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!

A super challenging (very very steep) short hike up a tall knob. A longer hike if, like me, you…read morestarted at the trailhead at the Fork Ridge Overlook farther up the parkway. The views are spectacular, the hike is challenging (even for fit and athletic folks). Take your time, but the climb is worth it. And I definitely recommend the longer trail if you are up for the hike!

The initial climb is NOT for the faint of heart. We've hiked this easily over 30 times and every…read moretime we see people quitting on the initial paved, very steep entry around the 50ft mark. Please be respectful if you divert to the plane crash. The top view is breathtaking, along with several viewing spots along the way. Pet friendly, but make sure they are hiking capable as there are quite a few steep steps and sharp curves.

Great little path- I believe it's under on mile there. Also dogs on leashes seem to be allowed as…read morewell and has its own parking spaces. Great photo ops here. Beautiful place and the walk isn't too far from the parking lot either just very steep so wear good shoes

Soco Falls has been updated with a huge parking lot, observation deck at the top (beginning) and…read moresecond observation deck at the falls with new concrete steps and wood railing. Some trashy, low class dregs of humanity have already vandalised parts of the decks and railing-which were installed and graciously gifted by the Cherokee Reservation Indians, how gross do you have to be to do something so awful? Regardless, it's a beautiful half mile hike each way and the serenity of the falls is so worth it. Hopefully garbage humans dont ruin it for the rest of us to enjoy this magical.place.

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.

Love love this hike. It's been a staple of mine for ages. Get out there and hike it- it's perfect…read morefor all ages and levels. Parking can be dicey so make sure to go an off time if you can (ex-early or on weekdays). You will most likely park on the side of the road but people drive slowly so it's not too bad or dodgy. There are two hikes in this area- sams knob (where the parking lot is) and Black Balsam (what I am reviewing).Honestly you will get great views at any of the hikes around as they're similar. This one had an entrance/ start point right off the road. There is a sign. This hike is about 2 miles total. You have a bit of an incline at first but it's not bad. Lots of space and clean paths. When you get to the top the views are awesome. Clouds? Just wait 5 mins. They move fast :$

I love this place! This was my second time doing the trails because the first time it was too…read morefoggy. It's a well traveled trail and really good for dogs as well. You have a 360 degree views that take your breath away. I did black balsam to art loop.

Nice place to hike just outside of Sylva. There are places for about 20 or so vehicles to park in…read morethe marked area at the end of the road. The first part is quite steep and rocky. There's a massive split boulder about a half-mile in. There are multiple 3+ mile hikes to tops of local mountains.

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]

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.

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