Dillsboro/Franklin Railroad Fun!
Written: Nov 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: So quaint
Cons: Not a lot to do to fill up a week!
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| Mom2TyZick's Full Review: North Carolina |
My family and I have just returned from a trip to Franklin, North Carolina where we enjoyed our Thanksgiving holiday. We rented a nice cabin tucked on the side of a mountain right beside a creek complete with little waterfalls! The town where we stayed was really nestled right in between Franklin and Dillsboro, so we were able to take trips to both towns. We had such a nice time, the towns are charming and quaint, and the Railroad was a fascination for my little one.
Accommodations
The cabin that my family shared was a private residence of a friend of the family. I am not sure if they offer it for rental to the public, but will tell you about this one briefly since we did enjoy ourselves. There are so many like it, you can choose to stay in your own private cabin, a lodge or a bed and breakfast. There are also the chain hotels around, if you like a little familiarity.
The cabin we used was tucked away on the side of the mountain, accessible by any car on a gravel road. Going up at night gave you a distinctly "Blair Witchy" feel! As I said, the cabin was situated next to a nice little stream that was music to the ears when sitting on the screened-in porch. Yes, it was freezing, but some of the elder members of my clan had the wood stove roaring, so I had to sit outside to keep my face a nice shade of pink instead of beet red! The cabin got cold at night unless someone stayed up to feed wood on the fire, but that only added to the coziness to me. My husband, son and I all snuggled in a bed with electric blankets, so we were toasty! The cabin does come with a fully furnished kitchen, so we made our Thanksgiving feast there. I guess one could make the argument that you could cook your own meals to save money, but we ate every other meal out, so I won't be the one to make it!
Franklin
To Do and See
Our first excursion was to Franklin. The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad runs through Dillsboro (and boards there) so the surrounding areas are all very into the Railroad themes. My son loves them, so this was a great place for us to be! On Thanksgiving night, we had all had enough of hanging out at the cabin, so we went to the Franklin theater to take in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. If you haven't seen this, you must! The tickets were $9.50 for an adult and a child, which I thought was very reasonable. We also purchased Reese's cups (4 to a pack!), small popcorn and a drink for $4.00. Again, I felt that was reasonable for the movie theater. The seats were standard, not the stadium seating that I enjoy here at home, but they were comfortable even though my 4 year old had to sit in my lap since he couldn't see over the lady's head in front of him!
The next day we made our way back to Franklin to the Whistle Stop Antique Mall. From our trip to the theater the night before, we spotted the building with a caboose in the playground and two more train cars inside the mall. Thinking that we would just let Ty walk on the trains, we stopped in. We were pleasantly surprised at all of the neat stuff in the mall. Hundreds of vendors have set up shop here and I guarantee that there is really something here for everyone. Dustin enjoyed looking over old sporting memorabilia, toy soldiers from England and pottery. Ty enjoyed the Railroadiana and old fashioned guns. I loved all of the dinnerware and actually bought some Russel Wright for a great price. I also got a great vase for my home here. They even had a deli with gourmet soups and sandwiches that we would have liked to sample, if not for my picky 4 year old in tow. We also made a notable stop at the Outfitters Outdoorwear store. It had everything you'd need to take advantage of the local outdoor scene, plus jewelry and candles. If you like this sort of thing, the store is probably your best bet for outdoor equipment in the area.
To Eat
My family loves to eat out! Especially in new places. I have a rule that when we go to a new city, we are not allowed to eat at any restaurant that we have near home. In Franklin we found a nice Mexican place called Monte Alban. It had your typical Mexican fare, but was really good! The salsa was the best I'd had, the chips were fresh and not over-fried. My husband had the vegetarian quesadillas; the mushroom one was out of this world but the spinach quesadilla remained uneaten. My son had the cheese dip, made from Monterey Jack and milk and shared my Chicken Chimichanga with me. He usually likes to eat the chicken pieces out of the chimichangas, and I have to tell you that while these were wonderful, the chicken was awful sparse! They also brought me the wrong thing, so we had to wait on my order to be corrected. The wait staff left much to be desired (we had to beg for everything), but the food was wonderful.
For dinner last night we ate at the Depot in Franklin. We had a large party (10 people) and they were short staffed, but they managed to take pretty good care of us. All of us agreed that our food was excellent, but the waitress didn't really go out of her way to be friendly or helpful to us. We all realized that the gratuity was going to be included in the bill. At our table we sampled Clam chowder, Nachos, bread, Chicken Caesar Salad, Greek Salad, Popcorn Shrimp and King Crab legs that were all very good. My husband had a concoction called Train Wreck Chicken that was fantastic. It included a whole boneless chicken breast fried and dipped in a red spicy marinade and wrapped up with bacon, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. The sides he chose, green beans and coleslaw, were very bland and the sides I chose, baked potato (tiny and shriveled) and a salad (extra $1.50 and not too leafy) were pathetic. They would not separate the bill, so that was a hassle and we came away not knowing what an extra $20.00 represented on the bill. I would go back, though, with just my family, to give them another chance!
Dillsboro
To Do and See
The first thing you should see is the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad! You can't miss it! The train has a few different routes, including one that goes through a tunnel and shows you a place where the Fugitive was filmed. When we took our ride, we left out of Bryson City and headed up the Nantahala Gorge. Sit on the left side of the train on the way over for beautiful views of white water river rafting.
If you like cute little Christmas shops, then this is the place for you! The town is full of them and each has its own charm. Among the offerings are the canned foods such as honey, cinnamon butter, apple butters, jellies, jams, etc. Some stores even offer samples! They also have many crafts by local artisans that are actually much nicer than the typical fare you see at a country craft show. Some of the products that caught my eye were the handmade potteries, hand-knit baby sweaters and caps, stained glass and wall hangings.
While there, try to visit all of the shops, since they all are distinctly different in their sameness. My favorites include Nancy Tut's Christmas shop, a shop where I found my Dept. 56 North Pole series houses (3!) on sale for half price! They have any kind of ornament you'd want and all of the Department 56 Christmas Villages. Another store to be sure to visit is the Imagination Station. It has more of a nature theme to it as I bought a hummingbird feeder there. Don't miss Bradley's General Store which has a great old fashioned soda fountain inside where you can get milkshakes, floats and sodas! It had the canned foods I mentioned, and I suggest you try the Cinnamon Honey Butter; it's a little piece of heaven! I bought several adorable ornaments here from the country store upstairs, plus a couple of Christmas wooden boxes. I found them to be very cost efficient! One last store that is not to be missed if you know any little person who loves trains is the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad Store. It has more Thomas the Tank Engine toys than I've ever seen in any one place and there is a track painted on the floor. I bought 3 wooden Thomas The Tank Engine cars here to the tune of $43, so don't expect it to be cheap! The great thing about this little town is that when the sun goes down, you can enjoy the twinkling Christmas lights in the shop windows!
To Eat
I am told that the Jarret House, a lovely and historic bed and breakfast, is the place to go for great food. They serve family style, everyone sits at large tables with strangers and passes the food bowls, so you'd better be up on your best southern manners! I have not tried this, so can't comment, but wanted to share with you this important information!
We did eat lunch at the Well House Deli and it was very quaint and more importantly, good! My husband ordered a barbecued pork sandwich, I ordered a Turkey and Provolone and Ty ordered a hot dog kids meal. Our sandwiches were hot and were served with chips and a pickle and Ty got an Oreo cookie with his meal. They served the hot dog in pita bread instead of a bun, which I worried would be a problem, but after making a big deal of it looking like a boat, he ate the whole thing! Our sandwiches were very good and they have a well that was hand dug in the 1800s inside the restaurant. Next time I go I will have to try the Cashew Chicken Salad and homemade Broccoli Soup that I spotted other diners enjoying!
While this is a quaint and wonderful place, I'm not sure it could keep a family busy for a week's worth of vacation time. Rather, it's a nice weekend getaway. If you are planning a first-time trip, come when the leaves are turning in early October; it is a most spectacular sight!
Recommended:
Yes
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Mom2TyZick
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Member: Suzanne
Location: North Carolina
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