North Carolina Travel Guide

Nestled in the southern Appalachian Mountains at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, Franklin and Nantahala offer some of the oldest peaks on Earth alongside world-class gem mining, whitewater rafting, and a thriving food and wine scene.

Cherokee County occupies the far southwestern corner of North Carolina, where the Blue Ridge gives way to the Unicoi and Valley River mountains.

Kerr Lake — one of the largest reservoirs in the Southeast — anchors Henderson and Vance County as a premier lake-life destination in the North Carolina Piedmont.