The Mountains of Asheville, Black Mountain, and Cherokee, NC

Mountain towns will always be my ideal vacation. There’s something about the fresh air, serene views, and escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life that keeps me wanting more.

Oh, Carolina, keep calling me home.

Eric Church

When I was a kid, my family took a vacation to Cherokee, NC and Maggie Valley, NC. I loved Ghost Town in the Sky and was disappointed to see that it had closed. Asheville tourism has grown in recent years due in part to its exploding craft beer industry so we knew we wanted to make this a destination and I wanted my girls to experience some of the same magic that I did as a kid.

I booked the pet-friendly and very highly rated High Top Cabin in Black Mountain through Expedia which is 15 mins from Asheville. We decided to stay here instead of Asheville to accommodate our family and my brother’s family with whom we would be vacationing. It seemed like a better fit budget-wise and I couldn’t have been more spot on. It was less than 5 minutes back down into the charming town of Black Mountain, known as “The City that Rocks” for its rocking chairs.

And the views – oh the views…do they get any better than this?

The highlight of this trip was some much-needed family and cousin time during the pandemic. We spent a morning hiking at Chimney Rock State Park, which happens to be where the movie The Last of the Mohicans was filmed. We discovered the picture-perfect downtown of Black Mountain and all of its quaint, friendly shops and restaurants.

We did make it to Asheville but I have to say, Black Mountain was my favorite. We spent most of our time on the deck just enjoying the beautiful view. Our trip ended in Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains where hopefully, my girls left a piece of their hearts in the mountains too like I did 35 years ago.

4-Day Itinerary With Kids and a Dog

Day	To	From	Mode	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Trip Notes
1 Sun	High Top Cabin, Black Mountain, NC	FredCo, MD	Car	10:00AM	5:00PM	Easy, beautiful drive from Maryland.
	Dinner at the cabin	Black Mountain	Car	6:00PM	6:15PM	There is a great little grocery store in Black Mountain called Ingles where we stocked up grocery supplies so that we could eat most of our meals at the cabin.
2 Mon	Sierra Nevada Brewing, Fletcher, NC	Black Mountain	Car	10:00AM	11:40AM	This was a disappointment because the brewery was huge and beautiful and we planned to have lunch at their restaurant outdoors but it was only open for carry-out (no food) due to COVID.
	Downtown Black Mountain shopping	Sierra Nevada Brewing	Car	11:45AM	12:15PM	Black Mountain has some of the coolest specialty shops I’ve ever seen. Don’t miss the toy and book store Sassafras on Sutton.
	My Father’s Pizza and Pasta, Black Mountain, NC	Downtown	Walk	2:00PM	3:00PM	Great find – specialty gourmet pizzas and a family-friendly atmosphere.
3 Tues	Hiking at Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock, NC	Black Mountain	Car	9:00AM	9:45AM	Don’t miss this hike! Spectacular views. The price of admission isn’t cheap and there is a shuttle to take you up to then entrance of the hike. There are a LOT of steps (500+) and the spire steps are narrow so bring lots of water! We did this with 2 small toddlers and my two girls. It was tough! Park employees are very friendly and stationed throughout the hike to answer questions.
	Downtown Asheville, NC	Chimney Rock	Car	11:30AM	12:15PM	Asheville is easily a top-notch beercation. We combined a couple of breweries with good food and found some ice cream afterwards. Don’t miss The Hop Ice Cream Cafe converted from an old gas station into a space with cool vibes and handcrafted ice cream.
4 Wed	Oconaluftee Indian Village, Cherokee, NC	Black Mountain, NC	Car	10:00AM	11:15AM	We took our dog to Cherokee and let her play in the river that runs through town. We were still leery of going inside buildings because of COVID so we spent time outside in the Indian Village and found a food truck parked nearby for lunch.
	Pan Fer Gold, Cherokee, NC	Indian Village	Walk	1:00PM	1:10PM	Panning for gold, gems, or in our case, just plain rocks, is a nice activity that both of my girls enjoyed.
	Santa’s Land Fun Park & Zoo, Cherokee, NC	Pan Fer Gold	Car	1:20PM	1:25PM	Imagine my daughters’ disappointment when we realized we could not bring our dog inside of Santa’s Land Amusement Park. My husband offered to stay outside with the dog while we went in but the park was dated looking so that helped in the decision to skip this one. If we didn’t have the dog, we would have made it part of our day.
	Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee, NC	Santa’s Land	Car	1:30PM	1:35PM	The entrance to the park is located just outside of Santa’s Land. We drove through the park just before heading home to breathe in fresh NC mountain air one last time.
	Cherokee, NC	FredCo, MD (home)	Car	3:00PM	11:00PM