I was recently invited to go on a getaway to Bryson City, North Carolina and was a little hesitant to drive off into the mountains, but I was so surprised with everything it had to offer! It was a just a little over 4 hours away from Nashville in between Chattanooga and Knoxville but felt like I had escaped to the set of a Hallmark movie! With the beauty of the mountains, the river, and all the cute shops and restaurants its the perfect balance for a getaway!
What To Do?
Bryson City is a great place to relax and be adventurous if you’d like. Located just next to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park there is plenty to do outdoors. From hiking trails to floating down the river there is so much to see. If hiking is not your thing, there is also the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad so you can see everything by train. They offer special events, like the wine train, the Great Pumpkin Patch Express, and the Polar Express, so you can have fun and enjoy the scenic view.
If you want to just stroll Main Street there are also plenty of shops to see!
Humanité
Our favorite shop was Humanité. The store had so many cute clothes, shoes, and accessories! One thing I loved was how they give back 10% of their profit to help global and local organizations. You can also shop online and they only charge $3 for shipping!
Where to Eat?
Bryson City has so many cute local spots to choose from. We walked down to The Bistro at the Everett and enjoyed a great dinner. We started with trout cakes that were locally caught and enjoyed the crab dip. The she crab soup is also not to be missed! The menu was full of fresh options from trout to crab cakes and risotto. Even crepes if you are looking for something a little lighter. And you must try the dessert!
We walked down to the cutest coffee shop for breakfast called Mountain Perks. They make all their own bagels and cream cheese. They also offer quiche and other breakfast items with great coffee!
For lunch there are a few great spots to try! We checked out the Charleston Food Wagon and had the best fish tacos.
And you know you can’t explore a city and not try the ice cream!
Where to Stay?
There are many great places to stay in Bryson City from camping to cabins there are options for everyone. We fell in love with A Loft in the Smokies. It was centrally located on main street making it easy to walk to everything! It was so clean and spacious. A Loft in the Smokies are cute condos located above shopping on Main Street. The condo was fully equipped with a spacious living room with a TV and wi-fi, and a kitchen with everything down to the coffee. The space included a master bedroom with a king size bed and bath on the main level and the loft upstairs had a queen size bed with another bathroom. There was plenty of space for 4 adults or a small family. Everything was nice even down to the décor. The beds were so comfortable that we all managed to sleep in!
I honestly can’t wait to come back and bring the kids! There was so much more we wanted to see and do and just not enough time. Hopefully we can come back again and enjoy all that Bryson City has to offer! Bryson City is great for a girls weekend, a couples getaway or just an adventure with the kids!
