Welcome to Bryson City

We took it easy this morning. It was a great feeling to be back in the Smoky Mountains after over 5 years. Back then, we couldn't have imagined being back here so soon.

After taking a dip in our hot tub, we headed to the breakfast table. The nearly cloudless sky convinced us to head to Bryson City around 11 am. With just under 1,800 residents, it was the closest town to our cabin.

After about a 20-minute drive, we arrived in Bryson City. The first pleasant surprise was that parking was free. The town turned out to be a charming little place, inviting us to stay. Various pumpkins decorated the area as well.

While driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we had received several recommendations to take a train ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad route from Bryson City. We quickly purchased tickets for Monday at 8 am, although they were not cheap at around $75.00 per person.

We continued to indulge. We had bought some delicious popcorn for the train ride, and then we noticed an ice cream parlor. We can tell you that it was some of the best ice cream we had in a long time. The perfect ending to our little tour was a refreshing beer.

We then headed to Cherokee, which has a population of 2,100, and reached it in about 30 minutes. There were mainly souvenir shops offering all sorts of Native American trinkets to tourists. It was a bit overwhelming for us. We felt much more comfortable in Bryson City. So we headed back after about 2 hours.

On the way back, we passed a farm where a pumpkin festival seemed to be taking place. We quickly parked the car and walked through various arranged pumpkins. Drinks and food were offered here and there. There was also a stage where a band was playing their hillbilly music. Steffi especially had a blast in this pumpkin paradise.

Shortly before reaching Bryson City, we had BBQ again. Afterwards, we returned to the rooftop bar where we met Jennifer and Jeremy, two very nice Americans who had made a short trip from Tennessee to Bryson City. Greetings to you, Jenny and Jeremy! We hope to see you again someday!

It was already dusk when we arrived back at our accommodation, and now we kind of regretted not staying at the bar longer. To take our minds off it, we fired up the grill. After being well-fed, we dragged ourselves to our fire pit, which was a bit away from the cabin. In the darkness, we enjoyed the crackling fire. It had gotten chilly, so the warmth of the fire was very pleasant. And of course, we couldn't forget the marshmallows, which we now savored. The trees on the mountain slope, the fire, and the starry sky were a magnificent combination.

We ended the evening in the hot tub. Ah, we felt so terrible...

Best regards,

Steffi and Stefan