Bryson City is a small mountain town in Western North Carolina. It is nestled between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala National Forest. This is a beautiful area to explore, especially in the fall with changing leaves.
Bryson City is about 1 hour west of Asheville, NC and 1 hour and 15 minutes south of Gatlinburg TN. Check out my Asheville guide here and my Gatlinburg guide here.
Tom Branch Falls
Bryson City Recommendations:
Bryson City Outdoors: A beer bar and gear shop with a nice patio and daily food trucks.
Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Deep Creek Waterfall Loop is a popular option very close to town with 3 waterfalls on a 2.4 mile long trail with 426ft of elevation gain. You’ll encounter Tom Branch Falls, Indian Creek Falls and Juney Whank Falls.
Mountain Layers Brewing: A nice brewery in the heart of downtown with a rooftop deck. They also have a Hawaiian food truck out back The Rice Wagon. You can see all of town from the roof and offer wine and cider for non-beer fans.
Zipline, whitewater raft, or stay in a yurt with WildWater! Whitewater rafting is very popular on the Nantahala and super fun. It is 8 miles of class 1 and class 2 rapids with one class 3 rapid. Their ziplining course goes through the gorge and has a couple of spots with great views.
High Test Deli: A delicious sandwich shop in the heart of downtown. They are also known for their frozen ice cream sandwiches.
The Road to Nowhere: Drive this historic road and be sure to check out the Lake Fontana overlook and the Road to Nowhere Tunnel. Just be prepared, the road does indeed go to nowhere.
Meander the many shops throughout downtown.
Take a scenic drive:
The Hellbender 28 is full of hairpin turns and right near Bryson City
The Tail of the Dragon takes you towards Tennessee with 300 turns in 11 miles
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a popular route with numerous viewpoints and hiking trails along the way
Waterrock Knob Trail is a popular, quick choice that is 1 mile long with 439ft of elevation gain so it’s quite steep!
Mount Pisgah Trail: 4 miles long with 1077ft of elevation gain. This trail is about halfway between Bryson City and Asheville off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Pisgah National Forest. I would park at the Google Maps trailhead, not AllTrails trailhead. The last section of the trail is pretty steep and leads up to a TV tower.
Honey Bear’s Cupcakery: Grab cupcakes and other sweets from this local bakery on the main strip!
Cardinal Coffee: A cute spot for coffee, bagels, and smoothies off the highway a bit outside of downtown.
Darnell Farms: A large farm with produce, pumpkins, hay rides and festivals. Located in Bryson City on the river.
Explore nearby Waynesville:
Boojum Brewing: A popular brewery with a full food menu. Expect a wait during lunch and dinner times, but their food is super tasty and worth it!
Sauced: An average spot for pizza and beer
Check out the cute shops throughout downtown
Explore nearby Sylva:
Lazy Hiker Brewing: Tasty beers and a nice patio. Mad Batter Kitchen is inside for eats.
Innovation Brewing: A lovely taproom on the river with chill vibes. They have a massive tap list and Meatballs Pizzeria shares the building + Cosmic Carryout is right next door.
Balsam Falls Brewing: A nice brewery with a full food menu and lots of TVs for game day.
Skip: Bryson City Brewing This spot was formally Nantahala Brewing. They have all guest taps and zero of their own beers, the food is not good and the service quite frankly sucks (the bartenders were wasted). It’s a bummer to see this formerly great space go downhill so quickly.
