Western North Carolina History Trails

Western North Carolina is defined as much by the various chains and valleys within the Appalachian Mountains as it is by the various people here. The region contains large swaths of state and national forest lands and parks, including the Great Smoky Mountains...

What is it that gives Asheville and Buncombe County so many ghost stories? Tales of the haunted, the creepy, the eerie, and the outright macabre mark the landscape here with sites that locals love—or fear. Asheville, situated on high ground near the confluence of two...

In the 1880s Asheville transformed dramatically into a bustling hub and tourist town, accessible by train for the first time. During this decade, large residences and neighborhoods developed quickly on the outskirts of the city. During the same period, the wealthy...

Just a few miles from George Vanderbilt’s grand Biltmore Estate is Buck House, a different kind of mansion – one that was nearly 50 years old when Vanderbilt began construction. Saddled on a ridge between two hills just south of Asheville, ringed by picturesque...