Showing posts with label free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free. Show all posts

Monday, February 9, 2015

Annual guide points up beauty of Western North Carolina's Jackson County




If Jackson County doesn't immediately pop up on your mental radar, these beautiful destinations in that area of Western North Carolina will: Cashiers, Cullowhee, Dillsboro and Sylva.

Or think of the gorgeous stretches of highway that take you there, notably U.S. 74 and U.S. 64. One of the top scenic drives in that part of the state is the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway -- a four-lane divided stretch of U.S. 74-19-23-441 -- that connects Bryson City, Sylva and Waynesville to Interstate 40.

In the just-out 2015 version of "Our Town," the 10th edition of the annual magazine published by the Jackson County Chamber, you'll find visitor information for locales, attractions and more.

Articles in the 44-page effort highlight the return of fireworks to Sylva and a spotlight on the philanthropy practiced by nearby Harrah's Cherokee Casino, which is  just 20 miles northwest of Sylva.

"Our Town" is free of charge. You can read it online.


You can also request a copy be mailed to you via the Chamber's website -- www.mountainlovers.com --  or by calling their office at 828-586-2155.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

On the trail of the rare North Carolina sonker. Really. See for yourself.


Screaming Yellow Zonkers: about 174,000  hits on Google.

Sonkers? Slightly more. And that includes the Sonker Festival, held the first Saturday in October in the Mount Airy area.

Mount Airy? Of course. A sonker is a North Carolina take on a deep-dish cobbler. Popular in the old days, it has experienced a renaissance of sorts, being highlighted in the New York Times in 2013 along with grunts, slumps and other regional takes on fruit-filled desserts.

Surry County, deep in the Sonker Belt,  is capitalizing on this with a new "trail" ‑- a guide to places in those parts where you can order them, buy them, or purchase cookbooks on how to make sonkers.

Among the stops?

The Rockford General Store
Roxxi & Lulu's Bakery, in Elkin
Heaven's Scent, Elkin
Living Cross Coffeehouse, Mount Pilot
Putters Patio & Grill, Dobson
Trio Restaurant, Mount Airy
Miss Angel's Heavenly Pies, Mount Airy

You can order the free-of-charge  "Sonker Trail" guide/map by calling 800-948-0949, or request it online at www.SonkerTrail.org.


The Surry County Tourism  photo at the top of this post? A close-up of the rare and elusive sonker.