Along US Highway 19 at a small park that is next to a small tributary to the larger river, this…read moremarker points out someone who helped put Maggie Valley and Buncombe County on the map. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Felix Walker. Revolutionary officer, member Congress, 1817-23, where, in "talking for Buncombe" (County), he gave new meaning to the word. Home was 1/2 mi. N." There is more detail in the online essay. "'Bunk,' part of the American lexicon, has its origins in the oratory skills (or lack thereof) of a nineteenth-century Congressman from Buncombe County. Felix Walker was born in 1753 in Hampshire County, Virginia, which is now part of West Virginia. He moved with his father in 1768 to what is now Rutherford County, North Carolina. In 1769 he was employed as a merchant's clerk in South Carolina, before joining the Boonesboro, Kentucky settlement with Daniel Boone and others. "Walker was a North Carolina militiaman and took part in the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1779. After his war experience, he was a clerk in the Rutherford County Court from 1779 to 1787. He served four terms in the State House. For most of his life he was primarily a farmer. "Walker was elected as a Republican to the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Congresses, serving from 1817 to 1823. There he gained a reputation for 'speaking for Buncombe.' At that time old Buncombe County (with its seat at Asheville) was larger than its present size and comprised the core of Walker's Congressional district. Walker's reputation, by association with the phrase was both credited, that is, he competently represented his constituents, and discredited, that is, his thoughts were dismissed as 'bunk.' Walker moved to Mississippi in 1824 where he became an agricultural trader, and lived there until his death in 1828. "H. L. Mencken, the sage of Baltimore and a connoisseur of the American language, entitled one of his books A Carnival of Buncombe." This is marker number P-26 and it was erected by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. There is parking and a public restroom in the adjacent park. [Review 1164 of 2024 - 3654 in North Carolina - 22187 overall]

When I first visited Maggie Valley thirteen years ago, it was winter. My father had just let his…read moregirlfriend pick out the business that we would own, and, thus, our fate. Thanks a lot, poor visoneer. I remember having bad pizza and trying to be hopeful that there had to be more action than a Burger King and Walmart. Maggie itself was wholesome and hibernating. I still say that Maggie, the town sweetheart, had a colorful nightlife on the side in that there valley. (The present Maggie mascot walks the streets, waving sweetly.) I moved outside of Maggie the following summer. Life plodded on. I worked at the family business. Defying rumors, the petting zoo never reopened. "Ghost Town in the Sky" would open for a month or two, only to be beleaguered by a poltergeist who always caused the main attraction- the roller coaster- to cease producing fun. "Carolina Nights", dinner theatre for seniors, eventually closed and caused a Carolina Blight. No, really, cause Maggie was not the same after that happened. The Eaglenest, a concert hall, was built but failed to soar. The lack of alcohol and Walton-level of fun killed it. The pizza place stopped tossing and closed. Bakeries would pop up from time to time, only to burn out. At least two motels burned out and down to the relief of the owners who then drove away from Maggie in new RVs. I was glad when Joey's got a new owner. The old one had an inflated ego with prices to match. When my grandmother with Alzheimer's walked down the street naked, an outraged citizen called the cops. Nope, brain diseases are not allowed in Maggie. My grandmother was shipped off, never to be free again. So, now the fun part. As I have stated before, when my father died, his wife, T., and her alcoholic brothers who lived (!) at our business threatened my husband, F., at our business within a week of my dad's death. We never returned to our business, and it quickly succumbed under their influence. Neighboring businesses started to complain about drug use and trash. I contacted the health department, but they did not care that the things living at my business had by choice stopped using running water. That is a public health hazard. One neighboring business joined forces with my ex-stepmother by buying stolen business property off of her after F. had asked them to stay away from her. When F. confronted the man that he had spoken to, the cops were called. F. said that the cop put his gloves on. F. was told not to go to our business again. He checked it daily. He was doing more for Maggie than the police were. And without gloves. The police stated that they could do nothing about the property theft. What the...huh? Isn't that your job?! We had also asked for a police escort to the inside of the business so that we could access the safe that was in my ex-stepmother's living quarters. We told them that my brother and I owned more shares of the business than T. They would not provide us with an escort. F. decided to go to the town manager, Mr. Clark. We went to the town center building. We got separated. I went up to the office window to ask for help. The phone rang. The woman that worked the desk looked at me, ignored me, and picked up the phone instead. How rude. I walked away and looked at photos of Maggie, who in her older days was no Ava Gardner. I found F. by wandering the weird halls. (The building has several ill-placed additions.) Our meeting with Mr. Clark seemed promising. F. asked Mr. Clark if he could evict T. and co. from our business premises. He said that he would contact people, and that it had been done once before, when addicts had resided in front of "Wheels Thru Time", the central cog of Maggie. We told him about the accumulating trash, and how we were not sure if we had enough business funds for to be picked up promptly. Oddly enough, Mr. Clark said that Maggie Valley would remove the dumpster, and F. had to tell him that that could be viewed as theft. Mr. Clark's rude secretary appeared and announced that Mr. Clark had a meeting. We left. My kid and I went to a playground that was built for listless toddlers. It is behind the town center building. I suddenly saw Mr. Clark on his cell phone outside, done with his "meeting" within seven minutes of us leaving. Yep, that's what you get when you try to be positive. Self-important announcers and fake meetings because real ones require too much effort. In the end, no one helped. We reached out to numerous entities to no avail. A naked woman walking down the street caused more concern than drug addicts living at a local business. Maggie is still there, despite one cop stating that it was dying. A dollar store was added. Gift shops are the main breed. Frankie's is doing great. Mini trucks are still truckin' at a yearly event, along with leather and cycles. Spirits- the drinking kind- have ben added to add new spirit. There are new sidewalks, but I will never walk down them and into the sunset.

What a great little town in western NC just outside of Cherokee. It is quiet and laid back with…read moregreat views of the Great Smoky Mountains. They have some nice shops and restaurants around and of course Ghost Town in the Sky. It is very close to Soco falls and like I said it is not far from Cherokee. It is a great place to spend a couple days with lot of places to explore.

This marker is along the highway and adjacent to a boat ramp area, so there is a spot to pull over…read moreand park while you appreciate the beauty of the Lake Junaluska in the mountains and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Cataloochee Trail. An old Indian path across mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Asbury. Trail passed nearby." The online essay has more information. "Cataloochee Trail, located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, served as a pathway for both Native Americans and European settlers over the Appalachian Mountains. The earliest extant mention of the trail appears in 1799, and refers to the Cataloochee as a "turnpike." By that point, the Cherokee had abandoned the region, and Col. Robert Love, a Revolutionary War veteran and land speculator, had purchased the land." This is marker number P-50 and it was erected by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. [Review 1163 of 2024 - 3653 in North Carolina - 22186 overall]

This area is still recovering from the hurricane last year…read more This is Sunburst Falls. There is a drought going on so I think this one may be more majestic at different times of the year. Parking is very limited, but the falls can be seen from the road.

Amazing waterfall just off the roadside. There are only a couple of parking spots just down from…read morethe falls that are located on a curve of the road.

Hello, I hope that this will be taken seriously, in hopes that this never happens to anyone else…read more Since Helene destroyed our local Canton park we wanted to give the Waynesville Recreation pool. I called the day prior to get all the information I could gather, checked the website since we have not been in over a decade. The receptionist gave me all the information, dates, times, pricing, and and temperature of the pool. I asked if there was still a kiddy pool working with buckets, slides, splash area etc. and I was told yes. The next day we were very excited and happily payed our fee to enter.As we walked passed the 1st life guard posted at the shallow end of the deep pool we smiled and found a spot near the slide as we knew that was what our son was going to be the most excited about. We got our son in his swim vest for safety and goggles and off he went down the slide. All of a sudden I see a young blonde lifeguard running around the Side of the slide saying "NO NO NO!". My husband and I smiled and said "Its ok we are right here and he's safe (Thinking she was worried he was alone since we didn't even see her from where she was sitting)". My son was already coming down the slide when she was yelling at him, (He's autistic and doesn't always understand things or respond to others well). He made it down no problem and was swimming to get out when she said "we do not allow swim vest or life jackets on the slide!" I asked "why?" And she responded with "because of the bolts on the slide they can get hung up and get hurt." I Replied " so there are bolts sticking out on a toddlers waterslide? I think you should be more concerned with that cutting and hurting someone if thats the case, not be concerned with a protective swimming vest." She replied "Well he's to small to ride" I was confused since I called asked and check the website and the slide is on the kiddie pool. I said "ok" as my husband is trying to regulate our son and explain things to him but he just wants to slide. By this point there are only 2 life guards for both pools and my son won't stop trying to slide. I carry him over to her hoping if he hears it from someone else that he's not allowed it will help. It did not! I then am very upset that was the whole reason for coming and anyone with autistic children or any kids understand if you tell them something fun your going to do but then have to tell them they can not its never fun. I ask the girl if I can sign a waiver or anything to allow him to slide, she says"no" I ask can he take of his vest and slide and ill be at the bottom to help catch him if he needs it ( He's a very good swimmer for his age) to which she responded "parents are not allowed to stand at the bottom and help there child". I was blown away buy this since we have been going to canton pool, and Dollywood splash country where kids can wear the life jackets, swim vest, or floats on any slide and parents were always at the bottom to help catch them as well since its all about safety when around water! Well, expect here at Waynesville rec. center. I was upset by this point and asked her what and where are these rules since I was not informed.?" She says "its on the back of the slide". Again I was upset and said " well that a horrible place for rules against a back wall on a slide that not every sees until your back here, also I was not told this and just so you know for the future maybe you all could post your rules on the website and tell them when they call so this doesn't happen to other special needs family and regular families to! I could tell she was uncomfortable so I simply asked what would happen if he did go down the slide (as he can be a runner)? She said " I would ask you to leave" I said "ok" and walked away. So for reference and refresh you can call and check the website where these rules are NOT posted or come in pay inside change enter at the opposite side of the pool area walk always to the back wall behind the side, and on the back said you see this weird outdated slide rules. By this time I was wondering why no one was on the slide and its because you have to be 48 inch tall but not over a certain weight, no parents are allowed on the slide, parents cannot catch kids at the bottom, and no life jackets or vest are allowed. These rules do the opposite of keeping kids in the kiddie pool safe. And again you can go to canton pool, Dollywood splash country or many other water parks or pools and they encourage you to put vests on your child and stay close to your child in water. By this point there are a good amount of ;little kids in the kiddie pool I would say about 10 to 15 and more kids in the bigger pool about 10 as well and only 2 life guards. I'm sorry but I'm not going to rely on a lifeguard to see everything in a pool. But none the less we kept trying to explain it to our son and play in the kiddie pool and enjoy the best we can. Our son was having a melt down and other parents in the pool understood what was happe

We just moved to the area and took a tour of the recreation center here. We will be joining the gym…read moreafter Covid issues get better. They have the main staples of indoor pool, workout equipment, racket ball courts. It clean and people are very friendly. We use the outdoor grounds a lot. Our main use is the dog park. There is a small dog park and a large dog park. We are in the small dog area. The disc golf court runs past the dog areas which is cool. There is a great skateboard park that lots of young people use, even on bikes. Lots of paved pathways. I love that the pathways attract older and young people. And, the path runs alongside The bold creek. It is more like a small river. It is filled with trout should you want to fish. Definitely a major asset to our town!

I was seeking a waterfall and didn't quite have time to make it to Cherokee and the Great Smoky…read moreMountains, and so located this turn-off a couple of miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parking area is by the road, and the hike down to the falls is short, but of considerable grade. At the end, a platform allows viewing. You can't get anywhere near the falls or take a swim, and it seems like it would be a tough area even if there weren't a thousand signs telling you not to wander off the trail, which is shared with a driveway to some private property. It certainly isn't among the best Western NC waterfalls, but it's a nice site and it's free and open to the public, so not a bad place to stop depending on one's itinerary.

Great little path- I believe it's under on mile there. Also dogs on leashes seem to be allowed as…read morewell and has its own parking spaces. Great photo ops here. Beautiful place and the walk isn't too far from the parking lot either just very steep so wear good shoes

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located in Downtown Black Mountain. It is in the former…read moreCity Hall Building. Stairs are the only option to get to the second-floor gallery as the elevator got damaged by Hurricane Helene. Parking is on the street and in public lots. I found out about the Art in Bloom exhibit that was happening and made sure to fit it into my plans. The artwork and flower displays were upstairs. I was there the last day and they still looked amazing. I was thrilled I got to see the creativity. The staff was very friendly and welcoming here, and even provided me with a tour of the facility. The Center has performing arts so I joined the mailing list so I could find out about upcoming theatre performances and concerts. Classes and workshops are offered too. This is a great asset to the community.

Very nice people. Was invited into a painting studio along with a pottery studio. Would recommend.read more

Disgustingly incompetent people who always answer the phone with a goddamn attitude like you're not…read moresupposed to be calling them for help. They mess up a lot and when you call them out for it, they get mad at you instead of themselves. They're so bad at their job that it makes you angry. 0/10 help. 10/10 rage bait. Overall, they have no customer service and are very inconsiderate. You'll hang up the phone feeling angry and questioning if they even graduated from high school.

Waynesville- the town that does not epitomize "separation of church and state". I am grateful for…read moreour local police and firemen. They look so great in uniform. Ahem. So, this is the entity you want to contact when you start a new business in Waynesville. They also do building inspections, code enforcement, and zoning and building stuff. Want to become a notary, a position that allows you to support the alteration of wills of senior citizens with dementia per their avaricious progeny, in order to secure future support for their even more avaricious wives? Yes, you can; with the Register of Deeds department! If you enjoy being questioned by a county clerk employee because you are making her work, then get going to that department. Public and human resources round out these town services. Note: See my review on our town park for a slice of life. You ask: "Why only two stars?". Well, when I call up "The Town of Waynesville" with questions, I want answers, dammit. The first time I had to contact the townies, it was to inquire if a tree was on our property line or not. They ignored our calls. The second time, it was to inquire about the misplacing of Halloween. Or, rather, the bumping of this holiday up twenty-four hours to Saturday night, as opposed to Sunday night. It blew my mind. My kids' psyches were damaged. Local teens emboldened by cruising on their Sabbath aimed a rehashed barb at us. I decided to call up someone to find out if this is a religious phenomenon, or sanctioned by the town proper. No one called me back. The local paper never printed up my opinion on this matter. Recently, with a simple inquiry, they wanted to send out an inspector for a small renovation project. We told them the deal. I think that they expect disaster. We still have had none as of yet. I feel very powerful knowing that I have Waynesville in my clutches this very moment. I, as a word goddess, bestow limited compassion to it and wisdom to its inhabitants. From henceforth, know that returning phone calls is sacred in my world.