I love living in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area beneath the Great Smoky Mountains. You can visit Knife Works, Dollywood, the Comedy Barn, Crockett’s Breakfast Camp, and endless others. But when my wife and I want a quieter experience of the Smokies, we travel to North Carolina and visit Maggie Valley, Waynesville, and Lake Junaluska.
If you are looking for a place to take your kids for fun and excitement, Maggie Valley is not the place. But if you are looking for a place to relax and enjoy the culture of the Smokies in a picturesque, quiet setting, Maggie Valley is it.
When I think of the Maggie Valley area, I think of three distinct places: Maggie Valley itself, Waynesville, and Lake Junaluska.
Maggie Valley
Maggie Valley is just that, a beautiful valley situated in the midst of the Smoky Mountains with a crystal clear creek in the midst of it. Highway 19 is the main road through Maggie Valley, and it leads straight up into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
One thing about Maggie Valley is that the hotels are well-kept and clean. We’ve never had a bad experience at any of these hotels, and we’ve stayed at a lot of them. For example, the Clarketon Motel is an older style lodging place, but it has served us well when the other hotels in town were full.
There are a large variety of restaurants including many of the old style Southern, family restaurants that you won’t find in Pigeon Forge. My favorite restaurant is Butts on the Creek, a BBQ joint right on the creek. It’s a little hard to park there when it’s busy, but it’s well worth it. The BBQ is good, but they have one thing I’ve not seen anywhere else: fried corn on the cob. If you get a dish with two sides, get two of these. You won’t regret it. It’s one of the best sides I’ve ever eaten. Add to that the sound of water rushing over the rocks in the background, and you have a real dining experience.
For dessert, head toward Waynesville and stop at the Red Gingham Country Store. The store is nice, but I make the stop because of their reasonably priced Hershey’s ice cream. Hint: order a banana split to get more ice cream at a lesser price!
Lake Junaluska
After you’ve eaten your fill in Maggie Valley, it’s a great time to take the 2.3 mile walk around Lake Junaluska. This is my favorite place in the Smokies. It reminds you of something you might see in the Swiss or Austrian Alps with the alpine lake below you and the mountains all around you.
A large part of the lake is actually the conference grounds of the Western Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. This is apparent throughout your walk around Lake Junaluska (i.e., the Susanna Wesley Gardens).
Besides the lake and the mountains, you will see a large variety of lake houses all around Lake Junaluska. The architecture of these houses is attractive and interesting. They are not your run in the mill modern homes. They are old style houses with unique styles and structures.
Besides the lake houses, you will also find that the whole walkway is well-groomed and filled with plants and flowers. A section of the walkway is a rose walk with roses of numerous types lining the walkway.
The crown jewel of the lake is Memorial Chapel. As you come around the trail and see the chapel, you can almost imagine yourself coming across this scene on some Scottish loch. It has an old world feel. The chapel is usually open and is a great place to pray or meditate.
I recommend that you park near the gift shop. You can get a coffee or snack and sit out on the deck overlooking the lake. Then, you can walk around the lake and experience its numerous sights and views. You also have the option of doing an inexpensive boat tour and learn the history of Lake Junaluska.
Waynesville
Waynesville could be called “little Asheville.” It has the same type of restaurants and stores you would find there. It’s a picturesque downtown is a great place to stroll and shop.
For example, there is the old school Mast General Store. Upstairs is a clothing section. Downstairs you can find a variety of things including a section with the toys that you grew up. Warning: your children may not be as excited about these old-school toys as you are!
In the winter, the downtown is covered with lights and often filled with music. Even at night, Waynesville is a great place to visit, which is unusual for any downtown but especially in a small town. It is a true gathering place.
Of course, like Maggie Valley and Lake Junaluska, you have added to the good things you experience in the place itself, the wonder of the mountains all around. Wherever you walk in Waynesville, glorious scenes of the mountains await you.
Waynesville, Maggie Valley, and Lake Junaluska are some of the best places to enjoy the Smoky Mountains. I can’t wait until the next time my wife and I can get back there.