Otter Falls, NC

Otter Falls

825 Skyland Dr. Seven Devils, NC

I left my family twenty feet below me in the bottom of a gorge, "rock climbing" (a child's version) at the foot of Otter Falls, perilously climbing from boulder to boulder, the youngest swaying in the crest of a backpack, riding his daddy's back.

It was raining one of those quick mountain downpours that drench you to the bone and abruptly leave while you wipe the drips out of your eyes, wring your hair out and furiously wipe off your phone.

I was focused on the climb out. Watching the kids frolic so close to the edge of death wasn't my thing. I mean, I'm glad they do it, they have to grow up tough and experience nature, but I don't have to watch. 

The hike down is less than a mile, not bad. Great path. The hike back out is steep. One water per person is enough in the spring, maybe two in the heat of Summer. Take a backpack picnic and enjoy the stay. Take a fishing pole if you're so inclined. Take water shoes, wear hiking boots.

Parking is minimum in the parking lot. There is some parking along the road. They say go in the morning to avoid the rush. I say go in the late afternoon to avoid the rush. Go in the rain, even better.

Great family hike.  Within miles of Grandfather Mountain. Grandfather Mountain Travel Ideas

NC Accessible Waterfalls

 If you just want waterfall info, skip a few paragraphs.

Tossing my backpack in the rear of the Jeep, I climbed up behind the steering wheel and drove off in a Northwest direction, Casey Kasem giving me the top 40 countdown from 1977. The sounds of Fleetwood Mac, Andy Gibb, Rod Stewart and KC and the Sunshine Band carried me through the SC countryside.

I crossed the Little Saluda and braked hard at Bojangles. With my biscuit firm in hand, I zig zagged along the Saluda River and took a hard right North bound over Mulberry Creek. I caught my first glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains just prior to crossing Little Crowe Creek.

I took a nail-biting left at a hairpin turn at the notorious Bad Creek. Pulled over to take in the scenic view with some leather-skinned bikers, nodded Chevy Chase fashion and rolled on in to Cashiers NC.

I narrowly escaped all the gift shops and art galleries and motored out the other side towards a condo rental on Lake Toxaway where I later discovered both a waterfall and sunrise were right off my balcony. Being an early riser, every day was a new delight.

Family members descended and unpacked along with me, marveling in the luxury of this high-end condo, we of the hillbilly heart.

First on our agenda was an afternoon of waterfalls. Well, after lunch slope-side at the bottom of a dry ski slope. We drove out of Cashiers on 64W and visited four roadside waterfalls, mostly accessible for the elderly.

Bridal Veil was first with a small parking area. We could walk under the falls and we enjoyed stretching our legs. Wheelchair accessible. 

Dry Falls was next. Large parking area with an outhouse. There was a beautiful view of the falls just a few steps down a ramp, wheelchair accessible. Beautiful view where I first discovered the flowers of the Mountain Magnolia tree. (Fraser Magnolia)

There were ramps and steps to go down to the falls. At 60, 70 and 80 years of age, we avoided that.

Next on the route was Quarry Falls. There was room on the edge of the road to pull over, but no real parking area. We had to climb up rocks, 4 or 5 steps, to get a gorgeous view. The 84-year-old with a cane could not handle the rocks, but the rest of us easily did. Not wheelchair accessible.

And the last falls of this journey was Cullasaja Falls. Again, no real parking area, just pull over roadside. Beautiful view again, but perilously near traffic. Not wheelchair accessible due to traffic. I mean, you can try...... 

We went on into Highlands, NC and did a little shopping.

The next day found us taking a waterfall boat tour on Lake Glenville, a thirty minute drive out of Cashiers. It is expensive, but worth every penny. This was the highlight of our trip. In the first week of May, it was very cold on the lake, but the captain had warned us, so we were prepared.

Captain Mark is an excellent tour guide. He told us about lake history, the bald eagles that nest here every year, and all about the nature of the Highlands Cashiers Plateau. We saw eaglets peeking out from a huge bald eagles nest.

Captain Mark motored us around four private waterfalls that can't be seen any other way. We ended the tour and went to lunch at Happ's Place for the excellent Sunday Buffet featuring the best prime rib ever.

With full bellies, we hit the road back to Cashiers to find Whitewater Falls. The gps was a little off, but thankfully there were signs pointing the way. There is a 1/2 mile paved uphill trail to another view of beautiful waterfalls. There were 153 steps beyond that to a second view for those so inclined. The 20 and 40 year old in our group took the steps and reported a great view. The 60 year olds just went up the walkway to the first view. The 70 and 80 year olds waited in the car. Theoretically, you could push a wheelchair up to the view, but it would be difficult and you'd risk them getting out of control and rolling back down hill. So I'd say NOT wheelchair accessible.

After Whitewater Falls, we went back to our luxury condo overlooking the falls and relaxed for the night. All in all, this is a great itinerary for those who don't want to hike much.

If you like hiking, check out Gorges State Park. There is a tiny hike to Upper Bear Wallow Falls, but I only went halfway because I was alone and I thought a bear might get me. So I backed out slowly. Of course nothing would compare to the bear we saw up close in Alaska.

If you want to extend your trip, visit Brevard, NC and Pisgah Forest. 

All of these waterfalls can be found on your gps maps. 

Enjoy!

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail

Did you know there is a Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail? No, I didn't think so.

So I found this sign on the greenway along the Catawba River in Marion, NC.  Very intriguing. I'm a sea snorkeler, but I've never thought snorkeling about local rivers. I'd like to try it. 

The snorkel trail goes from Murphy to Marion, NC. It's a series of curated snorkel sites in NC rivers with easy access points to do some snorkeling.

Follow the links to the NC Fisheries Snorkel Trail page for more info and a map.

FAQs

Sounds like a Bucket List item!

Lake Lure Flowering Bridge & Campbell's Covered Bridge

Editor's Note: The flowering bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024. Check to see if they've rebuilt before you go.

The short story:  Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, 3070 Memorial Drive, Lake Lure, North Carolina. Great place to stop for an hour. We made this part of our day trip from Charlotte. We stopped for lunch and shopping at the Chimney Rock Village and also went over to the Campbell's Covered Bridge on the other side of Landrum, SC. This made a wonderful day trip for the mobile impaired. For those a little younger, go ahead and visit Chimney Rock.

I don't recommend Old Rock Cafe' unless you just getting a burger and fries or potato salad. All the other stuff we had was not good. It did have great outdoor seating over the river. Next time I will try Riverwalk bar and grill which also has great outdoor seating and looked much better.

Another two stops you might consider in this area is the Ellaberry Llama Farm and maybe getting some pictures of the giant bulls at Puncheon Camp Ranch. We didn't do either of these and I cannot review them.

Campbell's Covered Bridge is a must see for those who love the old bridges. It was updated in 2022 or 23. There are some picnic tables and a big hill you can climb with some benches around it. The walk down to the bridge is moderate but not exactly wheelchair friendly. It is paved, but it is steep. We had some 80-year-olds walk it with the use of a cane. The river is a great place for kids to stick their toes in the water.

The Long Story: So we jumped on 85 South heading out of Charlotte, quietly crossing the Irwin and Stewart Creeks and I finally crossed the Catawba again a little North of where I usually do. Thought about Nana and the many times I crossed the Catawba to see her.

We motored on and took a right on highway 74, waved to Eva out our left window at Gardner-Webb University and crossed the Broad River. We took a hard right on highway 9, sneaked over the Walnut Creek then we snaked around Lake Lure way up to the tippy top and crossed the Broad again.

When I firmly put the car in park, we were at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge. The bridge was built in the early 1900s and then shut down when a new bridge was built next to it. Soon after that they revitalized the bridge and turned it into a garden.

We were there in early April and there wasn't a lot in bloom, but the gardens were adorable and beautiful. It was a lovely walk.

There is a Rainbow Bridge where you can memorialize your belated dog by hanging it's collar on the railing.

We then drove into Chimney Rock Village, driving perilously close to Bat Cave, NC, home of the North Carolina's Oldest Hillbilly.

We unfortunately ate at the Old Rock Cafe. We ordered the wraps (at the counter, no wait staff), but they were out of wraps. I got the pimento cheese sandwich which was spicy and just ok and I got the potato salad which was yummy. The burgers and fries were yummy. There's beautiful outdoor seating over the river with access to the Stony Riverwalk. Great place for kids to run around 

We shopped some of the cute gift shops and jumped back into the car to cross into SC, blow through Landrum, and zig zag into the Campbell's Covered Bridge parking lot. 

Mom and dad made it down the steep walkway and we enjoyed the shade and cool breeze inside the bridge as we walked through.

This was a great day trip from Charlotte. And you would even have time climb up to Chimney Rock if you so desire. I strongly recommend it as the view is outstanding.

R5N Soaring Contest

 "Al's Gliders" returned to a tiny town in SC this week for the Region 5 North contest of the Soaring Society of America. This is the most attended contest of the season. Pilots register well in advance. Al and Rhonda Tyler are magnificent hosts at the Perry International Airport. The town of Perry sits on 613 acres and has a population of 196. That population is probably doubled on the week of "Al's Gliders."

Learn about the sport in my previous post here.

Here are some shots I took of the landings on April 20, 2023.

Hickory Knob State Park in the Fall

So I crossed the South Edisto, headed upstate SC and crossed Rocky Creek while catching up with old friends on my smart phone. I gave a nod to the small but mighty Little Stephen's Creek, hung a left somewhere and found myself crossing Steven Creeks. I hung a really hard left and landed in McCormick South carolina, where everything is closed on Mondays. Just so you know. And it was Monday.

I took a pic of the orange spot and motored out the other side.

I crossed Hawe Creek where Baker Creek dumps into it and I watched the ripples flow to the charming Savannah River. I came perilously close to the Georgia line and pulled a hard right into Hickory Knob State Park which will eventually be underwater when the Savannah River completes its oxbow. As for now, there I was on a stubborn spit of land in the Savannah River.

My parents and sister soon arrived and we caught sundown before a fierce game of ping pong on this spit of land in the proud Savannah River.

Morning comes quickly on the Savannah and there we were looking for breakfast. The Hickory Knob State Park restaurant was closed until Thursday, as was nearly everything else, but they did not tell us that in advance, so we found ourselves at the Huddle House in nearby McCormick.

After having my usual and whatever the others got, we hightailed it out of there heading West Northwest towards Comer, Georgia, to Watson's Mill Bridge State Park. 

Because it was such a dry year, the waterfalls did not cover the expanse of the width of the bridge. So that was not as pretty as it could have been. But it was still beautiful and worth a trip

We walked the boardwalk and got a lot of pictures. One of which is my favorite from the whole trip:

Everywhere I travel, I like to find benches and sit on them and read. I certainly found my bench here:

We jumped in the car, crossed back into SC and headed to historic Abbeville, where almost everything was closed on Tuesdays. We did find a hot dog joint with the best hot dogs ever, RoughHouse.

We then headed back to Hickory Knob where we sat on the patio overlooking the Savannah River and I crocheted while the rest read and we all talked and got caught up together. 

When the time came upon us, we headed back to McCormick for dinner. Everything was still closed and apparently don't open till Thursdays.

We ended up at the same restaurant we went to Monday night because it was the only one open, Michelle's.

Don't let the outside of this place fool you. They serve amazing Italian food. On the first night, I had a New York style pizza and tasted my sister's calzone. On the second night, I had the calzone and part of my sister's meatball sub.  We all agreed it was pretty much better than any place we ever tasted. 

With our bellies full, we returned to Hickory Knob to play some pool before going back to our room. 

On our final morning, everything was still closed so we found some pre-wrapped sausage biscuits in the golf pro shop, microwaved those suckers and downed them.

Said b'bye to the beautiful deer population at the park and went our separate ways.

We had a very relaxing time and enjoyed being together without interruptions.

If you go to Hickory Knob, I just recommend you go on the weekends in the fall. In the summer it is probably great any day.

Hickory Knob has a ping pong table and a pool table, an outdoor fire pit, cornhole and some other games and a swimming pool. They also have kayaks to rent and an area for skeet shooting and of course they are most famous for their golf course.  They have three hiking trails.

Grandfather Mountain Camping Trip

 

           Grandfather Mountain in profile.

So we crossed the Tyger River once again and headed upstate, crossed the NC border and flew through Linville Falls to arrive in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain just before bedtime. We had three tent sites and one cabin reserved at our beloved Grandfather Campground. My son brought his golf cart and upon arrival, I was greeted with the grandkids piled on the golf cart, riding precariously through the campground yelling "POOKIE!"  I arrived.

How ironic my cabin was on Granny Branch Drive. Charlie commenced to calling me Granny instead of Pookie. I've always been a tent camper.  Until my fifties. My hips... back... and shoulders all require extra padding from the ground now, so it's either an air mattress or a cabin for me.  Don't judge.

Grandfather Campground is well-kept and clean.  They have a small playground, a wonderful creek, a trout pond and a gem mining facility for the kids. They are close to many area attractions - Boone, Blowing Rock, Mystery Hill, Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, and Linville Caverns to name a few.

You can always find a big rock next to a creek on which to picnic.

On Day One, we headed to Grandfather Mountain. The entry price is steep, I'm not sure it's worth it. They enjoyed the mile high bridge.  Used to be the "swinging bridge," but it's been rebuilt and doesn't swing anymore. 

Across the bridge, you can hike a little and enjoy the rock croppings. There are several hikes within the park. There's a lame zoo type thing the kids might like and plenty of picnic areas. 

Back at the campground, the kids enjoyed trout fishing and gem mining. Also, cornhole and horseshoes. I enjoyed the campfire.

On day two, we headed to Linville.  The kids went to Linville Caverns while I went to one of my favorite places in the southeast:  Wiseman's View.  The kids were highly disappointed with the caverns. First, you had to wear a mask - in June of 2022.  A covid mask. The three year old wouldn't keep hers on and they were kicked out of the caverns tour because of it. The others who finished the tour said the tour guide was horrible and rushed them through it.

As for Wiseman's View..... it did not disappoint. The drive up is not for regular vehicles. It's literally a 20 minute drive up a dirt road with huge potholes and divets. A car or van or SUV CAN make the drive, but you will probably need an adjustment afterwards. My Jeep did amazingly well.  I was bounced around a LOT.

Upon arrival at Wiseman's View, I had a five minute jaunt down a paved trail to the lookout. The view is spectacular.  You HAVE to go at sunrise though to really see the beauty.  I've gone at sunrise plenty of times and it is creepy to walk that five minute jaunt in the woods alone.  But so worth it.

Linville Gorge

The view across the gorge at Table Rock.

After my view, I headed to the caverns parking lot to meet up with the kids for a picnic lunch. Then Patti, the kids and I hiked up to the Upper Falls of Linville Falls.  I tried to remember how to get to the swimming hole we found years previously, but I couldn't find it.

We cooled our feet in the pond under the falls. Such a relaxing break.

The Upper Falls are just a short hike from the parking lot. It is hilly and a little more strenuous than a "moderate" hike. If you feel like hiking more, you can proceed up the trail to the chimney, a much more strenuous hike, where you get a view of both the Upper and Lower Falls.

We then went back to the campground for more gem mining.

I slept in the tent that night with NO air mattress. Just like the old days when I was young and spry. I was awakened at 7 am (late for me) by Benji's pounding on rocks to break them open and find gems.

I strongly recommend this campground and activities. If you can afford Grandfather Mountain, then go for it.  If it's a strain, then skip it.  Blowing Rock is a good alternative and the town has an excellent playground for the kids. Also, somewhere along the Watauga River, there is a great jumping-off point we enjoyed one year.  Not sure how to locate it now or if it's still there. You can see it near the end of the video in this blogpost.

Enjoy!  Keep an eye out for Hillbilly Sam, NC's oldest Hillbilly.

Juliette, Georgia

So 2 friends and I crossed the South Edisto, and the Savannah rivers, passed mistletoe park with no one to kiss, crossed Oconee Lake and found ourselves gliding through the shady Oconee National Forest.

After crossing Standard Creek, we hung a sharp left and crossed the Tomaliga river, coming to a slow crawl on McCrackin Street in Juliette, Georgia.

Home of Whistlestop Cafe. The place where the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed. A shrine. And we were giddy. 

As we waited for the restaurant to open, we gazed at the Ocmulgee river and the railroad tracks where Buddy lost his arm.

We walked around back to see Smokey's little bungalow and we caught the waitresses having a break on the back patio. We had one foot in 1991 and one foot in 2022. It was hard to toggle back and forth.

I think I prefer the '90s.... But anyway....

Our name was called and we entered the restaurant, taking photos of the famous booths. Of course we started with the fried green tomatoes which were incredible. We avoided the barbecue because we know the "secret's in the sauce" and we know what that secret is.

We all three got the country fried steak which was also incredible. We got different side dishes and some cornbread. Everything was fantastic and it was worth the 3-hour drive just to eat at this restaurant.

In movie terms, I am Idgie and I was trying to figure out which of my two friends would be Ruth and neither one really fit the bill. Either one could have been Evelyn scaring the young people in the parking lot.

After lunch we strolled the street and visited the gift shops. We found where Buddy's arm was buried and then we drove to the church where Ruth and Buddy were buried and their tombstones remain. We were quite surprised to see that fictional characters have a tombstone in a real grave with the beloved remains of real people. That tells you how loved this movie is.

We spent about two and a half hours in Juliette and loved every minute of it. We had a 3-hour drive each way and it was worth it.  My advice is that you watch the movie, go to Juliette, and then watch the movie again.  And definitely try the fried green tomatoes.