Y'all, u-pick was closed at the "big box" orchard, as I'm calling it, and we were in dire need of…read moresome apple picking to complete our cabin-in-the-mountains dream itinerary. Cue the newly opened Deep Roots with it's small town feel, hand-drawn maps and plenitude of apples. To pick, I believe it was $4 per person and if you fill your basket (a very large basket) then that was about $18. You could also just straight up buy apples if you don't feel like picking. We went the first week of October and yet, 3 weeks later, we are still eating apples. That is how many apples that is! The best apples from our basket had to be either the Jonagolds or the Golden Delicious. We also enjoyed the apple butter, the decor and, of course, the hospitality. If you're looking for a less commercialized apple picking experience, you've found it here in this cute little cider house. Room for Improvement: I think it would be a good idea to add a few markers up and down the apple tree rows so that you don't lose track of what's what and have to walk back down the hill to the front of the orchard. For the apple cider donuts, I was expecting something more cake-like. Would've also liked to see mulled cider for purchase rather than the plain cider that we bought.

My fiancé and I were traveling into town from FL and I stumbled across this place online from their…read moreblog i believe? Any-who- we made a reservation for a picnic (must be planned 2 days in advance, but they accommodated 1 day for us), and it was a HIGHLIGHT of our little getaway. First, the location is absolutely beautiful with their little shop full of natural remedies, I could spend all day admiring all the products they make from scratch. Second, the team there was SO incredibly sweet and accommodating, and just good-hearted folks. You can tell they take so much pride in what they do. Third, the food they prepared for us was DELICIOUS. All made with locally sourced ingredients and just prepared with love, attention, and care. Everything came in the cutest picnic basket. We pre-ordered the chicken salad sandwiches, cheese & meat board and some scones. Everything was absolutely delightful. Probably the best chicken salad, lemonade, and blueberry scone I've ever had in my life. Honest to god. simple but just done well! It was rainy so they let us set up on the little raised wood platform and it worked out great. We enjoyed the sounds of nature and took a little nap after. They even sent me home with a bag of vegetables for free because they didn't think they'd be put to use before going bad. I made homemade pickles out of the cucumbers they gave me, so good! If you are in town and looking for things to do, you must set up a picnic. They just started them and are seriously a hidden gem. Wish them all the success.

We came up here on Mother's Day, and it happened to be the last day of their festival, celebrating…read morethe peak for rhododendrons bloom. Their owner/manager, Catherine, gave my mom and I a wonderful tour in their golf cart. Mom says it's her favorite place in the world!

Worth seeing! Beautiful gardens on the lake and the lady who runs it is so nice and helpful. They…read morehave live music/special events, I'll plan to come back

The Cherokee County Historical Museum is located in Downtown Murphy in the Carnegie Library…read moreBuilding. Look for the bear. Parking is on the street. The museum is on two levels and starts up the stairs. There is an elevator available on the first level for those who need it. Admission to the museum is $3. The second floor has a variety of collections of household items and farm tools donated by the community members. There are some gems mixed into this collection. I wish the museum was more focused on the history of Cherokee County and selected the better items to be showcased. It seemed junky with random donated old items of family members. Storyboards upstairs would be helpful. Now, the first floor provides information and artifacts on the Cherokee History that they had before the Trail of Tears. The first floor also has a large variety of minerals. The Cherokee History displays are factual and well presented on the storyboards. The Cherokee Indians story is sad. It is worth visiting the museum for the first floor.

This is a great little historical gem, with super knowledgeable folks that have a passion for the…read morearea. stayed about an hour and was taken back in time with the historical artifices from the native americans in the area and the civil war era items. I could have stayed all day and talked to the director and her volunteer. They have a huge collection of arrow heads and an actual native american cabin from West Virginia reassembled and on display.

Food and service excellent. The ambiance is excellent also. Pick up some treats while you are thereread more

Great unusual spot for stopping in, especially during apple picking season…read more Lot of unusual items including herbs for sale with cute containers. The couple who purchased and run the business Luke and his wife are very helpful and informative about their products. Their bakery is wonderful.

Very clean and well maintained. Owners very nice and accommodating. Would recommend and we will…read morestay again.

We just stayed at the Murphy Motel for 3 nights. I don't…read morethink the room had had a good cleaning in a long time. There was dust on the floors and on the furniture. The bathroom sink was nasty as well as the counter and the top around the counter top. The bathtub was too dirty to step into and the shower curtain moldy and gross. We had to buy cleaner and clean the bathroom tub etc. before we could take a shower.. then saw the mold on curtain. I told them the next day how bad it was and they did put up a new curtain. But they did not do much cleaning otherwise. fortunately we were busy and did not have to spend much time in the room. Also the bed was awful.. I felt like I was in hole and had to climb up when I got out of bed. Will never never never stay there again.

We recently stayed at a cabin in Murphy and we found this farm that sold grass fed beef directly…read morefrom their farm store. We drove over to pick up some steaks for the week. It is a working farm and the storefront is well marked. We rang the bell and a lady came out to help us. We selected some hanger steak, strips, and a sirloin. They offered a discount on frozen steaks while we were there, but also had a large selection of fresh steaks. We found the prices to be very reasonable. For the next three nights we had steak for dinner. I was truly impressed with the flavor profile of this grass fed beef. I am normally a grain fed guy, but these steaks were incredible. I eat hanger steak regularly and the hanger steak we had was the most flavorful hanger I have ever tasted. It was so good, that I went back and stocked up on 10 lbs to take home. We also found that you can purchase their beef online and have it shipped. Highly recommend if in the area and I will definitely be ordering some more steak once I go through this beef that I brought home. Awesome resource.

Recently found this place while visiting in Murphy, NC and WOW! Best steaks I have ever had in my…read moreentire life. We absolutely loved it and the people here are the nicest ever. We went back multiple times to buy more and bring them down to Florida. Must stop here!

MOUNTAIN HERITAGE FESTIVAL…read more This is a small annual festival that takes place on Labor Day weekend in Blairsville, GA. Blairsville is approximately 1.5 hours from Alpharetta on Highway 400/19. The artisans and vendors out today were selling jewelry, colorful gourds, wind chimes, clothing, jams/jellies, beautiful handcrafted wood items and more. There were many items that are perfect for enhancing your fall and Christmas decor and for giving as holiday gifts. The most popular items today were foods in jars. Although I am familiar with certain fruits and vegetables being prepared and stored, I was surprised to see, greens, zucchini, beans and other unusual items pickled and packed in jars. This must be a mountain tradition because I have not seen it in other places although I attend various festivals and was raised in the south. For me, the highlight of the festival was seeming the historical Mock house which was built in 1906 and restored in 2006 and the John Payne cabin built in 1861. The John Payne house was actually moved from it's original location and actually placed next to the Mock house. The Mock house was a small two bedroom home decorated in the style of the day with all antique furnishings and appliances. There was a quilting demonstration going on in one of the bedrooms. It is interesting how small the bedrooms were and I think the largest bed they had is what is known today as a "full size" bed but would only be appropriate for one person. Also, I love that the only fabric used at this time was just natural cotton which was used for EVERYTHING! That old GE refrigerator actually worked and had food in it! Wow! The rear of the home had a nice porch and an old well right next to it. The well was covered and no longer in use. The Payne cabin is located just a few feet from the Mock house and is the home of one of the area's prominent citizens. John Payne and his wife raised seven children in this one room cabin that also included a loft. I quickly realized just how blessed I am to live in this time, under current circumstances. Ms. Wanda was on hand churning butter from raw milk, it took her two hours and she mentioned that she had not done so in 60 years. She explained the process of extracting the butter from the milk and preparing it to be used at the dinner table. One of the other tour guides, provided a history of the home and its occupants and was actually making Brunswick stew in the fireplace using a cast iron pot. She was also planning to make cornbread as well but we did not get to see this part of the demo. This was such a great experience and a really important lesson for teaching children appreciation and what hard work really entails. DO NOT EXPECT IT TO BE COOL UP THERE AS IT WAS HOTTER THAN THE SUN AND THERE WAS NO DETECTABLE BREEZE! SURPRISE!

We always enjoy the plays at Blue Ridge Community Theater. Last night's performance of one flew…read moreover the cuckoos nest was so amazing, it exceeded my expectations. It was so well performed and the ending made me tear up. I must mention the set because it was incredible. Everything about the theater is so enjoyable from the lovely lady at the box office, the refreshment staff, the ushers and the actors. I highly recommend a visit to the BRCT.

The husband and I are big fans of the perfuming arts and are regulars at The Maverick Theater in…read moreFullerton, which we LOVE!!! So, whenever we take a trip somewhere and if time allows I try to find the local theater and catch a play, sometimes two. And, so since our last trip to Blue Ridge did not allow for a show; I decided that this time we would catch one despite our schedule. I went online (BlueRidgeMountains.com), started doing some research and found the Blue Ridge Community Theater. After clicking here clicking there I learned that their next show would be taking place the same time our trip...YAY! The theater is located literally across the street from the Swan Drive-In (which by the way is on our itinerary for our next visit--so keep an eye out for that review) the parking lot is small and was full (much to my surprise) the Saturday we visited. You may have to make our own parking space in the lot, or park on the street, but don't worry about parking on the street it's not like parking in LA, your call will be safe. When you enter the box office is located directly in-front of the main double doors. To the right end of the hall is the snack bar where you can get candy and drinks and to the left you will find the restrooms. I believe staff mentioned that the theater sits 100+/- people, so it's a good size and seating is standard stadium seats and set up. We had tickets in the front row and I had some concerns about the height of the stage. I didn't want to be looking up at the stage and even further up at the actors, but don't worry, the stage is at the same level as the first row so neck kinks will not be an issue. They company did a great job with the set and the overall performance was fantastic. They play we saw "Whose Wives are they Anyway" was hilarious! The actor's comedic timing was on point and my husband and I along with the rest of the audience laughed to no end. Ok, now being from LA the movie capital of the world where everyone is an aspiring actor and aims for physical perfection, I was glad to see actors who A) can act and B) look like normal people. I get tired of the perfect looking man and woman...I don't know about your but I can't relate to them and I like being able to connect with the actors in some sense. So, not only did the Blue Ridge actors know their craft but they are individuals who you can connect with. They are real people unpretentious, polite and eager to meet the audience. They are grateful to be doing what they love and they don't have the LA entitlement complex. We definitely plan on becoming regulars at the theater and look forward to our next show. If you, like my husband and I, like small production plays then I give Blue Ridge Community Theater a try. Oh, and tickets are available on-line and they take credit cards.