Sylva and Dillsboro

Our adventure today did not start off looking like we were going to get to either place easily.  My experience with maps whether AAA or state issued is that they are not always as detailed as you would like and most of the local roads are not shown at all.  Today was one of those days.

Driving down one of the many two lane business routes looking for the right road, we noticed this huge well maintained cemetery (Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville) with all the headstones facing east, many with Confederate flags and headstones lining the sides of the rather steep hills.  It seemed rather unusual to us as you usually do not see headstones up and down hills.  More about southern cemeteries at a later time.

We finally found the correct road leading out of Waynesville where we are staying and enjoyed the four lane divided highway through the dense green forested land that is the Smoky Mountains.  Sylva is located south and west of Asheville in the Tuckasegee River Basin, was incorporated in 1889 and its growth was stimulated by logging, mining and tourism after the railroad arrived.  This community reminded us very much of Lead, SD with its homes hanging along the sides of the many hills.

What stands out in the town of Sylva is the large white stuccoed courthouse sitting atop the hill at the far end of the city.

Lots of old buildings line the historic downtown main street and the large old home (pictured below) which was once owned by a doctor who saw patients in the upstairs rooms.

Driving further south, we drove into Dillsbooro which was begun in the late 1800's and was the largest non-county seat town west of Asheville with about 750 residents.  It grew up around the railroad  and became an important transportation center for local industry.  Tourists were attracted to the cool summer and beautiful mountain scenery.

We stopped for lunch at Riverwood Shops (three former homes now containing commercial businesses and sitting above the Tuckasegee River) where we found a pretty spillway.

We ate in The Well House Deli, a building that was built around a well on the property which is still providing water for the plants in the restaurant.    Unique.

The remainder of the community is quaint with lots of small old commercial buildings and homes now containing shops, galleries and studios specializing in mountain crafts and the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad which takes visitors on a 4 hour tour through the Smoky Mountains.

Returning home was easier than getting to the communities and we now understand where we are located in relation to the many roads which zig and zag through the area.