Hello, I hope that this will be taken seriously, in hopes that this never happens to anyone else…read more Since Helene destroyed our local Canton park we wanted to give the Waynesville Recreation pool. I called the day prior to get all the information I could gather, checked the website since we have not been in over a decade. The receptionist gave me all the information, dates, times, pricing, and and temperature of the pool. I asked if there was still a kiddy pool working with buckets, slides, splash area etc. and I was told yes. The next day we were very excited and happily payed our fee to enter.As we walked passed the 1st life guard posted at the shallow end of the deep pool we smiled and found a spot near the slide as we knew that was what our son was going to be the most excited about. We got our son in his swim vest for safety and goggles and off he went down the slide. All of a sudden I see a young blonde lifeguard running around the Side of the slide saying "NO NO NO!". My husband and I smiled and said "Its ok we are right here and he's safe (Thinking she was worried he was alone since we didn't even see her from where she was sitting)". My son was already coming down the slide when she was yelling at him, (He's autistic and doesn't always understand things or respond to others well). He made it down no problem and was swimming to get out when she said "we do not allow swim vest or life jackets on the slide!" I asked "why?" And she responded with "because of the bolts on the slide they can get hung up and get hurt." I Replied " so there are bolts sticking out on a toddlers waterslide? I think you should be more concerned with that cutting and hurting someone if thats the case, not be concerned with a protective swimming vest." She replied "Well he's to small to ride" I was confused since I called asked and check the website and the slide is on the kiddie pool. I said "ok" as my husband is trying to regulate our son and explain things to him but he just wants to slide. By this point there are only 2 life guards for both pools and my son won't stop trying to slide. I carry him over to her hoping if he hears it from someone else that he's not allowed it will help. It did not! I then am very upset that was the whole reason for coming and anyone with autistic children or any kids understand if you tell them something fun your going to do but then have to tell them they can not its never fun. I ask the girl if I can sign a waiver or anything to allow him to slide, she says"no" I ask can he take of his vest and slide and ill be at the bottom to help catch him if he needs it ( He's a very good swimmer for his age) to which she responded "parents are not allowed to stand at the bottom and help there child". I was blown away buy this since we have been going to canton pool, and Dollywood splash country where kids can wear the life jackets, swim vest, or floats on any slide and parents were always at the bottom to help catch them as well since its all about safety when around water! Well, expect here at Waynesville rec. center. I was upset by this point and asked her what and where are these rules since I was not informed.?" She says "its on the back of the slide". Again I was upset and said " well that a horrible place for rules against a back wall on a slide that not every sees until your back here, also I was not told this and just so you know for the future maybe you all could post your rules on the website and tell them when they call so this doesn't happen to other special needs family and regular families to! I could tell she was uncomfortable so I simply asked what would happen if he did go down the slide (as he can be a runner)? She said " I would ask you to leave" I said "ok" and walked away. So for reference and refresh you can call and check the website where these rules are NOT posted or come in pay inside change enter at the opposite side of the pool area walk always to the back wall behind the side, and on the back said you see this weird outdated slide rules. By this time I was wondering why no one was on the slide and its because you have to be 48 inch tall but not over a certain weight, no parents are allowed on the slide, parents cannot catch kids at the bottom, and no life jackets or vest are allowed. These rules do the opposite of keeping kids in the kiddie pool safe. And again you can go to canton pool, Dollywood splash country or many other water parks or pools and they encourage you to put vests on your child and stay close to your child in water. By this point there are a good amount of ;little kids in the kiddie pool I would say about 10 to 15 and more kids in the bigger pool about 10 as well and only 2 life guards. I'm sorry but I'm not going to rely on a lifeguard to see everything in a pool. But none the less we kept trying to explain it to our son and play in the kiddie pool and enjoy the best we can. Our son was having a melt down and other parents in the pool understood what was happe

We just moved to the area and took a tour of the recreation center here. We will be joining the gym…read moreafter Covid issues get better. They have the main staples of indoor pool, workout equipment, racket ball courts. It clean and people are very friendly. We use the outdoor grounds a lot. Our main use is the dog park. There is a small dog park and a large dog park. We are in the small dog area. The disc golf court runs past the dog areas which is cool. There is a great skateboard park that lots of young people use, even on bikes. Lots of paved pathways. I love that the pathways attract older and young people. And, the path runs alongside The bold creek. It is more like a small river. It is filled with trout should you want to fish. Definitely a major asset to our town!

For the runners, it's 4.8 miles for the complete track. If you shorten it by using the bridge,…read moreshave 1.5 miles off. Long walk does parallel traffic for .25mi, be aware. Swans and geese abound, and beautifully surrounded by mountains, as well as a few lovely homes. There are plenty of fishing and launching spots. And a crepe and custard shoppe - when you're not there for exercise. All around peaceful and pleasant place to run/walk/visit. Highly recommend!

This place is small but it has alot to choose from. We had a wonderful time at the lake kayaking,…read moreswimming at the pool and playing minigolf. We were killing time while waiting for a room. It was a really hot day. It also has some small shops, a church and a crepe place. The scenery is amazing.

This has been our favourite walk forever. Do not let the couple of bad characters hinder you from…read morethis beautiful hike, because getting to the top is its own reward with sheer beauty. This property was donated to the state park and open to all. Very clean and well-kept trails, dog friendly, and a nice place to rest and relax, including restrooms at the science centre.

I discovered this place through my daughter. She has gone here twice- once through her middle…read moreschool, and once through a local camp. She raved about it, and we finally got a chance to check it out. So happy we did! Purchase Knob was generously donated by the McNeil-Gilmore family to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is 535 acres of land that rises ultimately to 5,086 feet at the knob. In the meadow below the knob, at 4,850 feet, there are two buildings housing offices, a lab, a classroom for fifty students, and housing for up to eight scientists. Views are 180 degrees. You can hit the Cataloochee Divide Trail here, too. A refurbished cabin originally from the 1870s is nearby, which I will get to in a bit. When you get to the park, you will be blocked by a gate with a sign to the left identifying the park. It is open once in a while for scheduled visits/field trip students. It is easy to get your vehicle locked within the park. (People cannot get locked in.) Park your car on the sides of the road. Just walk around the gate if it is locked. Bring water, and a jacket in the spring or fall. The 2.5 mile round trip trail is basically a wide, dirt road that will eventually lead up to the main buildings. It is well maintained. When you get a glimpse of the building at the top, you will also see a grass trail leading upwards. I would take that trail. It is a shortcut. If you like to walk, just keep going, and the road will eventually lead to the building as well. On the way up, you will see many types of wildflowers. We heard (up) and spotted a hawk (down). I got a photo of nightshade, all the while with my body centimeters from a hidden cliff edge. Be careful on grassy edges! The open areas and tree-filled areas were of equal beauty. In early September I saw purples, greens, grays, and yellows, all framed by a clear blue sky graced by fluffy clouds. Your soul will take this in, and it will hold on to it. When we got to the top, we relaxed. We did not go to the knob proper. We used the very clean bathrooms, and laid down in the field right in front of the buildings. There is a water fountain. You are allowed on the deck, but not in the buildings unless you are with a scheduled group. There are picnic tables grouped close together, and bear-proof trashcans and recycling bins. You can check out the outside of the weather station that is a bit away. I would not traipse around the adjacent fields. I saw tagged plants and left that area so that we would not screw up any data. If you decide to go to the actual knob, you have to blaze your own trail. As of two days ago, the footbridge leading to Cataloochee was out. There is a sign warning of that; be careful crossing creeks. Anyway, that trail is easy to find; just look for signs. Check out the bulletin board for lists of the types of birds and butterflies that you can see there. I saw (possibly) a Cloudless skipper. It was fluorescent yellow! My first. To get down to the restored Ferguson cabin, just leave via the "grass carpet" trail. Make an obvious right and hitch your horse, or kids. This right will lead you to the cabin. The Fergusons were the first farmers to have an elevated farm. Their apples are still there. Do not pick anything. Do not get in the boar trap. Do not get near bears. Do not bother the cow spirits. Call to make sure horses are indeed still allowed. Bears and boars can hurt you. We leave all snacks in the car. You never know. Call the general number to see if bear activity is intense before going to this park. Middle school and up teachers, call this number to schedule a visit: 828-926-6251. This park welcomes wimpy and tough hikers mid-March through November. Call if you have a desire to hike in the deep winter. Remember to check out the Purchase Knob WebCam online for weather and views. To get to this park, take Exit 20, stay on 276 South for five miles. Get on Hemphill Road and stay on Hemphill Road for four miles. This review is dedicated to my daughter Sophie, a quick, beautiful trailblazer.

This lovely park is at one end of Maggie Valley and was a welcome stop after too much driving…read morethrough the mountains. I found the public restroom in the pavilion to be a more than welcome break. A number of features here including a covered picnic pavilion, the above mentioned restrooms, water fountain, power outlet, picnic tables by the stream and even charcoal grills. The traffic whizzing past was distracting but it was still a very great place to get out of the car for a bit. [Review 1165 of 2024 - 3655 in North Carolina - 22188 overall]

This was a stopping point whilst bringing our brand new Airstream home and it is a gorgeous spot of…read morewoods with a stream outside your window, Canadian geese paddling in the water, mountain views, and nothing but the sound of wind through the trees. The staff are welcoming and gracious and went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. Dog walking parks and potty stations throughout, and full hookups for your glamping experience. Definitely keeping this spot as a go-to.

Amazing how they recovered after Helene flooding. Looks like nothing happened. Love the place.read more

Gateway to the Great Smokey Mountains! This is such a cool…read moretown- it was incorporated in 1871, and covers about seven square miles. It's an artistic town, with a great downtown walking district, with lots of cool shops, artsy stores, and neat-o furniture shops. My favorite thing about this town is the public works of art they have around town. The unofficial mascot of the town is the frog, and they've got cool sculptures and murals dedicated to the amphibian that hangs out in their river. Walking down the main street and doing some window shopping was certainly worth while! Off the main road, you can find lots of arts/crafts stores and nice restaurants. The people here seem friendly- it's a relaxed town with lots of scenic mountains to take in. It's located between Maggie Valley and Asheville, so it's in a pretty western part of North Carolina.

This was the cute little town our cabin was located when we went on vacation a couple of weeks ago…read more We were out and about so much we didn't have time to explore as much as we would have liked. We were in the great smoky mountains national park, traveling between Tennessee and North Carolina. The town is beautiful, just outside of Maggie Valley, NC. We spent most of the time grocery shopping in town. We had a great time and definitely would like to visit this beautiful, little NC town again.

Along US Highway 19 at a small park that is next to a small tributary to the larger river, this…read moremarker points out someone who helped put Maggie Valley and Buncombe County on the map. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Felix Walker. Revolutionary officer, member Congress, 1817-23, where, in "talking for Buncombe" (County), he gave new meaning to the word. Home was 1/2 mi. N." There is more detail in the online essay. "'Bunk,' part of the American lexicon, has its origins in the oratory skills (or lack thereof) of a nineteenth-century Congressman from Buncombe County. Felix Walker was born in 1753 in Hampshire County, Virginia, which is now part of West Virginia. He moved with his father in 1768 to what is now Rutherford County, North Carolina. In 1769 he was employed as a merchant's clerk in South Carolina, before joining the Boonesboro, Kentucky settlement with Daniel Boone and others. "Walker was a North Carolina militiaman and took part in the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1779. After his war experience, he was a clerk in the Rutherford County Court from 1779 to 1787. He served four terms in the State House. For most of his life he was primarily a farmer. "Walker was elected as a Republican to the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Congresses, serving from 1817 to 1823. There he gained a reputation for 'speaking for Buncombe.' At that time old Buncombe County (with its seat at Asheville) was larger than its present size and comprised the core of Walker's Congressional district. Walker's reputation, by association with the phrase was both credited, that is, he competently represented his constituents, and discredited, that is, his thoughts were dismissed as 'bunk.' Walker moved to Mississippi in 1824 where he became an agricultural trader, and lived there until his death in 1828. "H. L. Mencken, the sage of Baltimore and a connoisseur of the American language, entitled one of his books A Carnival of Buncombe." This is marker number P-26 and it was erected by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. There is parking and a public restroom in the adjacent park. [Review 1164 of 2024 - 3654 in North Carolina - 22187 overall]

A very nice stop along the parkway with a good southeastern view…read more The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 470-mile-long roadway that meanders through the mountains and connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The parkway boasts about 170 official stops along the path. This site is one of these many stops. This is between the Waterrock Knob stop and Fork Ridge overlook. This particular stop shares a fair amount of similarities with the Fork Ridge Overlook. It has the same southwestern view. It is a pull-off on the same side of the road. It has a broad view with very little obstruction. It does not have any restrooms or picnic tables or trails but has a wonderful view of several mountain ranges and valleys that run off to the south of the location. This stop also shares the same view as the one that can be seen from Waterrock Knob at a higher elevation so if you went there, you may want to skip this stop. If you have not been to that Waterrock Knob, then you may want to stop there next. Overall, it is a nice stop with a southwestern view. Enjoy.