Summer in the mountains of Southern Appalachia means enjoying the great outdoors.
But as a child growing up in the flat lands of eastern North Carolina, many of my earliest memories of summers are tied to the Outer Banks, indulging in long days at the beach with family and friends, dunking under impending waves, sprawling beside half-built sand castles, sailing across Bogue Sound, and dining on fresh shrimp and hearty helpings of hushpuppies.
As a rare treat, my family would venture up to the mountains to go gem mining, pick berries, and take in the fabulous vistas. We stayed with a wonderful couple, J.L. and Evelyn West, just outside of Franklin, N.C. Long-time family friends, the Wests were perfect hosts, the kind of people who help you slow down and appreciate the finer things in life—home-cooked meals, rides on Big Wheel tricycles, fireflies lighting up the front yard, and a walk to a nearby rippling river where Cherokee once trapped fish.
Summers in the mountains continue to foster great memories—picking mounds of plump blackberries near Max Patch, whitewater rafting on the French Broad River with my older brother, watching a meteor shower with my wife on the Blue Ridge Parkway, hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail with my mom, and running part of a 208-mile Blue Ridge Relay on a misty morning through rolling hills along the New River.
In this latest issue of Smoky Mountain Living, we’re happy to share some great summer diversions that we hope will build new favorite memories with friends and family. Explore the galleries and shops of downtown of Brevard, N.C. Check out white rhinos, red pandas, and African elephants at the Knoxville Zoo. Enjoy fresh produce at a local farmers market. Learn about the history of these ancient hills through two popular outdoor dramas—“Horn in the West” in Boone, N.C., and “Unto These Hills” in Cherokee, N.C. For an experience that will astound and amaze, visit the newly opened Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge.
Also included in this issue are some excellent essays. David Allen Joy waxes poetic on the mythical qualities of salamanders. Renea Winchester ponders the passage of time as her family visits the gravesites of ancestors. Novelist and poet Joseph Bathanti shares a story of how one seemingly random trip to Asheville, N.C., inspired a new appreciation for the literary genius of Thomas Wolfe.
So, sit a spell. Enjoy this issue. Keep us in mind if you have any favorite getaways you’ve found in western North Carolina or east Tennessee. We want to share those places with our readers. Send us an email or drop us a note on our Facebook fan page.
Happy travels and have a great summer!