The Jackson County Public Library sits inside the old courthouse at the top of the hill, and the…read moresetting alone makes it worth the visit. You can climb the 98 steps if you want the full Sylva experience but it is absolutely driveable and there is a proper parking lot right beside the building, which makes your visit a lot easier. Once inside, the space feels bright and open, with the kind of modern layout that still respects the bones of the historic structure. The windows give the place a calm, airy feel, and a few of the seating areas look out over the city of Sylva that makes you want to linger a little longer. There is plenty of room to spread out, racks of books arranged neatly and a mix of quiet corners and open tables depending on what you need. I was only here briefly and did not have a chance to test the wifi, but everything else about the library suggested a well maintained and thoughtfully run library. It is the kind of place that blends history and everyday usefulness without trying too hard, and it fills like a natural fit for the old historic courthouse rather than a forced reuse of the space. [Review 532 of 2026 - 4627 in North Carolina - 25714 overall]

Visiting from the city & needed to work on my laptop. What a great library! Take the elevator to…read morethe second floor . There were also plugs on the table which made it easy to charge devices.

An absolute gem of a library. Gorgeous, contemporary yet with beautiful traditional touches, clean,…read moreinspiring, inviting. I loved working on my novel here. The grand reading room with the vaulted ceiling and fireplace is incredible. Good hours, lots of time to visit. I wish I lived near this place!

I love love love this place!!!!! This is one of the most…read morebeautiful libraries I've ever been to, the ambience is super nice and the architecture is just beautiful. It is a quiet place to study and do homework, until the kids show up after school, then it becomes a mess and tons of noise, it is an excellent program for the kids, but if you are looking for a quiet place then you have to be early in there. I'm a regular at this place because I really enjoy being here, I love the activities for the kids, and I enjoy the days they close late, just sometimes they do close earlier than they should.

Love love love the concept of this place, very mellow yet classy! My partner and I enjoyed looking…read morearound at new books of interest while waiting for our food, we had ordered a charcuterie board and it was filling and I enjoyed going here!! I do wish they had more of a variety of meats for the board, but everything was exceptional! I will say the grapes weren't the freshest, but everything else makes up for it! I do like their hummus that we got for the side and the martini is delicious as always, can't go wrong with that! They had seasoned roasted macadamias and those were very yummy!! The walnuts tasted freshly cracked and not bitter whatsoever and service is great! While exploring around I found out the book I just read has a sequel because of their displays, so that was neat! There was live music and the space was bigger than I had expected, upstairs with children's, games, and history!

Really cool book store and restaurant. We did not dine there but wanted to check it out. There…read morewere many people eating inside at the different tables. Very cool concept. There were wines, drinks and charcuterie plates available. Staff was very cordial and ready to answer any questions. Love the vibe and total air of sophistication. Will return to dine in and soak in the tranquility.

The book collection is old. Needs better collection development. One staff member is rude and bossy.read more

I am removing one star for rudeness. I had to call the other day in order to renew my books. The…read moreemployee who answered the phone was annoyed that she had to do her job. Chill- you work in a library, possibly the most stress free workplace on earth. Speaking of those books, when we originally attempted to check them out, the lady in the kids' room was rude, too. She acted like I wasn't there, and kept on talking with her friends. I could not tell if her friends were employees or patrons. She finally said that she could not check me out, and told me that I could go the self-check-out kiosk or go upstairs to get checked out. I asked her how to do the self thing, and she showed me the kiosk. I stared at it for several long seconds before telling her that I would go upstairs. Tell me: why do they need a self-check-out if they have time to endlessly yak it up and there are never more than six people in the kids' room at a time, not counting employees? Libraries should feel inviting, not alienating.

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.

I have a business and constantly have to go to the library for prints . They do an excellent job…read moreand are very helpful. Great customer service!

The library we usually go to opens late on Thursday so we decided to visit this one today. It's…read more not fancy, but it's a great library. The employees are incredibly nice. It wasn't super packed and that was a relief. They had a nice big table where we could lay out any paperwork. The children's area was adorable!

This library is fantastic. We stopped by because my oldest had a book to pick up since she lives…read morenearby. We frequent our library at home and were immediately struck by how much nicer this one is. They had a massive children's selection, a ton of new releases and so many nice areas to sit and read. Highly recommend!!!

This is a library (go figure.) It's pretty small, but nice and quiet. Plenty of tables for studying…read moreor reading. Has computers, and you can also rent a laptop for an hour which is nice. Free Wifi is definitely a plus. With wifi to listen to music and a big armchair to sit in, all of my needs have been met for a prolonged afternoon of studying. I can't speak for their book/dvd selection as I mainly came here to study, but their seems to be a decent variety.

Good library and very friendly staff. Well organized and clean. Heart of the community…read more Movies, books, internet, periodicals....its all here. Special programs and guests. Really...its a great place.

We love Cedar Bluff Branch Library! It is the best. Ever since I moved to TN /Knoxville I got a…read morelibrary card and then when I had kids I took them to baby bookworms and story time. They loved shaky eggs and singing and listening to more books. We will come and max out our library cards... so I was glad when I could get library cards for the girls (max physical items you can take at once is 50, max online from Libby is 15 loans and 25 on hold). Now we don't have to worry about limits since we have 3 library cards. The girls love Crafternoon in the summer and the scavenger hunts around the kid's section in the library. We could spend all day here if I didn't have to work. The online selection is really good and allows us to save lots of money on books. We love the library and all our Cedar Bluff librarians!

Libraries seem like a dying place in the world if Nooks, e-readers, iPads, downloadable books, and…read morethe Internet. This library is still vital to the community it serves. Walking around I saw students studying, foreign people reading books or visiting, children reading with parents, those without home computers and smart phones using the free computers. The staff are super friendly. Books are available for a 3 week check out with an additional 3 weeks (2x) for a 9 week total borrow time. Call or go in to have your books renewed. The library offers children's activities, story time, and adult reading time. Books and media can be returned day and night at the outside drop box.

The Friends of the Library books store is an amazing second hand book store for a town that does…read morenot have a book store. If you are a quilter, there are hundreds of quilt books and other crafting books. The staff are very helpful. They are very organized...You can find what you're looking for easily. They have large print section too and jig saw puzzles, childrens' books, cookbooks, videos and DVDS. Don't show up if you have a time crunch, you'll want to poke around.

Truly a wonderful Library. Wow! It's big, well organized, Quiet areas to study & helpful staff…read more Thank you. I use the library all the time to simply catch up on my Email, make copies of items and to just relax and get caught up with life. The staff is very helpful and considerate. So thank you!