The Beauty of Bryson

Husband-and-wife team Tim Osment and Dawn Gilchrist explored Bryson City, North Carolina, in search of their favorite hallmarks of small-town living in Southern Appalachia—fresh coffee, smart books, and good eating.

The best way to enter the jewel-like town of Bryson City, North Carolina, is along Old Highway 19. From westbound 74, exit at Ela in order to see, at least for a few miles, what things were like a couple of generations ago. On Old 19 visitors see the Bryson City that existed before it became a respite for tourists taking a break from the cascading lights of Cherokee’s casino. On Old 19 visitors can see what was here before the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s success prompted the restoration of early 20th century buildings, a restoration that causes international backpackers and Southern sightseers alike to stop and admire the wrought iron, the rustic woods, and the many window boxes with their profusion of color.

On Old 19, which eventually becomes Bryson’s Main Street, a faded sign at Bear Hunters’s Campground, slightly askew, advertises “Boiled Peanuts and Fresh Pork Rinds.” Down the road a bit, an aged barn supports a large slogan whose looming letters invite travelers to Rock City to “See Seven States.”

And except for the kudzu creeping higher up the barn’s roof, little else has changed along this strip since the 1960s, when Tim and I were growing up in a much-more isolated Western North Carolina. However, once you pass the old IGA market; the fruit stand promising Amish cheese, fresh eggs, and Greasyback beans; and the Catholic Thrift Store, the loveliness of this little town seems miles away from the hard scrabble years when dollars were difficult to come by and logging trucks were a more common sight than the modern-day vanloads and SUVs full of eager sightseers.

With only five stoplights along Everett and Main streets, visitors can crisscross the entire downtown in about 20 minutes. So, in order to do Bryson’s offerings justice, we suggest beginning at the intersection of the two streets, at the Heritage Museum and Visitors’ Center.

Once the Swain County Courthouse, the museum is filled with exhibits that include an old log cabin, a 1905 bank vault, historic maps, farming and logging tools, and interactive displays for children, as well as images of mountain life from bygone eras, and a solid collection of publications by local authors, naturalists, historians, and “experts.” Though not an official National Park Service welcome center, friendly volunteers offer advice, directions, and, if you’re lucky enough to catch him, David Monteith, a Swain County commissioner, who rewards his captive audience with lively opinions and local stories. 

Just outside the museum is the Cork & Bean Bistro. Once the Bryson City Bank, the restaurant opened in 2010 and is well known throughout the region for its chicken pesto crepe (augment the crepe with the available Brie, you will be happy you did). Since then, the proprietors have added the Everett Hotel to the old bank building: a boutique lodging with rooftop gathering spaces, fine linens, and burlap and brass room numbers. However, you need not be there for a full night or even a full meal to enjoy the restaurant’s warmth and beauty. The staff are a skilled mix of locals and exotic wanderers who welcome everyone, even those just dropping in for a glass of wine, an appetizer, or a cup of coffee.

Moving down the block, I found Ashley Hackshaw (writer, wife, and mom) volunteering at the Marianna Black Library Used Bookstore. As I talked with Ashley about her Bryson City blog, “Li’l Blue Boo,” (a trove of information and photos from around town), she told me that numerous people stop in to ask directions, request information about the history of the building (it used to be Bennett’s Drug Store), or to just chat about books. The drugstore’s original soda fountain now serves as the bookstore’s centerpiece. The day we visited, it was piled high with art books covering specifics from 20th Century German works to 1960s Pop Culture. Hackshaw herself was just visible in this bibliophile’s dream, cheerfully ensconced behind the counter, poring through the stacks.

Crossing Everett Street and the always-visible Tuckaseigee River, we stopped in at La Dolce Vita. Owned and operated by mother/daughter team Gianna Carson and Pat Tagliarini, the main attractions were classic cupcakes, (made with real butter, real flour, and lots of local eggs), a coffee and a biscotti, or, for the truly “epicurious,” an avocado gelato (say that 10 times fast). The feel in La Dolce Vita is an engaging combination of Appalachia, with its local crafts advertised on a table near the creaky screen door; mom’s kitchen (one of Giana’s children was sitting at the counter doing homework); and a rural savoir faire, as seen in the exotic flavors and the Wi-Fi password reminders on the walls.

This Italian/Appalachian bakery is in many ways a perfect representative of what has come to pass in Bryson City over the past decade. As one strolls through the heart of the town, taking in the homemade aroma of buttery grits cooked with cream at Everett Street Diner; young people sampling beer and local bands at Nantahala Brewing Company; native sages enjoying a wrap and a cup of Joe at Mountain Perks; or children swinging in display hammocks at Bryson City Outdoors, it becomes evident that Bryson is thriving, not in spite of, but because of, its variety of identities.

There is a melding here of a strong sense of traditional culture with an eye to the future that appeals to nearly everyone. And that nostalgic appeal is well represented less than a mile out of downtown. Approaching the popular Deep Creek campground and adjacent Great Smoky Mountains National Park, folks are transported back in time as they drive past the iconic Mountain Dew and Nehi bottling plants. So, whether you’re interested in tubing, bicycle or paddleboard rentals, a 1900’s drug store now brimming with esoteric literature, or train conductors and bluegrass music, visitors and residents alike both love and find love in this tiny town, Bryson City, that has managed to embrace yesterday, today, and tomorrow with open arms.