Fall Colors

It’s not too late to experience autumn foliage in Western North Carolina. Old time leaf lookers are saying this year’s colors are the brightest in recent memory. A day trip from Sitaspell to the apple orchards of Henderson County would be a perfect way to spend a day in the mountains.

A few tidbits – Late October in Franklin

Perusing the web site of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, we see a packed calendar:

Leaf Lookers Gemboree

Date(s): Oct 14, 2011 – Oct 16, 2011

When: Fri & Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am – 4pm

Where: Macon County Community Building

Fine Jewelry, Rought & Cut Gemstones, Minerals, Fossils & More! Adults $2 Children 12 and under free. Contact 828-524-3161

Pickin on the Square – The Blue Ridge Quartet

Date(s): Oct 15, 2011

When: 6:30 pm open mike; 7:30 Main Entertainment

Where: Downtown at the Gazebo

WNC Pottery Festival and Clay Olympics

Downtown Dillsboro, NC hosts the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival, a juried festival that attracts master potters from across the U.S.  This year’s event is Saturday, Nov.5th, featuring the work of 42 clay artists. Half of the potters hail from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, while the other half are from as far away as: Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida and Ohio.

ColorFest, Art of the Blue Ridge

Spend  Saturday, Oct. 22nd enjoying the arts in Sylva, NC at ColorFest, Art of the Blue Ridge. Sylva is a gorgeous 30 minute drive from Franklin or Sit a Spell Cabin, and the fall colors can only enhance your trip “over the mountain” to Sylva.

From 10 am until 4 pm on the 22nd, you can enjoy regional artists’ works — painting, sculpture, glass art, clay, paper art, fiber art, canning, fine art jewelry, wearable art, outdoor art, fine pottery, wood carving, ceramics and fine furniture.  Live music and street entertainers happen around and about Main Street to add to the atmosphere.

Trading Books at The T.M. Rickman Store

When visiting Sit a Spell Cabin, take some time to head a few miles south on 28, to Cowee-West’s Mill Historic District, and stop in at The T.M. Rickman General Store.  The store itself was built in 1895, and in 1925 Thomas Rickman bought it and operated it until he passed away in 1994.  The store, obtained in 2007 by The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee,  is now part of the 370 acre Cowee-West’s Mill National  Historic District.

The store hosts events, farmers markets, and now you can trade books at Rickmans.  Every Friday, from 3pm to 7pm, the store is open for book trading, and you can also enjoy live dulcimer music brought to you by Sally DeLawter and Phil Myers.  You’ll also want to check out the selection of produce and crafts of local vendors.

The T.M. Rickman Store is next to Cowee Elementary School, on Cowee Creek Road.  From Sit A Spell Cabin, head south on 28 about 5 miles, pass the motorcycle store on your left and look for the Cowee Convenience BP on your right.  SLOW DOWN!  Take a left onto Cowee Creek and you’re almost there.

For more info, visit the Cowee Community Development Organization and the Rickman Store’s web site.

The Best Bread!

Visitors to Franklin take note!  If you’re thinking that extraordinary french baguettes might be hard to find in a small mountain town … think again.  Riverblaze Bakery, located at the edge of downtown Franklin, offers artisan French bread and baguettes, tomato, herb and cheese focaccia, bran and blueberry muffins so plump you’ll swoon, and more.

I visited recently, just to do research, of course, and thoroughly enjoyed a blueberry muffin and a cinnamon roll.  (Yes, gluttony lives!)  The muffin was not overly sweet, plump blueberries burst in each bite, and the top was crumbly and yummy.  Definitely made by expert hands!  The cinnamon roll was even better – sweet dough the way it should be – not mushy and overly yeasty but with some structure and taste of its origins (wheat flour).  The cinnamon filling was restrained and flavorful, and the icing topped it off perfectly.  It was satisfying and not a huge jolt of sugar, preservatives, and commercial flavoring.

I was running errands, so I didn’t have time to enjoy their sun room seating area and a cup of freshly made fresh-roasted coffee.  My loss – it looked delightful and comfy and I plan to go back.

While I was there, I spied several loaves of the most gorgeous round french, a few baguettes, more muffins (bran with carrots and raisins), scones (how did I leave without one of them?), and gigantic oatmeal cookies.

Check out Riverblaze on the web, and make sure you stop by when visiting Franklin or just passing through.  You’ll be glad you did.  I was!

When you stay at Sit a Spell Cabin, north of Franklin, head into town!  Pick up a few muffins, some great bread, a couple of cookies, to bring back for your next days breakfast and lunch.  Take your time at Riverblaze, enjoy a cuppa coffee or tea, and relax into your vacation.

New golf course in Cherokee

Golf courses in Western North Carolina are considered to be some of the most beautiful and well designed in the world.

I’ve met so many vacationers who want to get some golfing in as they vacation in our corner of the state. So, without further ado …. Sequoyah National, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians 18 hole public golf course …. opened in August 2009 … the first public golf course to open in the region since the 1990s.

Plan Ahead – 2010 Events in Macon County!

For those of you who like to plan around various Gemborees and festivals in be-yoo-ti-full Macon County – herewith the beginnings of events in 2010:

May 7 – 9 ~ Mother’s Day Gemboree

July 3 ~ 4th of July Fireworks and Fun Day

July 22 – 25 ~ Macon County Gemboree

October 15 – 17 ~ Leaf Lookers Gemboree

November 28 ~ Franklin’s Christmas Parade

Giving Thanks in the Mountains

If you’re not doing the big crowd, tons of family thing this Thanksgiving, think about coming to Franklin and the mountains for the holiday.

The weather is usually good – I can remember several Thanksgivings where we gloried in blue skies and sunshine, 60 degrees, and crispy crunchy leaves underfoot.  Take a walk in the countryside and listen to the birds, talk with your partner, breathe, smile, and be thankful.

Sit a Spell Cabin’s kitchen is completely equipped and several Thanksgiving dinners have been cooked and shared there.  If you like to go all out and

Sandwich and an espresso in Franklin!

My favorite wi-fi hotspot in Franklin, NC is Rathskeller Coffee Haus. Located in the basement of one of Franklin’s oldest buildings, Rathskeller Coffee Haus offers coffee drinks, a wine bar, a nice assortment of beers, the yummy Rathskeller wrap, and homemade sweet treats.