All I can say is WOW! This part of North America is GORGEOUS!!! Waynesville is about 35 minutes to the west of Asheville and I would recommend seeing any and all of it. I will break down what we saw and what we recommend as I have in weeks prior.
We stayed at Pride RV Park for a fews days right on a creek. Our boys loved being right along the creek because they love fishing. Although they caught more rocks and tree branches, they had a great time and there is something relaxing about listening to a creek gurgle. One night, we even had a fire in one of their fire pits near the creek. So peaceful.
Things we recommend:
-Going to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
-Seeing Elk
-Soco Falls
-Going for a drive
We went at dusk (as recommended by the people at Pride RV Park). The drive into the Smoky Mountains National Park from the RV Park was very scary. It was a mostly half-paved road and then it turns into a completely unpaved section up these skinny roads that can only fit one car at a time. The roads take you up the mountains into the park and have steep drops off the edge in some sections. If it was icy, I would have said forget it, but it wasn’t too bad. Come to find out, they have kept the roads unpaved to recognize the history of the original settlers who built these roads by hand some many years ago.
When we finally made it into the park, it was still another long drive past places where there were signs that mentioned they would be closed at dark. We didn’t have any roads close on us. We went past an old house on the right and through another gate and then past a church on the left and finally made it to a huge open field where we saw 20-30 elk. It was very cool and the kids enjoyed it. It was dark on the way back, so please be careful if you take the same route we did.
A few days later we saw a massive elk in town. Everyone was parked on the side of the road watching this massive creature eating grass in town. I guess even the locals are still amazed by these huge beasts.
A MUST SEE was the Soco Falls. If you travel west down US-19 about 5.7 miles outside of Maggie Valley, you come to a big turn and see some parking on the left side of the road. It really looks like a pullover spot, but you can park there and then walk down the trail to a lookout point. Some people even hike to the bottom. We saw a guy with a drone climb up the waterfall. You can see him if you look closely at the photo below. Please traverse safely. They do have some ropes to hang onto, but I wouldn’t send a pregnant lady down there (ahem…me).
We also just enjoyed going for a drive through the mountains. We drove through the Cherokee Indian Reservation and drove past the Harrah’s Casino nestled in this town that looked long forgotten. If you are kidless, you might want to take a pit stop and do a little gambling!
We can not wait to go back and explore more of Asheville. The Biltmore Estate’s reservations were all booked up, so plan accordingly if you want to visit there as well. During covid, they have limited times and availability unless you want to spend a fortune. So keep that in mind!
Have you visited Asheville, Waynesville or any part of North Carolina? We want to know your top spots to visit!
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XO,
The Fabulous Life of an RV Wife
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