Real Estate & Lifestyle Posts in WNC

Photo by Lee Lawson on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 24, 2026

Tonight in Cashiers: The Women Behind Biltmore Estate

When most people think about Biltmore Estate, they think about George Washington Vanderbilt — the man who built it. But the story of that estate, and its deep ties to Western North Carolina, runs through two women whose names don't always get top billing: Edith Vanderbilt and Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil.

Photo by Josh Withers on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 22, 2026

Tiny Mountain Estates in Franklin, NC: The Complete Guide to WNC's Best Tiny Home Community

There are two kinds of people who ask about tiny homes in Western North Carolina.

Photo by Rebecca McKenna on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 22, 2026

The Complete Local's Guide to Floating Western North Carolina: Every River, Every Section, and Where to Get In

Western North Carolina has more floatable river miles than most people realize. The French Broad runs 212 miles from its headwaters in Rosman to Tennessee. The Tuckasegee cuts through Jackson County past Dillsboro and on toward Bryson City. The New River winds through Watauga and Ashe counties with a gentle current that has carried people downstream for as long as anyone in the area can remember. The Little Tennessee moves quietly through Macon County with five distinct access points and enough slow water to spend an entire afternoon barely paddling. The Nantahala gorge runs cold and fast at a reliable 52 degrees regardless of what the thermometer says outside. The Pigeon meanders right through downtown Canton. The South Toe flows through the shadow of Mount Mitchell, clean and nearly uncrowded. The lower Green cuts through Henderson and Polk counties between ridgelines that make the float feel like a private experience even on a summer weekend.

Photo by Barbara Burgess (@fieldworkframes) on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 22, 2026

A store that has been selling goods in the same location since before the Civil War is not just a curiosity. It is evidence of something. Washburn's General Store in western North Carolina is closing in on 200 years of continuous operation, a milestone that very few businesses anywhere in the country can claim, let alone a small mountain community store in the southern Appalachians.

The store's founding traces back to the early 1800s, a time when the roads connecting western North Carolina to the rest of the country were rough at best and nonexistent at worst. Mountain families depended on places like Washburn's for everything from flour and salt to hardware and medicine. The store was not just a place to buy things. It was where you heard the news, settled accounts, and ran into your neighbors.

Photo by Matt Benson on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 22, 2026

A City That Knows How to Do Summer

The outdoor pool at the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center opens Memorial Day weekend, May 23rd, and it does not close until September 7th. That is fifteen weeks of public swimming in a facility that cost $8.3 million to build and opened in August 2023, the first new public pool in Asheville in more than fifty years. The city waited a long time to get here. They are not wasting a single day of the season.

Photo by Steve Adams on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 22, 2026

Shannon Young was standing in the West Fork of the Pigeon River when everything shifted. The birds were moving overhead, trout were rising, and something about that moment made it impossible for him to go back to the life he had in St. Petersburg, Florida. He had been a well-paid corporate employee. He had a plan. And then he didn't.

That moment on the water grew into something larger than Shannon likely imagined at the time. Four years later, it has become the Maggie Valley Fly Fishing and Outdoor Festival, now entering its fourth annual run and holding the informal designation of North Carolina's largest fly fishing festival. The 2026 edition runs Friday, May 22 (noon to 6 PM) and Saturday, May 23 (9 AM to 5 PM) at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds on Soco Road.

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By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 21, 2026

The Blue Ridge Parkway opened its campgrounds, picnic areas, and visitor centers for the 2026 season this Memorial Day Weekend. If you haven't been on the Parkway since Tropical Storm Helene came through in September 2024, a lot has changed — and some things are still being worked on. Here's what you need to know before you go.

What's Open This Season

Campgrounds, picnic areas, and visitor centers are opening for the season in line with the Memorial Day Weekend schedule. The National Park Service publishes a milepost-by-milepost status map at nps.gov/blri, and that's your best source for current conditions before any specific trip.

Camping reservations are available through Recreation.gov. If you're planning a Memorial Day or summer weekend visit, book early — the Parkway draws significant crowds during peak season and campsite availability fills quickly.

One noteworthy reopening: direct access to the Linville Falls trail system at milepost 316.4 has been restored via the 1.5-mile spur road. This is a meaningful piece of the recovery. Linville Falls is one of the most visited spots on the Parkway, and having the spur road back open returns vehicle access to the area. Note that the visitor center, picnic area, and campground at Linville Falls remain closed for now — but hikers can also continue to access the trail system from the US Forest Service parking lot off Old NC 105.

Helene Recovery: Where Things Stand

The full picture of where Parkway repair stands as of spring 2026: NPS crews are still working through approximately 45 landslides across roughly 40 miles. The most significant ongoing closure runs between Milepost 336 and Milepost 351, in the stretch that includes the Little Switzerland area. The remaining 24 slides in that section are targeted for repair by late 2026.

What this means practically: between Asheville (US-70 at milepost 382.5) and Mount Mitchell State Park (NC-128 at milepost 355.3), the road is open, but you'll see heavy construction equipment. Dump trucks and machinery are moving through open sections to reach repair sites. The speed limit in that stretch is reduced to 35 mph, and there's increased law enforcement presence and periodic one-lane traffic.

The NPS is projecting that all Helene-damaged sections of the Parkway in North Carolina will reopen by the end of 2026. That's been the consistent target, and construction has been moving forward through the winter and spring. If that timeline holds, the Parkway will be fully passable in North Carolina for the first time since Helene by early 2027 at the latest.

What the Parkway Is Doing Right Now in Virginia Too

Two Great American Outdoors Act road projects are also underway — one in North Carolina and one in Virginia. These are separate from the Helene repairs. The Virginia project involves a full road closure in the Roanoke corridor. If you're planning a through-drive that takes you into Virginia, check the NPS website for the current status of that section before you go.

How This Affects WNC Real Estate and Property Access

The Parkway is infrastructure in a very direct sense for people who own property in communities along its route — Blowing Rock, Little Switzerland, Spruce Pine, and the communities around milepost 355-380. During the closure period after Helene, some property owners had to use longer alternate routes for daily access. With the gradual reopening of sections, that has improved.

For buyers looking at property in communities adjacent to the Parkway, it's worth asking specifically which sections are currently open and what the projected timeline looks like for sections that aren't. The full reopening by end of 2026 is the current NPS commitment, but local road conditions vary.

The Parkway also affects tourism traffic in a meaningful way for the gateway communities. When sections are closed, visitors who might have stopped in Burnsville, Little Switzerland, or communities near those closed mileposts are driving around rather than through. As the Parkway reopens, that traffic returns — which matters for the local businesses that depend on it and for the longer-term property value picture in those communities.

Planning Your Visit This Summer

A few practical notes for anyone heading to the Parkway this season:

The Parkway has winding grades and limited sight distances. The views are the point, but keep your attention on the road. Designated overlooks give you a legal, safe place to stop — there are nearly 200 of them along the full route.

Pack out your trash. The Parkway doesn't have trash pickup at every overlook, and the difference between a well-maintained scenic drive and a cluttered one comes down to what visitors carry out with them.

Park only in designated areas. Roadside parking creates sight-line problems for other drivers.

Check the NPS app or nps.gov/blri before you go. The milepost-by-milepost road status is updated regularly and is the most reliable way to know what's passable before you're on the road.

Camping reservations through Recreation.gov go fast. If you want a site for July 4th weekend, book now.

For Buyers Who Are New to WNC

The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the defining features of the Western North Carolina real estate market. Properties with Parkway access, Parkway views, or proximity to specific mileposts carry a premium because of what the Parkway provides: 469 miles of scenic driving, trailheads, overlooks, and a corridor through the mountains that hasn't been commercialized the way other scenic routes have.

Understanding the current road status is part of understanding what you're buying near. Some of the most attractive properties in the region sit in communities that lost Parkway access after Helene and are now getting it back. Others sit along sections that have been open throughout.

If you're looking at property in WNC and want to understand how the Parkway affects specific communities along the route — which sections are open, which are projected to reopen, and what that means for daily life and property access — give me a call. This is the kind of local detail that matters and that doesn't show up on a listing sheet.

The 2026 season is open. For most of the Parkway, conditions are good. For the sections still under repair, progress is real and the end date is in sight.

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Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 21, 2026

WorldAtlas recently published a list of 8 North Carolina towns that rival the best of Europe, and two of them are right here in Western North Carolina. Highlands and Blowing Rock made the cut, and if you've spent time in either place, the comparison makes sense. These aren't towns that feel European because someone put up a chalet-style gift shop. They feel that way because of elevation, climate, and a culture that developed slowly over more than a century.

It's worth reading what WorldAtlas actually said — and then thinking about what that means for people who are considering this area for a second home or a permanent move.

Photo by Ricky Beron on Unsplash

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 21, 2026

Every year, Best of Asheville gives people a way to officially recognize the restaurants, businesses, and people that make this area what it is. The 2026 nominations are open now, and if you have someone worth recognizing, the window to do it is June 10.

Nominations are open through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10 at BestOfAVL.com. The contest covers more than 200 categories across Asheville and Western North Carolina — restaurants, services, health and wellness, education, things to do, nonprofits, and more. Businesses can nominate themselves.

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  May 20, 2026

The Car Enthusiast's Complete Guide to Driving Western North Carolina: Four Roads Every Driver Needs to Run

There is a reason people load their vehicles on trailers and haul them hundreds of miles to drive Western North Carolina. The roads here are not a byproduct of the landscape. They are the landscape. The ridgelines demanded specific alignments, the gorges forced specific grades, and the result is a network of mountain highways that reward skilled drivers the way few places in the country can match.