Your Western North Carolina vacation awaits! Spring into the season. Located just 25 miles west of Asheville, North Carolina, Brookside Mountain Mist Inn provides the perfect central location for your Western North Carolina vacation.
There is something fun for everyone to do. We share upcoming events and great places to explore, especially in the Spring and Summer seasons.
2022 Spring Events & Later
May 7, 2022
Waynesville’s 20th Anniversary of “The Whole Bloomin’ Thing” Spring Festival
At the Frog Level District, where Commerce Street meets Depot Street from 9 am until 4 pm. It is held each year on the Saturday of Mother’s Day Weekend. Kicks off the growing season each year.
• Flowering baskets, vegetables, herbs, potted plants, perennials, and more
• Fresh local produce and organic beef
• Live entertainment will be provided throughout the day
• Local vendors with food such as turkey legs, hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh-squeezed lemonade
• Talented area artists with nature-inspired gifts and handicrafts
• Waynesville, NC area businesses with art galleries, antiques, gourmet coffee, massages, pottery
Events in Waynesville NC | Downtown Waynesville Association
• Saturday, May 28 (from 7 am to 10 pm) – Rock the Block Party
• June 24, July 8 and 22, August 5 (from 6 pm to 9 pm) – Friday Night Summer Street Dances
• Monday, July 4 (from 11 am to 3 pm) – Stars and Stripes July 4 Celebration
• Saturday, September 10 (from 7 pm to 10 pm) – Fall Rock the Block Party
• Saturday, October 8 (from 10 am to 5 pm) – Church Street Art & Craft Show
• Monday, October 31 (from 5pm to 7 pm) – Treats on the Street
• December 5 (starting at 6 pm) – Waynesville Christmas Parade
• December 10 and 17 (from 6 pm to 9 pm) – A Night Before Christmas
July 28-31 Folkmoot USA (from Romantic Asheville.com)
Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s Official International Folklore Festival, is a 10-day event. The world comes to western North Carolina to celebrate cultural heritage through folk music and dance. The festival is based here in Waynesville, North Carolina. We are about 25 miles west of Asheville. Performance can be seen in several cities, including Asheville, Cherokee, Franklin, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley, and Hendersonville.
Animals, Farms, & Nature
Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market | HART Theater Parking Lot 250 Pigeon Rd, Waynesville, NC
Open: Saturdays 9 am to noon, April 9 through December 16 | (828) 655-5305
Established in 2008, Haywood’s historic Farmers Market is a producer-only market, featuring produce sourced from Haywood or an adjacent county, meats, fish, eggs, honey, dairy, flowers, nursery plants, preserves, baked goods, heritage crafts, and much more!
Western Carolina Nature Center | 75 Gashes Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28805 | (828) 259-8080
Connecting people of all ages with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Winchester Creek Farm | 386 Walker Rd. Waynesville, NC | (828) 246-9486
45-minute fun and educational farm tours. You explore the farm to learn about and meet some of their animals. This includes adorable alpacas, as well as miniature horses and cows. They make up the Winchester Creek Farm “Farmily”.
Biltmore Estate, Exhibits, Gardens, & Winery
Behold, the Beauty of Biltmore Blooms
Immerse yourself in their annual celebration of spring’s return to Biltmore. Ever-changing waves of color transform 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds. It is also the 200th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birth. He was the visionary landscape architect of Biltmore.
Exhibit: Monet & Friends: Life Light and Color (through July 10, 2022)
An homage to Claude Monet and the Impressionist painters of the mid-19th century through the early 20th century. The Biltmore experience explores the paintings themselves and the history of the Impressionist movement. Be transported back to a time when European art was poised to change forever. Become immersed in the Impressionists’ masterworks as they come to life in a rich display of light, color, and sound.
Exhibit: Leonardo da Vinci—500 Years of Genius (July 14, 2022 – February 20, 2023)
Leonardo da Vinci was an inventor, artist, scientist, engineer, sculptor, anatomist, musician, architect, and philosopher. His brilliance and many extraordinary accomplishments are vividly brought to life in—500 Years of Genius, the world’s most comprehensive and thrilling Leonardo da Vinci experience.
Golf Courses
There is more fun to experience in your Western North Carolina vacation. For those who enjoy being outside and playing golf, you have plenty of places to tee off. Green, well-manicured golf courses abound across the area, including:
Lake Junaluska Golf Course | 756 Golf Course Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 | Book a Tee Time
The Lake Junaluska Golf Course is a scenic and challenging 68-par course with incredible views of Lake Junaluska and the surrounding mountains. Book a tee time during a visit to Lake. The course is open to the public, and they welcome families.
Laurel Ridge Country Club Golf Course | 49 Cupp Ln, Waynesville, NC 28786 | Book a Tee Time
Laurel Ridge Country Club is nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Laurel Ridge is in a private community on the outskirts of Waynesville, NC. One of the area’s most beautiful and challenging golf courses. They are open to the public for golf. Tee times are required. Call (828) 452-0545. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. Outside golf is based on availability.
Maggie Valley Country Club | 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | Book a Tee Time
Year-round golf is amazing at Maggie Valley Country Club, with North Carolina’s temperate climate, the 6500-yard course’s native foliage, and 30 acres of fairways. Players can warm up at the front Valley Nine or undertake the challenging Mountain Nine, which features an elevation rise of 800 feet and panoramas of the valley and beyond.
Museums
Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum | 62 Vintage Lane Maggie Valley | (828) 926-6266
Opening this season on April 7, 2022, Wheels Through Time Museum is home to the world’s premier collection of rare American motorcycles, memorabilia, and unique “one-off” American automobiles. Located just 5 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Maggie Valley, this North Carolina Museum houses over 300 rare machines.
Shelton House: Museum of NC Handicrafts | 49 Shelton Street Waynesville, NC 28786 | (828) 452-1551
Hours: Thurs.-Sat. 10 am to 3 pm (tours on the hour from 10 am to 2 pm)
Built in 1875, the Shelton House was home to Stephen Jehu and Mahala Conley Shelton and their family. Later, their son, William Taylor Shelton, purchased it. In 1977, Mary Cornwell purchased the property. She established the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts on the Shelton House grounds.
Outdoors
Haywood County Quilt Trails | 143 N Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786
Quilts represent a much-loved symbol of comfort, family, heritage, and community. The blocks on the trail provide splashes of color along major roads and in the rural countryside. The Haywood County Quilt Trails (HCQT) project aims to engage the community by providing yet another reason to explore Haywood County and enjoy the surrounding beauty. Vibrant quilt patterns are painted on pre-built wooden squares ranging from two feet to eight feet in size. Cultural and heritage lovers will experience the fun of locating blocks along the trails and learning the wonderful stories behind the quilt square site locations and the quilt patterns represented on the blocks.
Pisgah National Forest | 1600 State Street #151, Asheville, NC 28801| (828) 257-4200
Pisgah National Forest features mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and heavily forested slops. Comprised of over a half-million acres, the Pisgah is mostly a hardwood forest with whitewater rivers, waterfalls, and hundreds of miles of trails.
The North Carolina Arboretum | 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806 | (828) 665-2492
Nestled in the Southern Appalachian Mountains just south of Asheville, the North Carolina Arboretum offers acres of cultivated gardens and manicured trails featuring some of the most beautiful and botanically diverse plants in the area.
Transportation
Blue Ridge Parkway | Maggie Valley, Waynesville, & Haywood County
The famous Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long and runs through 29 counties in North Carolina and Virginia. It is America’s longest linear park. Named after the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian Mountain range. Haywood County has 46 miles of the most gorgeous mountain views and the highest section of the parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a year-round tourist destination.
Great Smoky Mountain Railroad | 45 Mitchell Street, Bryson City, NC | Reservations (800) 872-4681
Their passenger trips take you from their historic depot in Bryson City, through the beautiful Western North Carolina countryside. They offer various passenger train options and special event trains. They are one of the top Fun Things to Do in North Carolina for families.
With 53 miles of track, 2 tunnels, and 25 bridges, the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad will take you on a memorable journey through a remote and beautiful corner of North Carolina. Ride across river gorges and valleys, and through tunnels carved out of the majestic mountains. The Railroad offers various scenic, round-trip excursions departing from Bryson City. The trips range from three and a half hours to a full day of fun and adventure.
Brookside Mountain Mist Inn
Enjoy the fresh mountain air during your Western North Carolina vacation. You are welcome to stay with us, Bill & Mary, at the scenic Brookside Mountain Mist Inn. We have beautiful blooms in the Spring and Summer seasons, including our tiger lilies, dahlias, and irises.
Guests rave about our complimentary 3-course gourmet breakfasts. Be sure to check out our special guest packages. You deserve to treat yourself!
