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We hadn't brought our bikes that trip but Hubs did go in there just to look around briefly and commented on how expensive it was. Oh well, many bike places are. I personally prefer to keep my business local, but if prices are out of whack I sure do look around.
I was more into the outdoor space and the food trucks. We had some mac/cheese thing that was to die for. And there were a ton of people around.....as I would have expected. I like the outdoor/sporty life and vibe of those places. If folks want to spend too much on stuff, their business.
Returned from visiting WNC last week. Here are my observations in no particular order.
Sparta - not much there or particularly scenic.
West Jefferson - cute main street, but not particularly scenic.
Boone - seemed pretty busy, but didn't find it particularly scenic.
Blowing Rock - very cute downtown, but likely very busy and crowded during tourist season.
Banner Elk and nearby ski areas - surprised to see the massive block structure of condos/hotel prominently perched on the mountain. Really takes away from the view. Likely, too busy for me.
Little Switzerland - pretty, but not much there.
Spruce Pine - cute town and somewhat scenic area.
Burnsville - meh.
Black Mountain - cute downtown and may have potential.
Old Fort - not sure.
Asheville - nice city, but don't want city living.
Brevard - cute downtown. Enjoyed walking to some of the nearby water falls in the Dupont Forest. Doesn't seem to have the big views that I like.
Lake Towaway, Sapphire, Cashiers, and Highlands. Isolated and far. Cashiers had a downtown, but looked very touristy.
Franklin - Good long range views and ok downtown. Might be a possibility.
Sylva - Good views, pretty area, and cute downtown. Might be a possibility.
Waynesville - Good views, cute downtown, and close to mountains. Might be a possibility.
Bryson City - Good views, cute downtown, and close to mountains. Nice river through town. Might be a possibility.
Drove through the national park into Gatlinburg. May have been a nice place back in the day, but now looks like an amusement park! Definitely not for me.
Wasn't able to visit Murphy and some other places that were on the list. Would like to visit again in the summer to see the area with the trees leaved out and experience the humidity.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spend much time in these areas other than a drive-through. What did I miss? Any thoughts on other areas?
Some of us could argue with you and your conclusions, but not much sense in that as opinions usually differ widely. I think you are wise to see as much as possible and make your own decisions from your fact finding missions.
If you are just looking for nice placed to visit, then you've list many and probably can't go wrong with visits to any of them.
If you are looking for a permanent home, then you also have a good start.
If you are looking for an investment them some might be better than others.
And if you are a retired demolition expert then Sugar Top might be something for you to focus upon. (J/K)
Overall I can agree with your list, I have been going to the WNC area a few times a year for the last 30 years. I personally like summer better.
Blowing Rock is pretty crowded in high season, but not terrible IMO. Being near Boone affords more dining opportunities due to the university and size of the city. Maybe check out Wilkesboro, Lenoir, and Morganton as well.
If you make it back up I would also recommend checking out Mountain City and Elizabethton in TN.
Good suggestions. Oh, I did drive through Mountain City, TN, and it didn't check any boxes for me.
Many of the places you’ve mentioned have beautiful mountain views but you have to know where they are and how to get there. There are a plethora of towns in WNC with nearby mountains. My guess is you covered too much territory to really get a feel for the mountains in a particular locale. As I noted earlier, I would narrow your search, re-visit, and talk with locals.
Landy, I'm just curious why you thought Burnsville was meh? I agree if you roll through on 19E and don't stop into the square downtown it is pretty uneventful and meh. But I thought the downtown is pretty nice, with a few cool shops and good eats and drinks. But, hey to each their own.
I actually just moved here so I am still exploring the area. The town is definitely small and I think the streets pretty much roll up after 6 pm lol, but there seems to be a ton of things to do in the area especially if you are the outdoor type.
Although I don't quite agree with some of those observations either, I can understand the overall point. I also have visited the mountains many times, but never can quite put my finger on what location is the best fit. It's very easy to tick off "too small", "too large", "too expensive", "too isolated", "too difficult to navigate daily", "too far from the mountains" and eliminating everything. Especially when the cost to relocate is so high - you really want to be sure it's the right choice.
Good suggestions. Oh, I did drive through Mountain City, TN, and it didn't check any boxes for me.
Fair enough. I like it due to only being 30 minutes from Boone, without actually being in Boone and it has its own small town area.
I am sure you have thought of this, but you may want to lean towards the TN side of the mountains, the tax situation for retired individuals is better there as NC taxes retirement income and TN does not.
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