-volume daily court operations. It's a sharp contrast to its neighbor and was completed in 2005. On a drizzly Saturday afternoon, both buildings were secured but that did make it easy to find parking and then walk the grounds to get photos and examine the many war memorials. The Confederate veterans memorial is a simple granite stone with a brass plaque. [Review 535 of 2026 - 4630 in North Carolina - 25717 overall]

OK, quick anecdote. In the very late eighties, I had an Estée Lauder addiction. Once, at the shore…read moremall, I went for my tri-monthly fix of blue liquid anything. The woman who worked the EL counter was annoyed that a teen was trying to buy her products. In fact, she would not let me buy what I wanted. She suggested a spray hair oil. As I used to be majorly passive, I bought the spray. When I went to use it, I discovered it was broken. Flash forward to the mid-late nineties this time to Center City Philly, Strawbridge's. A well dressed employee was berating her fellow employee loudly, basically telling her to get out of her way. The yellee just smiled and tried her best with her huge, awkward burden to get out of her way. I instantly recognized the yeller as the EL seller from South Jersey. I quickly found out how to complain, and marched up faux Greek temple steps and into the arms of devastating Englishmen. Well, not quite, but I did lodge a complaint about that monster. Moral of the story: You never know who you will have to deal with in the future- Dike or Medusa. Which ties in to this review. June Ray, the past clerk, has moved on to be the clerk of Cherokee County. Sometimes, she was OK. Other times, she was not. If I had known that nobody had ever challenged her position as clerk, I would have run for clerk, pigeon toe and all. The first time I went to the clerk's office, Ms. Ray did not want to give me a copy of my grandmother's will. In the time it took to subtly harass me, she would have finished the task. Sometimes she acted bothered, sometimes she gave you a free copy or extra info. Despite the fact that she kept an all-female staff, I think she liked men better. Speaking of Ms. Ray's staff, some of them may still be there. And some of them were not so great. One woman was visibly annoyed that she had to work. If you rung the bell for service, most of the women ignored your plea for help. The women who came to the window seemed random; it may have very well been their job to help the public. The estate clerk was a sweetheart. She was an expert and took the time to educate me. Here is the crux: We had been trying to evict my deceased father's wife and company from our shared business premises. When my Ashevillian lawyer faxed in a continuance for the case to the clerk's office, she was told that she could not do so. They told her that she had to do it in person. That was a lie. After I fired my lawyer, we went shopping for a local one. One local lawyer told us that he had no problem faxing over continuances. That means that the clerk's office employees- some of who may still work there presently- had no problem lying to us or wasting hundreds, nay, even thousands of my dollars. Even though my lawyer was going on her third monthly vacation, the employees who refused her continuance fax cost me extra because I had to pay her to work through that problem. Every day that my father's wife and her alcoholic clique stayed at our business caused us to lose business and property (due to destruction and theft). Was someone just in a bad mood that day? Or was it favoritism? An anti-urban/Asheville element? I will never know. On top of that, later, when I was composing a complaint about my former lawyer to submit to the state bar, I asked an employee to speak with the magistrate, Mr. Wood, whom had presided over my eviction case. The employee told me that he had left the building and told me to go the sheriff's office, as Mr. Wood had headed over there. This may have been a lie. Mr. Wood never showed up at the sheriff's, or he arrived through the back door and hid, or he was still chillin' at the clerk's office. (In a bizarre twist, the Sheriff's office gave me the same runaround.) Ironically, if you want to complain about a clerk, you have to ask to talk to a magistrate. You may be thwarted from doing so. Even worse, Mr. Wood, who campaigned to become the new clerk after Ray left, was found to have acted unethically while he was a magistrate. Can you imagine if he had become clerk? We may provide through taxes the salary of the clerk and the employees who work at the clerk's office. We deserve to be treated justly and fairly. We are their job security. If nobody needed wills or judgement documents, they would not have a job. In the end, this clerk's office affected my past, present, and future- both positively and negatively. I hope you have better luck. Note: Mr. Hunter Plemmons is the new clerk. Re: Yelp review on the Sheriff's Office of Haywood County.

One of the friendliest Mountain Towns in America with everything an active family needs to be…read moreoutdoors with Nature.

It's a small town with a few stores to go to. They have the Bryson City train (steam and diesel)…read moreit's a 4 hr ride. It cost about 56-60 for the general admission. We missed the time frame (11am) so we didn't get to go. They offer one with dinner and drinks I believe and it's of course more expensive. They have a Walgreens, a dollar general, two gas stations and they have a visitors center. Small but cute. They have cabins up in the hills and it's close to the National park.

A moderately difficult trail that allows some great views when you get to the end. It's about 3…read moremiles and 1700 ft in elevation. It was my second time hiking ever and I didn't have much issues. There was ice on some of the surfaces because of the winter weather so be careful.

Looking Glass Rock Overlook is awesome!…read more What makes this spot so special? 1) It is one of the best places to view LOOKING GLASS ROCK, a huge monolith that, as the Nat'l Forest Service describes: "rises from the surrounding forest like a sentinel." It is said that once upon a time, The Appalachian Mountain chain was taller than the Rockies, but the softer sandstones eroded over time leaving the harder rocks we know today. Looking Glass Rock is volcanic in nature making it harder and denser than most of the surrounding earth and did not erode as the rest of the mountain did. 2) You can also access the mountain to sea trail just across the parkway that leads to Skinny Dip Falls! If you are not in a terrible hurry, the walk to the falls should only take up about an hour of your time. Or you could spend several hours there playing in the many crystal clear pools of water along the many levels of the falls. The Parkway overlooks always give you the above sea level elevation and Looking Glass Rock Overlook is about 4,492 feet. Comparatively, the highest elevation on the parkway is Richland Balsam @ 6,053 feet, which is about 14.5 miles west of this overlook. The lowest point on the parkway is the James River Visitor Center in Virginia @ 649 feet. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] If you haven't heard, The Blue Ridge Parkway is also known as AMERICA'S FAVORITE DRIVE. It is 469 miles long, but it won't take you even a fraction of that to see why it has this nickname. It is absolutely beautiful most times of the year but ESPECIALLY in the fall! If you are looking for a way to get out and still remain socially distanced, I can't really think of a better way than driving this amazing road. It is estimated there are 65 waterfalls just off the Parkway and hundreds more within a mile or two of the parkway. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND visiting Lineville Falls, Mingo Falls, Crabtree Falls, Looking Glass Falls, Mount Mitchell and visiting the mile high swinging bridge @ Grandfather Mountain. AND of course Skinny Dip Falls, where the trailhead is located right here @ Looking Glass Rock Overlook. 2021 / 65

I love to see historic structures and this one is within Great Smokey Mountain National Park, not…read moretoo far from Gatlinburg. The farmstead of Noah "Bud" Ogle is preserved and visitors are allowed to walk through the log house and wander the former property. There is no charge. Ogle was an early settler in the area. He owned 400 acres (well before the land was Park) and raised corn and apples. He built the cabin in the 1880's. A mill on the property was used to grind the corn. Parking is limited, maybe twelve spaces. A parking pass is required that can be purchased at any visitors center. There is a 3/4 mile nature trail leading into the forest with spring flowers in bloom.

Great short hike [less than a mile] but AMAZING views along the path of the nature. There are a…read morecouple of historic buildings [Bud Ogles Cabin and the Mill] along the walk. Even with the forest fire almost 10 years ago, these buildings are still standing today!!

this is the first lookout tower i have ever been on & it was REMARKABLE. below is some hopefully…read morehelpful information about the lookout tower. is it scary ? - the very simple answer is yes. it is pretty scary especially when you go on a windy day & the entire tower shakes while you walk on up it. however, you should know what you are getting yourself into. you're climbing a lookout tower on the top of a mountain! it's not easy but, it is worth it. don't look until you get to the top! sadly the very top of the lookout tower is locked but, you can still sit right below it for the same experience. bringing kids & dogs - starting with kids, i think you should only bring your kids when they reach the age where they won't wonder off of the side of a mountain. that age may vary, it really depends on the trust you have with them. as for dogs, i think they will love the trail but not so much the tower itself. while i was there i saw multiple dogs attempt a few stairs & then run back down in fear. i don't blame them haha! directions - i honestly just used apple maps for directions but, i will try to describe where to go in case you can't use apple maps. there is a campground called mount pisgah campground & it is very close to the lookout tower. it is on blue ridge parkway. if you are looking at the entrance to the campground you need to turn left & continue down blue ridge parkway until you see the first pull off / walking path to the right. from there you make your way up the path. it is a short walk however, you will be walking up in a incline for the most part. some websites say that the trail is on forest service road 450 but, i don't know how accurate that is. recommendations - if you go in march, i suggest bringing a sweater / jacket. the higher in the mountains you get, the colder it gets. i also recommend that you bring a water no matter the time of year. in conclusion, this is a must do! it is an easy little walk with a scenic drive on the way up & down the mountain. it will take you maybe three hours at most.