Worth the drive to see and walk through the tunnel…read more Read the history, it's really a sad story. They call it the stolen highway

If you didn't know the history of this spot, you might not think it's a big deal but if you do know…read morethe history, it becomes more relevant. Yes, it literally is a road that ends in a very long, dark and wet tunnel. There are also several walking trails nearby. We drove back on the road a little bit and did one of the shorter hikes that leads to a section of the lake. There are other trails that are more strenuous. This is more of an oddity than anything else, but still an interesting place to visit.

Small set of offices for Tribal Government with some awesome public servants inside.read more

This is a great little place, to visit for the day. A lot of little shops and no trolls or zombies…read moreout and about. If you looking for a quick visit, this is your place. When looking for the elks and they couldn't be found.

After visiting Navajo Monument Valley last year, coming to Cherokee Indian Reservation made for a…read morefascinating afternoon. The area is beautiful, and it breaks my heart that the Cherokee were forced to leave it on the trail of tears. We were fascinated by the street signs in Cherokee language. Unfortunately, due to the Covid, the tribal village was closed and the outdoor pageant had been cancelled for the whole year. I would have loved to experience both of those and maybe ride a tube down the river as we saw many tourists doing. Driving down mainstreet Cherokee, we saw a few small Native American dance performances. I absolutely realized they were put on for tips and to lure tourists into the gift shops, but I couldn't help to stop and watch. I would love to come back during a "regular" year and experience more of the authentic Cherokee culture. True, there is an ugly casino and cheap tourist trap stores, but there are also some authentic trading posts and much of value to see here. I would recommend making a trip to Mingo Falls if you pass through, very beautiful and accessible without a long hike.

Thanks to Google Maps (and my thorough trip itinerary planning), I had discovered the historic…read more(once a) "ghost town" of Elkmont. For America's most visited national park, it can be difficult to escape the crowds within the Great Smoky Mountains--yet Elkmont is one place to do just that! This Little River Valley was once home to a pioneer Appalachian community, a logging town, and later a resort community. To this day, old relics and abandoned buildings from the past remain--awaiting to be explored. The area was settled in the 1840s as the town of Little River when a logging company was formed. A railroad was later constructed to transport timber for the Little River Lumber Company. This eventually allowed the wealthy from Knoxville to visit what eventually became a resort town. When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was was established in 1934, residents were given the option to sell their homes at full price and relocate, or sell to the National Park Service (NPS) for a discounted price allowing them to live there until they become deceased. By 1992, most of the homes remained vacant or with expired leases leading 70+ historic buildings into a state of deterioration. Thankfully the NPS decided to renovate and preserve 19 buildings in Elkmont for public visitation. You can now find the Elkmont Historic District with cabins along Jakes Creek Road that were completed around 1997. They attempted to keep the buildings in the closest original condition--even their exterior paint colors! Each cabin has information about the tenants and any unique features. Unfortunately, the cabins cannot be brought up to code for renting or staying inside. However, the largest lodge known as the Appalachian Club is available as an event venue. Continue to explore the Old Elkmont Cemetery up a rocky road near the beginning of Elkmont Road, or choose to hike the Jakes Creek or Little River Trails where you will venture past less discovered old chimneys, walls and tractors that still remain. Directions: Coming from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge or Cherokee, turn to go west on Fighting Creek Gap Road toward Cade's Cove (turn off near the Sugarlands Visitor Center). After the Laurel Falls trailhead, watch for signs to Elkmont Campground. Follow Elkmont Road all the way til it becomes a loop drive at Jakes Creek Trail Trailhead.

I saw this place on tiktok by Daisytown and also Elkmont. The drive out here is a lil wonky and…read morewill take a long time to get out here. If you are handicap, you dont have to pay for parking. But otherwise you need to get a day pass at the visitor center.

This post office is really busy on Monday mornings/afternoons...dont worry though, these three…read moreemployees know how to move a line quickly!! Lots of packing supplies with decorated bubble wrap..

The three stars is not a true reflection of this social services office. It is complicated. Most…read moreemployees are fantastic. I am not sure how many' stars to take off for inaction in relation to certain circumstances. I wrote a review for my lawyer a couple years ago. In that review, I stated that I had not reported my stepmother, Tina's, neglect of my dad and how she isolated him from me. I was scared of that thing, and I still am. How she is part of society, I do not know. She is a danger, especially to older men. A few nights after writing that review, it hit me that my husband had told me a vital fact a few months prior to writing said review. It renders the past... A few years ago, I also updated my review on Haywood Regional Medical Center. During that disturbing hospital stay, a social services rep came in and asked my dad some questions. After she left the room, my husband slipped out and told her that Tina was neglecting my dad. Nothing was ever done. I was floored when my husband told me this. By then, it was too late. Combine this with the quiet clues that we gave nurses at HRMC months before, and you will understand sorrow. (My dad was in the room as we tried circumspectly to let the nurses know what Tina was doing. It was not enough.) During another visit, a doctor said that my father needed nurses at home. I said nothing. I was afraid of my dad possibly getting angry and of Tina taking her rage out on my father. Oh, yes- Tina chased all the nurses and physical therapists away, as I later learned. One therapist actually had relatives next door to my dad's residence. It is very probable that he was issued to my dad per Haywood social services. That therapist knew how crazy Tina was, but did not report her. Nobody did. After my dad died, I finally called social services to report Tina. My first message to the wrong department was ignored. I called back, and a woman told me to call the police as if she was giving me a recipe for egg salad. I was too scared to call the police. We were all too scared or apathetic to make a great change. Tina lives on, in order to plague others. And I have to live with myself. Note: Same building houses the health department.

This historical marker is located at the intersection of US Highway 19 at the Blue Ridge Parkway…read morenear Soco Gap. The sign is next to a concrete marker that clearly marks the spot of this "Boundary." The marker reads, "Qualla Boundary. Soco Gap, initial point of U.S. survey, 1876, of Cherokee Reservation, created through earlier efforts of W. H. Thomas, white Cherokee chief." The online essay has a lot more information. "The Qualla Boundary, the official name for the Cherokee Indian Reservation in western North Carolina, was officially surveyed and its present boundaries were established in 1876. The tract owed its creation to the alliance and efforts of the Cherokee people and to William Holland Thomas, the white Cherokee chief. Thomas pruchased lands for the Cherokee people under his name in the 1840s and 1850s, and in 1866 the United States recognized the right of the Cherokee to own and control the lands. Ten years later, the land was surveyed and demarcated as Cherokee land, outside of federal and state government jurisdiction. "Between October 1838 and March 1839 the federal government forcibly removed the Cherokee people from their lands in western North Carolina. About 11,000 Cherokee Indians were relocated in what became known as the Trail of Tears. Some Cherokee remained in North Carolina, however, including many who hid in the Great Smoky Mountains. In addition to those who eluded internment and forced migration, some Cherokee were free to stay because of earlier treaties, including the Oconaluftee Cherokee under Yonaguska. These individuals recruited Thomas to purchase land on their behalf, which he began doing in 1840. "William Holland Thomas owned three stores in Qualla Town and the surrounding areas by the late 1820s. Having worked and lived amongst the Cherokee people from earlier in his life, Thomas had a significant knowledge of the their language, and was a close friend of Yonaguska. He was well respected and trusted by the Cherokee people, eventually serving as their only white chief. After the Trail of Tears, Thomas acted on behalf of the Cherokee and acquired lands focused around the Oconaluftee River and Soco Creek. A large tract of land, consisting of around 50,000 acres, was eventually collected around Oconaluftee Creek, and this constitutes the majority of the Qualla Boundary today. "Thomas also struggled gain official permission for the Oconaluftee Cherokee to remain in North Carolina. In 1866, the Eastern Band of Cherokee were formally granted freedom to live in North Carolina, and were recognized as a separate entity from the Cherokee living in Oklahoma in 1868. In 1874, a board of arbitrators appointed by the federal courts found that Thomas's land purchases had been on behalf of the Cherokee people, and the lands were placed in a trust for the Cherokee tribe. "Because the boundaries of the land were still vague, in 1876 a survey was completed by M. S. Temple, deputy U. S. Surveyor, and the boundaries of the Qualla Boundary were established. The surveying began in Soco Gap, an area that was the most important passageway through the Balsam Mountains for the Cherokee before the arrival of the white man." The intersection is here. There is space to pull over to read the sign and see the marker. It was an interesting experience and of course, it's a reminder of how poorly the American government treated the Native Americans who were here. [Review 1166 of 2024 - 3656 in North Carolina - 22189 overall]

The book collection is old. Needs better collection development. One staff member is rude and bossy.read more

I am removing one star for rudeness. I had to call the other day in order to renew my books. The…read moreemployee who answered the phone was annoyed that she had to do her job. Chill- you work in a library, possibly the most stress free workplace on earth. Speaking of those books, when we originally attempted to check them out, the lady in the kids' room was rude, too. She acted like I wasn't there, and kept on talking with her friends. I could not tell if her friends were employees or patrons. She finally said that she could not check me out, and told me that I could go the self-check-out kiosk or go upstairs to get checked out. I asked her how to do the self thing, and she showed me the kiosk. I stared at it for several long seconds before telling her that I would go upstairs. Tell me: why do they need a self-check-out if they have time to endlessly yak it up and there are never more than six people in the kids' room at a time, not counting employees? Libraries should feel inviting, not alienating.