Waynesville, North Carolina Attractions

Below you will find an extensive list of year-round Waynesville, North Carolina vacation attractions.Take the time to enjoy all that western North Carolina has to offer!

Downtown Waynesville Attractions

GREAT RESTAURANTS

Whether you are interested in casual fare or fine dining, you won't be disappointed with our small town's restaurants ! Our guests consistently comment on how amazed they are with the number of restaurants we have for a small town, and better yet, how delicious the food is everywhere! With more than a dozen to choose from, including great Thai and Sushi restaurants, there's something for everyone!

Want to make a reservation ahead of time? Waynesville's restaurants that take reservations include Anthony Wayne's, Bourbon Barrel Beef & Ale , Chef's Table , Cork and Cleaver , Frog's Leap Public House , Old Stone Inn , and Sweet Onion.

ART AFTER DARK

On the 1st Friday of each month from May thru November, 14 Art Galleries and Studios remain open late with demonstrations, receptions, music and more in downtown Waynesville and the Historic Frog Level area. Starting in 2012, the galleries will extend the opportunity for you to view their demonstrations with the new Saturday Stroll on Saturday afternoons following Art After Dark!

MELANGE OF THE MOUNTAINS

Come experience a "taste" of our Western North Carolina Mountains through the culinary talents of local chefs in competition. Held in April, this gala event is sponsored by our Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. Click here to purchase and for more information.

QUICK DRAW

A Western North Carolina Annual Benefit Event held in April, Quick Draw brings professional artists to Waynesville to create original art pieces in a timed 60-minute quick draw! The evening begins with a cash bar, and then at 6:15 the clock starts ticking and the creativity flows! At 7:15 you'll enjoy Hors d'oeuvres and a preview of the spectacular works of art before the auction of the pieces begins at 8:15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wncquickdraw.com , or we'd be happy to pick them up for you at a local gallery. Come enjoy this inspiring evening, a fundraiser supporting art in our schools!

BLOCK PARTIES

Over Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekend, downtown Waynesville comes alive with food vendors and dancing in the street on Main Street to live bands playing music sure to please every generation! Set the date for the next one - September 1, 2012!

APPALACHIAN LIFESTYLE CELEBRATION

Protecting, preserving, and developing the Appalachian historical and cultural resources of Waynesville, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Smoky Mountains, this heritage event on June 9, 2012 offers music and dance, storytelling, arts and crafts and traditional foods! Come stay at our Waynesville bed and breakfast while you discover the richness of Appalachian culture, then explore the glorious mountains themselves on the Blue Ridge Parkway or in the Smoky Mountains and feel connected to the beauty that inspired that history and culture!

STARS & STRIPES CELEBRATION

On July 4th, sidewalk sales, live entertainment, refreshments and fun for all ages throughout downtown Waynesville help us celebrate this patriotic holiday!

MOUNTAIN STREET DANCES

Live music, demonstrations of clogging and square dancing, and instruction by local clogging teams; provide the experience of a true mountain hoedown! This takes place on specific Friday evenings in June, July and August. Join the fun and clog along on June 22, July 6 and 20, and August 3, 2012!

DOWNTOWN STUDIO & GALLERY TOUR

Waynesville’s opportunity to visit downtown artists as they work, as well as, other local and regional artists featured in our downtown area on sidewalks and in parks. First weekend in October.

H.A.R.T. THEATRE

Enjoy award winning performances in the H.A.R.T. Theatre's Mainstage from April through November.

FOLKMOOT, USA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Folkmoot has a 23-year history of performers demonstrating cultural heritage through colorful, authentic and original reproduction costumes, lively dance and beautiful music. Over the 23 years, more than 200 folk groups from more than 100 countries have shared their heritage and culture at Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s International Festival held each July. This year's event runs from July 18 to the 29th. With beginning and ending events right here in downtown Waynesville, other performances right here in our county in Maggie Valley, Clyde and Lake Junaluska and others just 30 minutes away in Asheville and Cullowhee, NC our bed and breakfast is the perfect spot to stay while enjoying this International Festival!

BLUE RIDGE BREAKAWAY

Haywood County Chamber of Commerce offers cyclists a new challenge with its Blue Ridge Breakaway. Beginning at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center and winding through the Blue Ridge Parkway and county roads, this event doesn't disappoint. Choose one of four scenic routes based on your skill level and see the beauty of our Western North Carolina mountains!

CHURCH STREET ART & CRAFT SHOW

This one-day event is known as the finest art and craft show in the region! Downtown Waynesville becomes an art and craft marketplace from 10 AM to 5 PM, along with food stands, live music and clogging, providing fun for everyone! Come find that special treasure at this year's show on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

APPLE HARVEST FESTIVAL

Celebrate the apple harvest with us! Waynesville’s Main Street comes alive with live mountain music, dancing, crafts and demonstrations, and of course apples! Enjoy fresh cider, fried pies and various other apple dishes as you enjoy Waynesville’s hospitality. October 20, 2012.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Get in the holiday spirit as you soak in the sights, scents and sounds of the holiday in our shops and galleries, as they display their decorations to kickoff the beginning of Waynesville’s holiday season festivities on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Better yet, make it a holiday tradition, and cut your own Christmas Tree to take home at Boyd's Christmas Tree Farm !

A NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

A holiday tradition in Waynesville, our town becomes the scene of a fairy tale with luminaries lining Main Street, caroling, live music, a live Nativity, pictures with Santa, old-fashioned wagon rides, storytelling, poetry and more! December 8, 2012.

MAST GENERAL STORE

Charles Kuralt once said, “All General Stores are satisfying to visit, but one of them, the Mast Store , is a destination.” With over 500 old-fashioned candy favorites, traditional clothing, travel and trail outfitters, rugged and casual footwear, and old-fashioned mercantile like timeless toys, pottery, furniture, traditional house wares, jams, jellies and maple syrup, you’ll have to visit this store several times to see everything!

This is one of our guests' favorite Waynesville stores! We're not sure whether it's the seasonal sales of quality clothing, the expertise of the Outfitters Section employees, the bins full of candy bringing back childhood memories, or just the old fashioned squeaky floors and the smell of freshly popped popcorn that makes us all love it - but we do!

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

ELK VIEWING www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/elk.htm

Just 25 miles from us in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park you'll find history and adventure, whether you're hiking the trails, or taking an auto tour of the cove and historic structures with the parks self-guiding booklet. Feel the history as you walk through the schoolhouse or chapel where ancestors of the original settlers still have an annual reunion! See elk, deer, bear, wild turkey and other wildlife along the trails and in Cataloochee's meadows. Early morning and late evening are the best times to view elk throughout the year. Summer is best for seeing calves, September and October are best months to see males sparring and to hear the male's legendary bugling calls to attract cows. Don't want to go it alone?

Cataloochee Valley Tours provides transportation and guided eco-tours to the valley, including morning birding and wildflower hikes, synchronous firefly night walks and evening elk eco-tours! Click here to find out more http://www.cataloocheevalleytours.com/index.htm.

BILTMORE ESTATE www.biltmore.com

George Vanderbilt’s 250-room chateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains is located in Asheville, NC, 30 minutes from Waynesville. For more than a century, America’s largest home has been an escape from everyday life for those visiting. Treasures abound in this carefully preserved home with every detail allowing the visitor to enter the family life of the Vanderbilts. Surrounded by 250 acres of beautiful gardens and grounds, this castle’s gardens accent the mountains’ natural beauty throughout the year with breathtaking spring blooms during the Biltmore's Festival of Flowers April 2 to May 15, lush summer borders and glorious autumn color. Our Asheville AAA Office has general admission tickets for $47/each which can be used any time EXCEPT the evening candle light holiday tours (they are valid for day tours during this same time period). Just let us know if you'd like more information.

NOTE: During the winter slow season, Asheville's Biltmore Estate offers discounted prices that are typically less than the AAA tickets we get for you. Please check their website for your best price and requirements (for ex. purchasing tickets 10 days in advance of your visit). It could mean a $10/ticket savings for you!

FOLK ART CENTER www.craftguild.org

At Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC you can see exhibits of traditional and contemporary crafts of the Appalachian region at The Folk Art Center. With free admission, daily craft demonstrations from March through December, and one of the nation's top craft retail store, it's worth the trip!

THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM www.ncarboretum.org

Reflecting the cultural and natural heritage of the Southern Appalachians, these gardens and landscape exhibits in Asheville provide an educational, as well as, beautiful, relaxing environment for all ages. Time can be spent learning at the exhibit center, walking through the gardens, or hiking the miles of trails available on this beautiful natural garden setting for just $8!

THOMAS WOLFE MEMORIAL www.wolfememorial.com

The Asheville Home of America's Powerful Twentieth-Century Writer. Come visit this historic site immortalized inWolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel". Read the book, then visit one of literature's most famous landmarks and feel it come alive as you recognize the rooms and imagine the characters described by Wolfe. Admission $1!

ASHEVILLE

Our spirited and eclectic town has everything, but a big city atmosphere. But don’t worry, whether you take the scenic route along the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the 30 minute drive on the expressway from Waynesville, you can have both! While you are enjoying the advantages of our quaint, small town atmosphere, why not visit the city of Asheville for some of its attractions? Asheville offers art, music and culture similar to Waynesville, but with a bigger city feel.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL

Come share our mountain folk music with us on August 31-September 1, 2012 with two full evenings of authentic mountain folk music at beautiful Lake Junaluska, just 10 minutes away.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD www.gsmr.com

We’re less than a 45 minutes away from the Bryson City Depot for the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. Take a relaxing ride through the mountains to see the splendor of each season, or be adventurous and take the train to the beginning of a white water adventure! Even if you don't want to ride the train, the Smoky Mountain Trains' museum in Bryson City includes a model railroad half the size of a basketball court and over 7,000 Lionel engines, cars and accessories. The vast collection dates back to 1918!

CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK www.chimneyrockpark.com

Explore Chimney Rock and enjoy the possibilities of scenic views on the 5 trails of varying ease or difficulty, find adventure and arrange to participate in one of their Rock Climbing Clinics, or save your energy to enjoy in town shopping, and take the elevator up a 26-story shaft to reach Chimney Rock to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Lure (seen in this picture). Less than 1 hour from our Western North Carolina bed and breakfast, it's a must see North Carolina attraction!

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY www.nps.gov/blri

In 10 minutes you can be at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s southern end, and on your way to the point of highest elevation for this scenic route at Richland Balsam Mountain. See the beautiful Fraser fir and red spruce as you take a self-guiding nature trail that leads you through this beautiful area with not only its own natural beauty, but also breathtaking views of the Great Smokies!Whether you're taking your car for a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, touring on your motorcycle to see the Parkway's scenic views free from barriers, or you're training for that next triathalon and get your heart pumping by riding your bike around the Blue Ridge Parkway's curves, you won't be disappointed by this scenic beauty!

THE GREAT SMOKIES www.nps.gov/grsm

See some of the most diverse species of plant and animal life in the world in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Whether you’re viewing its beautiful wildflowers, colorful fall foliage, mountain vistas (this pic is from Clingman's Dome) and historic buildings from your car or taking a park trail, being in the Smokies connects you to how our forebears lived. Simply being in the magnificent forests, with the lack of human-generated noise can open up a world of natural sights, sounds, and smells that instantly connect you to the wonders of nature. We’re fortunate to have a fairly large section of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park right in our own county, with one of the main entrance points in nearby Maggie Valley, just 20 minutes away! Here's a great resource for all of the National Parks, with a feature article of our nearby Cataloochee Valley hikes - National Parks Traveler .

CHEROKEE www.cherokee-nc.com

This town offers its visitors the opportunity to experience the rich history of the Cherokee through the MUSEUM OF THE CHEROKEE INDIAN which houses a creative blend of the latest museum technology and the most extensive collection of Cherokee artifacts, or its newest attraction, HARRAH’S CHEROKEE CASINO with its own Paula Deen's Kitchen ! Both a 40 minute drive from downtown Waynesville.( Reservations required for Paula Deen's Kitchen.)

Online Reservations

The Windover Inn, Waynesville, North Carolina Bed & Breakfast
40 Old Hickory Street, Waynesville, North Carolina (NC) 28786
Toll Free: 1-866-452-4411 Email: relax@windoverinn.com