Top Five Can’t Miss Things in Bryson City, NC

Western North Carolina offers all of the best of the Smokies, plus trains

I am a Tennessee Volunteer fan. Therefore, I am thankful to Bryson City for the gift that is and was Heath Shuler. Before Shuler was a U.S. Congressman, before he was an unfortunate bust for Washington football, before he was a Heisman runner up quarterback for the Volunteers who would be the first pick in the draft, he was a young entrepreneur with a dream from tiny Bryson City.

Unfortunately, the car wash that Heath owned in Bryson City did not make our top five list today. Frankly, I’m not sure that it’s still in existence.

However, it turns out there is more to do in the tiny mountain burg than get your car cleaned. Bryson City has a rich and interesting history, a small but vibrant downtown food scene, an historic railroad depot and more. It might not be Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg … or even Cherokee, Hendersonville or Asheville. But this unique mountain town has a lot to offer in its own right.

Top Five things to do in Bryson City

1. The trains, big and small

The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad runs out of Bryson City and offers scenic excursions through the mountains including the Polar Express option during the holidays. The rides will take you along the Tuckasegee River or through the Nantahala Gorge. Both excursions last about 4 hours round trip and there are a variety of experiences available from first class to coach to open air gondola. The views are spectacular. You will see the natural beauty of the mountains and also the wildlife. I can’t guarantee it, but we have frequently seen elk on our rides.

While I enjoy the views on the various excursions and rides, I don’t really have an attachment to the train. I’d just as soon drive myself through the mountain, though admittedly, the train goes places my car can’t … or at least shouldn’t.

That said, my favorite part of the train experience in Bryson City is the Model Train Museum. It’s included in the price of your excursion ticket or $9 for ages 12 and up on its own. I could not give a hang about big trains. But model trains? Life-long fascination. Growing up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, a family acquaintance had an elaborate model train set up in his basement. Additionally, my grandfather in Northeast Ohio would take me to a massive model railroad museum when I’d come visit. It was a massive endeavor through cities and hillside and mountains.

Bryson City’s isn’t quite as elaborate as that one was. However, I could – and might one day – spend my hours in the model train museum while my family takes the four-hour excursion. I find it soothing, a bit like looking in an aquarium. With over 7,000 Lionel engines, car and accessories on display, it’s a massive collection and when I win the lottery, I’m going to build my own – or more likely pay some one to build it.

2. “The Fugitive” tourism

In Bryson City, you can pay homage to the fifth best Harrison Ford movie ever, depending on how you feel about “Return of the Jedi” and “Temple of Doom.”

Parts of “The Fugitive” – including the big train vs prison bus wreck – were filmed in Bryson City. The makers of the film bought the engine and pushed it down the track for the shot of Richard Kimble – or his movie effect likeness – dodging the fateful crash. They only had one shot, nailed it and left the train there by the side of the tracks as an attraction. You can see it if you take the Tuckasegee River Excursion on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.

But that’s not the only spot familiar from the movie. The main rail crossing downtown is the one Ford – as Kimble – drives the ambulance through as he’s trying to escape. If you’ve seen the movie as many times as I have, you’ll recognize it. Also, the Cheoah Dam where they shot the scenes as Kimble did a “Peter Pan” into the river is about 40 minutes from Bryson City. Is it worth the drive? It depends. How much do you like quoting Tommy Lee Jones? “How Come they haven’t turned off the water?” Me? I like it very much.

3. Enjoy the downtown

Downtown Bryson City is not Hendersonville and it’s certainly not Gatlinburg. But it is thriving with small shops, breweries, restaurants and history. Certainly, enough to do for an entertaining evening or two after a day of riding the rails, exploring the mountains, watching little trains or wandering around yelling at strangers about the danger of Provasic and Devlin MacGregor.

4. Explore the ‘Road to Nowhere’

The poster boy for pork barrel spending and congressional boondoggles, the Road to Nowhere is a six-and-a-half-mile long road split into two segments alongside Fontana Lake.

Let’s jump back in time to 1943 as the TVA and the Department of Interior agreed with North Carolina officials to replace a road that was being flooded by the planned creation of Fontana Lake. The plan was that the DOI – contingent on receiving the necessary funding – would build a 30-mile long replace road to provide access to family cemeteries that were being cut off by the lake.

Guess what? After the dam was finished slow progress was made over the next 20 years. They managed 6.5 five miles or road and a pretty neat tunnel. The plan died in the early 70s and remained dormant until a North Carolina congressman slipped an appropriation into a massive highway bill in 2001 and set the whole dam business going again. In 2010, the government agreed to pay $52 million to Swain County for not upholding their end of the bargain but they were slow to pay, and Swain County had to sue to get the bulk of the money.

Today the scenic road remains roughly 24 miles from being finished and will likely always remain so. It does offer a diverting day trip. It’s a scenic drive along the lake. In addition to the tunnel, it connects to several hiking and horse trails, including the Appalachian Trail.

5. Fish on Fontana Lake

Is Fontana Lake – actually a reservoir – the prettiest of all the TVA lakes? It might be. In the mountains of North Carolina, it is the most practical way to reach some of the more remote portions of the park. The 17-mile-long lake reaches parts of the mountains it would take a multi-day hike to reach otherwise.

Fontana is great for large and small mouth bass as well as walleye and muskie. Its deep cold recesses are perfect for species that thrive in those conditions, like the walleye. Brown and Rainbow trout can be found in the smaller tributaries feeding into the lake. If you’re an avid angler, Fontana Lake has a diverse population that would allow you to plan multiple fishing expeditions employing various techniques all on one lake.

Have you visited Bryson City? What was your favorite thing to do there? Let us know in the comments!