Why We’re Sharing the Local Secrets
Once a year, Waynesville hosts the Ramp Festival, and the locals smell like it for the rest of the year. That may explain why there are so many soap makers around here. Our favorite is Willow Hill, which the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce named Small Business of the Year.
Leaf peeping season brings visitors into Haywood County, and those visitors are a big part of why the small businesses we love are still open in January. So we asked our team where they actually go when they’re off the clock. These are the things to do around Waynesville this fall that we’d send a friend to, plus a few worth the drive, if you want the real Western North Carolina experience.
Singletree: Waynesville, NC
Courtney’s pick. Singletree cooks with fresh, wholesome ingredients and makes cocktails someone clearly thought hard about. It’s where we go to celebrate something, and also where we go when there’s nothing to celebrate.
If you see Courtney at the bar with Spencer, she’s drinking a dirty gin martini and enjoying one secret menu item we’ve been asked not to name.
Cataloochee Ranch: Maggie Valley, NC
Spencer’s pick. Cataloochee Ranch sits above Maggie Valley with horses, long mountain views, and food that’s raised and harvested on the land. Spencer will tell you the hospitality is unrivaled and it just so happens we make a lot of their leather goods.
The Blue Ridge Beer Hub: Waynesville, NC
Dan’s pick. The Hub is right on Main Street, with a rotating tap list that follows the seasons, regular events, and dogs welcome. It’s locally run and veteran-owned.
Pull up a stool and stay a while. The regulars are friendly, and they’ll tell you every story they know about the lore of the area and trust us, there’s a lot.
Barber’s Orchard: Waynesville, NC
Heath’s pick. Barber’s Orchard has apple everything: apple butter, apple slushies, apple cider donuts, and a counter full of baked goods. Also heads of cabbage, which Heath says are worth the trip on their own.
Darnell Farms: Bryson City, NC
Lizzie’s pick, for the hayrides and all things pumpkin. She says it’s like stepping into a fall Hallmark movie.
When she can’t get out to Bryson City, Lizzie goes to Blue Ghost Outpost instead for the same flavors of fall but in coffee form.
Shining Rock Wilderness: Pisgah National Forest
Hank’s pick. Shining Rock is rough, wild country: white-tail, black bear, and hippies.
Hank got his bear hunting license this year. If he gets one, the plan is a skull on the coffee table, a rug on the floor, and enough jerky to get him through the apocalypse.
After an early morning out in the wilderness, you’ll find him at Beach Mountain Diner ordering the corned beef hash with two eggs and wheat toast. Every time.
Graveyard Fields: Pisgah National Forest
Natalie’s pick. Graveyard Fields, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a destination on its own. Natalie takes her kids because the hike isn’t too long and the views start well before you reach the trail.
There’s a waterfall, and there are trails of different lengths, so you can pick one that fits the day and short legs.
10 Acre Garden: Canton, NC
Ashley’s pick. It has a collection of local goods, good pizza, views, live music, and a steady calendar of community events. You can plan an afternoon there and end up staying for the evening.
Solstice Handmade: Asheville, NC
Ally’s pick. Ally is our resident naturalist, so it makes sense that her favorite local artist makes work about the plants and animals of these mountains- and you can get all her screen prints on tees for the perfect souvenir!
You can find Solstice Handmade at the Haywood Historic Farmers Market every Saturday morning. While you’re there, get a pastry, pick up some farm goods, and stay for the live music.
Bevel Bar: Waynesville, NC
Everyone’s pick. We’re biased. Bevel Bar is the speakeasy in the back of our shop at 41 Depot Street, and the fall menu is rolling out. Ring the bell Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evenings or join us for Sunday brunch and live music on the patio 11-2.
After a day of leaves, hayrides, and cider donuts, it’s a good place to take the edge off.
Haywood County in the fall is worth the trip, and the people who keep these places open are worth knowing. If you’re downtown, come by our retail store at 41 Depot Street, look around the shop, and ask whoever’s working where they’d go. They’ll have an opinion.
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