Scenic Drives

These drives are suggested for their scenic beauty. They are particularly breathtaking during the fall, but if you choose to take a drive in the spring, they should be equally beautiful. Enjoy and travel safely.

High Country

Drive #1
Original Store to West Jefferson
From the Original Store turn right on Highway 194, the Mission Crossing Scenic By-Way. Follow it until it comes to a T intersection with Highway 421 in the community of Vilas. At this intersection, turn left on Highway 421 North. You’ll follow this through the communities of Zionville and into Trade, Tennessee. Trade is Tennessee’s oldest community. In Trade, turn right on Highway 67 (you’ll see an “antiques shop” at the intersection and it will be just a short distance past the Grist Mill. This road will wind you back into North Carolina and Ashe County (it becomes Highway 88 when you cross the North Carolina line). You’ll see lots of beautiful places to stop and take pictures including the Sutherland Methodist Church – it was built in the late 1800s.

Follow Highway 88 to its intersection with Highway 194 in Warrensville. Turn right on Highway 194 and follow it to West Jefferson. If you get a chance to stop here, you may want to check out the Ashe County Cheese Factory and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where you’ll find some of Ben Long’s first fresco works. At the intersection with Highway 221, turn right to follow Highway 221 South. Stay straight until you reach Deep Gap, where you’ll turn right on continue on Highway 221, which will lead you back to Boone.

High Country Drive #2
Original Store to Blue Ridge Parkway
From the Original Store turn left on Highway 194 and then turn right to continue on Highway 194 in front of Valle Crucis Elementary School. This road is very twisty turny – and was one of the county’s finest when it was surveyed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As you pass by the Valle Crucis Conference Center, you’ll drive by many acres of land that have been put into a conservation trust ensuring that they will retain their scenic and agrarian nature. Follow Highway 194 to its intersection with Highway 184 in Banner Elk and turn left on Highway 184. Highway 184 will take you to Highway 105. Turn right on Highway 105 South to Linville. At the intersection with Highway 221 in Linville turn left on Highway 221 North. This will take you by the entrance of Grandfather Mountain, the only privately owned United Nations Biosphere Preserve in the world! Soon, you will have a choice. You can take Highway 221 North to Blowing Rock, which was a part of the Linville Turnpike and also known as the Yonahlossee Trail in the early 1900s. Or you can take the Blue Ridge Parkway North toward Blowing Rock. The Parkway route will take you across the Linn Cove Viaduct, which the last segment of the scenic drive to be completed. It is constructed of 153 pre-cast concrete sections that are held together with epoxy and steel tendons. Crossing this marvel of a bridge in any season provides spectacular views.

Waynesville

Drive #1
Blue Ridge Parkway from Maggie Valley to Balsam
From Main Street in Waynesville, take US 276 north to US 19. Turn Left onto US 19 (going West). Travel Approx. 10 miles through Maggie Valley to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance. Get on Parkway heading North toward Asheville. Water Rock Knob is a great point of interest with gorgeous panoramic views and a visitor center. This section is approximately 12 - 15 miles of slow, curving roads with several scenic overlooks, picnic areas and hiking trails. You can exit the Parkway at Balsam and head back to Waynesville on US 23/74.

Drive #2
Highway 276 South From Main Street
Follow US 276 South from Main Street in Waynesville through Bethel and Cruso to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Get on Parkway heading south toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Again, a slow, curving road with lots of scenic overlooks and more hiking trails. Travel approximately 10 miles to route NC 215 and head south. On NC 215, go approx. 8 - 10 miles to see the Cold Mountain. Continue on NC 215 to intersect with US 276, head North back to Waynesville.

Drive #3
Blue Ridge Parkway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Travel from US 276 South to the Parkway and head South toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and keep going until you reach Maggie Valley, then come back to Waynesville through Maggie. This will be a longer trip on the Parkway and will add a bit of time, but is well worth the journey.

Hendersonville

Drive #1
A Fall Foliage and Historical Tour around the County
From the Visitors Center, turn left onto Main Street, proceeding north through the Historic Downtown area. The Historic Courthouse will be to the left at First Avenue and Main Street.

The Historic Henderson County Courthouse was built in 1904 to replace the first courthouse, which was built on the same site in 1842. Today the Courthouse houses Henderson County Governement Offices and the Henderson County Heritage Museum.

The next few blocks of Main Street and the surrounding side streets represent the Historic District of Downtown Hendersonville. The district was one of the first Main Street restoration programs in the United States. Main Street was designed in a park-like setting, with convenient parking, colorful planters, park benches and tree-lined sidewalks.

Proceeding on Main Street, turn right onto Fifth Avenue, then right into the City Hall parking area. Hendersonville's City Hall is across the street. Constructed in 1928, it replaced the first Town Hall and Opera House, built in 1895. In the entrance of City Hall there are museum exhibits reflecting the city's history. Inside the lobby there are three large statues of the U. S. Presidents from North Carolina. The statues are the models used to cast the bronze statues unveiled on Capital Square in Raleigh, October 19, 1948. The man on horseback is General Andrew Jackson; the men seated are James Knox Polk and Andrew Johnson.

Continue down Fifth Avenue one block, turn right onto Grove Street. Proceed two blocks to the Henderson County Courthouse on the left, with parking on either side of the building. It is open to the public during business hours Monday through Friday. The mural, artwork, historic photographs and Henderson County's own Lady Justice are interesting artifacts.

Returning to Grove Street, turn left and proceed to First Avenue. Travel one block, then turn right onto King Street, proceed two blocks in the far left lane. At the corner of King and Fourth Avenue turn left and left again into the parking lot, where there is visitor parking if you wish to visit the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is housed in Hendersonville's first library, which opened in 1914. The library was made possible by a gift of land to the city by Captain M. C. Toms, a Confederate veteran. Along with this land gift was a generous gift of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie, a handsome sum in those days.

Turn left out of the parking lot onto Fourth Avenue , and continue for two blocks to Church Street. The Federal Building, which now houses other offices, is on the left at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Church Street. It was Hendersonville's first post office, built in 1914.

Turn left onto Church Street, proceed two blocks to Second Avenue; on the left is the Curb Market. It was formed in 1924 by seven farm families who sold their produce on a vacant city-owned lot on Main Street. It remains a successful farmers cooperative market with more than 100 members. All items sold at the Curb Market must be locally grown or handmade in Henderson County.

Proceed down Church St. (US 225 South) approximately 3 miles to the Historic Village of Flat Rock. Flat Rock began over a century and a half ago with large summer estates built in the English manner by the affluent Charlestonians, Europeans and prominent plantation owners of the South's low country. Flat Rock is named for the large outcropping of rock that covers several acres. In early days, the rock was a gathering place for Indian ceremonies. Highway 225 passes over the center of the flat rock. A small portion can be seen in the parking area of the Flat Rock Playhouse.

Approximately 2.5 miles from downtown on the right side of Hwy. 225 is a historical marker for St. John in the Wilderness Church. Just past this marker, turn right onto Rutledge Drive and right again into the church parking lot. This beautiful English style chapel was built in 1833 as the private chapel of the Baring family. It was deeded to the Western North Carolina Episcopal Diocese in 1836, becoming the first church of that denomination in Western North Carolina. A tour of the church and graveyard will prove to be very interesting. The church is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and brochures about the church are located inside the vestibule. Turn left as you exit the church parking lot, and then right onto Highway 225 South.

Continuing on Hwy. 225, the Flat Rock Playhouse will be on the right. The Flat Rock Playhouse opened in 1940 in the Old Highland Lake Grist Mill, converted into a theater. Interrupted by World War II, the theater was reorganized in 1948 as the Lake Summit Playhouse in Tuxedo, NC. In 1950, the Vagabond Players returned to Flat Rock to become the Vagabond School of Drama and occupied the present location. In 1962, the North Carolina Legislature designated it as "The State Theater of North Carolina."

Leaving the Playhouse, turn right onto US 225; at the next intersection is the old Flat Rock Post Office, now the Book Exchange. It was established when this area was part of Buncombe County. Colonel John Davis, who served as Sergeant Major under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, was commissioned as the first postmaster on June 29, 1829.

Just a short drive down Highway 225 on the right is the Woodfield Inn. It was completed in 1853 by Henry T. Farmer, who named it Farmer's Hotel. The Inn has remained largely as it was originally built, when it was a stage coach stop on the Old Buncombe Turnpike before the coming of the railroad.

From the Woodfield Inn driveway, turn left onto Highway 225. Just before the Flat Rock Playhouse, turn left onto Little River Road; go 100 yards, and turn left into the parking lot of the Carl Sandburg Home, National Historic Site. Connemara was built in 1838 by C. G. Memminger and named Rock Hill. Memminger served as the first Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederate States of America. It is rumored that the Seal of the Confederacy was buried on the grounds of Rock Hill and has never been recovered.

Pulitzer Prize winning author, historian and poet Carl Sandburg lived the last 22 years of his life at Connemara. The farm includes 264 acres of rolling hills, forest, lakes, pastures, goat barn and historic buildings. Guided tours of the home are scheduled daily.

As you leave the parking area of the Sandburg Home, turn left onto Little River Road. This route of approximately 5 miles will take you through a beautiful area of Flat Rock where historic homes, rural areas and summer camps are located. Little River Rd. ends at Kanuga Rd; make a right turn here. Proceed on Kanuga Road to Price Rd., then turn left; travel on Price Rd. to Willow Rd until you arrive at Finley Cove Rd. Turn left onto Finley Cove and travel about one mile to the Timber Creek subdivision. Make a right turn onto Timber Creek Rd. and follow it to the Laurel Park Highway. Turn left and travel to the end of Laurel Park Highway.

Jump Off Rock Park offers a panoramic view of Western North Carolina, spanning from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smoky Mountains. The park received its name from a legend telling of an Indian princess who jumped to her death when she learned that her young chief had been killed in battle. The park is open to the public daily, sunrise to sunset.

When leaving Jump Off Rock Park travel back down Laurel Park Highway until you reach the Echo Mountain Inn which will be on the left. The Inn was built in the early 1920's and has magnificent views of the eastern mountain ranges and the Greater Hendersonville Area. Echo Mountain Inn is open as a bed & breakfast.

When exiting the Echo Mountain Inn parking lot, turn left to continue on Laurel Park Highway, which becomes Fifth Avenue and will bring you back to Main Street and Historic Downtown Hendersonville. This tour is from the Hendersonville Visitors Center website. You can find more information on tours and drives and other visitor activities by visiting Historic Hendersonville (link www.historichendersonville.org).

Greenville

Drive #1
A drive to Ceasar's Head State Park is a great opportunity to experience the outdoors this fall. It is a great place for bird watching, hiking and camping. The views of the Blue Ridge Escarpment provide a wonderful opportunity to see the colors of fall.

From Greenville: Take Highway 276 W. for about 30 mi. Park is located at the top of the mountain right off the Hwy. The North Carolina border is 3 mi. away.

Caesars Head State Park has long been a must-see in the South Carolina Upstate. A granitic gneiss outcropping atop the dramatic Blue Ridge Escarpment, it offers breathtaking views year-round, especially when fall sets the hardwoods ablaze.

Another annual highlight is the Hawk Watch program each fall, timed to allow visitors to marvel at the unforgettable sight of hundreds of soaring, swirling migrating raptors – hawks, kites, falcons, eagles and more – from the park visitors’ own perch at 3,200 feet above sea level.

Hiking trails ranging from easy to challenging circle and traverse Caesars Head and adjoining Jones Gap state parks, which together form the Mountain Bridge Wilderness, about 11,000 acres of pristine southern mountain forest.

One of the most popular trails at Caesars Head leads to 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls, where a suspension bridge offers one of the two publicly accessible overlooks to the falls as they splash deep into the mountain cove below.

Picnicking and wilderness trailside camping also are highlights. The park, easily accessible with its headquarters on U.S. 276 just shy of the state line, also leads to some prime trout fishing areas in the state-designated scenic Middle Saluda River.

Drive #2
The Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway provides a nice loop drive with lots of hiking and dining options along the way. From Downtown Greenville take I-85 either north or south to Highway 11 for a 112-mile drive through the byway. It takes about 3 hours. Below is an overview of the drive and a link to a map for the highway.

Looming majestically beyond the low Piedmont hills, the Blue Ridge escarpment thrills the mountain lover's soul. The Cherokees called these heights the "Great Blue Hills of God." Following an ancient Cherokee path, this beautiful two-lane road arcs through peach orchards and villages, past Cowpens National Battlefield and over Lake Keowee.

This Byway is perfect for the outdoors lover, running through the wide-ranging Nantahala and Sumter National Forests full of recreational opportunities. See for yourself why the Cherokee meaning for Nantahala is land of the noonday sun . Take a chance to play in nearby lakes by swimming or whitewater rafting. If exploring the forests by foot is more your thing, hike on any of the numerous trails.

The numerous parks scattered around the area invite you to explore them, from the area's most notable landmark at Table Rock State Park, to King's Mountain National Military Park. Striking landscapes and abundant recreation are available in all the parks, but Caesar's Head State Park is well known for its beautiful vistas, numerous hiking trails and the stunning Raven Cliff Falls. Enjoy a picnic lunch while taking in the beauty of cascading water over rugged cliffs or act like a kid again while crunching through a pile of autumn leaves.

Remnants of history still remain in places like Campbell's Bridge and Poinsett's Bridge, which have stood since the turn of the century. To understand more fully the history of the 1781 Battle of Cowpens, visit the visitor center located on the Cowpens National Battlefield, which offers memorabilia, art work and a video presentation of the history of the area.

From the 1,000 foot high sheer rock face of Glassy Mountain to the 100-foot waterfall of Issaqueena Falls, this Byway introduces a visual beauty that is not easily forgotten. On this scenic route, you will find a pleasing mix of the past and the present intertwined amongst the places and landscapes.