It began by saying yes to a UNC TV fund raising drive about a year ago when the gift incentive was a ticket to ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
Something we had talked about many times and now was an opportunity to contribute to UNC TV, programming that we much enjoy and plan our often imagined excursion into the mountains of North Carolina via the rumble of the rails.
First on our agenda was finding a place to stay. So after extensive Google searches and the reading of many many reviews on Tripadvisor we chose the Dillsboro Inn.
Rugged, Rustic and Romantic, the Dillsboro Inn provided our home away from home.
The Dillsboro Inn was the epicenter of our mountain escape experience and owner, entrepreneur and host, Mr. TJ Walker, was our guide. The Dillsboro Inn is an experience, the more you get into it, the more you get out of it. Roasting smores and telling stories by campfire light and watching the kids catching fireflies with carefree abandon and delight, this was our home away from home on the banks of the Tuckasegee River in the Great Smoky Mountains. Rugged, Rustic and Romantic, this is not a carbon copy motel and not another night on the road. This was our first visit to The Dillsboro Inn but when we return, which we will, it will be like coming home again.
The Dillsboro Inn was the epicenter of our mountain escape experience and owner, entrepreneur and host, Mr. TJ Walker, was our guide. The Dillsboro Inn is an experience, the more you get into it, the more you get out of it. Roasting smores and telling stories by campfire light and watching the kids catching fireflies with carefree abandon and delight, this was our home away from home on the banks of the Tuckasegee River in the Great Smoky Mountains. Rugged, Rustic and Romantic, this is not a carbon copy motel and not another night on the road. This was our first visit to The Dillsboro Inn but when we return, which we will, it will be like coming home again.
Our new found friend TJ Walker is dedicated to you and to making his dream your reality if only for a moment. The premises are permeated with his personal touch and charm. Outcroppings and decks built into the natural contours of the Tuckasegee River banks bring you into the experience of being part of the rivers flow. Stone and mortar planned, planted and held fast with hand, heart and soul, each viewpoint on the shoreline submerges you into a different place and time. Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, they've all been there and when you close your eyes and let the rushing waters surround, you are too.
While on this journey into Hannibal the rhythm of rails beckon to take you away into the mountains and valleys of the Nantahala Gorge. Before the days of interstate highways, fast foods and pit stops, the solemn stately blasts of the steam whistle announced your departure and arrival.
The conductor greets you with a nod and a smile a word or two about family and friends, flora and fauna and history of the passages these iron rails lay story too.
The train has her own history and stories to tell from her birth in the foundry under so many hands
through years of exploration, growth and prosperity that seemed it would last forever only to be pushed aside by a blanket of macadam and smaller, sleeker metal steeds.
And yet now she rolls again, no more stylish than before
her classic beauty revealed beneath years of benign neglect and diversion
dusted off and coaxed back into being
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is great once more.
Later that evening and back in modern times, we dined at
The custom pizza and local craft beer was delicious
complemented by an incredible view of the mountains
and shared with
wonderful friends.
We spent a couple of days in Dillsboro North Carolina
a couple of days...
with memories
to last
a Lifetime!
