Smokies Life celebrates ribbon cutting at new welcome center

One of the four nonprofit partners of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Smokies Life, now has a new home…
Read More

Comment

 

GSMNP Superintendent talks visitation, parking tag program

Great Smokies Mountain National Park has seen new changes in recent years, from soaring record attendance placing it head and…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU celebrates 40 years cleaning up the Tuckasegee River

For four decades, Western Carolina University has participated in a daylong effort of cleaning up a portion of Jackson County’s…
Read More

Comment

 

‘Bloom with a View’ returns to Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum is heralding spring’s arrival with the return of “Bloom with a View,” May 4-19. 
Read More

Comment

 

Ramsey Cascades Trail closes on weekdays

The National Park Service (NPS) will close Ramsey Cascades Trail on weekdays while trail crews finish the full-scale rehabilitation work…
Read More

Comment

 

‘Square-foot gardening’ class is April 30

The Haywood County Extension Office is presenting a free class on “square-foot gardening,” a simple, versatile system that takes up…
Read More

Comment

 

Lake J hosts annual plant sale

Lake Junaluska’s yearly plant sale is May 4. For sale will be a few thousand plants, including an assortment of…
Read More

Comment

 

GSMNP to improve Gatlinburg entrance

Great Smoky Mountains National Park received approximately $11 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund to rehabilitate…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson hosts youth tennis lessons

Youth Tennis Lessons at Mark Watson Park in Sylva will begin on May 4. 
Read More

Comment

Disaster relief available due to drought
 

Disaster relief available due to drought

Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack declared a natural disaster in North Carolina based on losses caused by drought that occurred…
Read More

Comment

 

Mill Town Market back for second year at Sorrells Street Park

The season for farmers markets, with all their fresh produce, local vendors and community engagement, is right around the corner,…
Read More

Comment

 

Festival of the Peonies in Bloom begins

Wildcat Ridge Farm is welcoming visitors throughout May to enjoy the peonies in bloom. 
Read More

Comment

 

American Sign Language Day programs offered at Cades Cove

Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s “Signs of Spring” event celebrating National American Sign Language Day will be back for the second year…
Read More

Comment

 

Green Built Alliance announces annual Earth Day 5K

The nonprofit Green Built Alliance will host the second-annual Earth Day 5K, presented by Pine Gate Renewables on April 20. 
Read More

Comment

 

Parking fees generate $10 million

In the first year since Great Smoky Mountains National Park launched the Park it Forward program, the fee has generated…
Read More

Comment

 

Lakeview Drive road project to conclude

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with funding from the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund, will finish the approximate $15.7…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson County announces bike rodeo

Join Jackson County Parks and Recreation for the department’s bike rodeo. 
Read More

Comment

 

Smoky Mountain Beekeepers to talk pollinator gardens

The Smoky Mountain Beekeepers are welcoming N.C. Extension Agent Minda Daughtry to talk about how to support bees and other…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood County hosts the Senior Games

The senior games are coming to Haywood County beginning April 17, and adults 50 and older are invited to participate…
Read More

Comment

 

A conversation with WNC coach, athlete Kevin Fitzgerald

Recently, Kevin Fitzgerald left his Waynesville home and made the long trek up to West Virginia University to watch one…
Read More

Comment

 

Run for Riley at the fourth-annual Mighty Four Miler

The Riley Howell Foundation Fund’s (RHFF) yearly fundraiser race, the Mighty Four Miler, will take place at 8 a.m. on…
Read More

Comment

 

Hike Haywood County

Haywood County Recreation will host a series of spring hikes throughout April. Here’s a look at what’s coming up. 
Read More

Comment

 

Gateway to the Smokies

Presented by The Smoky Mountain News, the fourth annual Gateway to the Smokies half-marathon and four-miler will be held at…
Read More

Comment

 

Rock climbing restrictions will protect young falcons

The U.S. Forest Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) are temporarily restricting activities on or near several…
Read More

Comment

 

Waynesville Rec hiring summer camp counselors

Waynesville Parks & Recreation is currently hiring for summer camp counselors for Base Camp 2024. 
Read More

Comment

 

Wildlife commission to open trout waters

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,000 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. April 6.…
Read More

Comment

 

Now is a great time to submit soil samples

Experts are using the spring weather to remind people to test their soil if that has not been done in…
Read More

Comment

 

Hear about ‘Survival Tricks of the Trail’

Award winning author Mark Warren will discuss his book, “Survival Tricks of the Trail,” at 6 p.m. on April 11…
Read More

Comment

 

NOC to open high-end bungalow accommodations

The Nantahala Outdoor Center unveiled its newest lodging, The Hemlocks by NOC. 
Read More

Comment

 

Panthertown friends hiring public engagement position

Friends of Panthertown is hiring a part-time trails and stewardship assistant. 
Read More

Comment

 

Word from the Smokies: 'Gradient of spring' offers opportunity for exploration

By the third week of April, spring is in full bloom throughout the picturesque valleys of Great Smoky Mountains National…
Read More

Comment

 

Orchid Festival comes to WNC

The Western North Carolina Orchid Society (WNCOS) and The North Carolina Arboretum will host the 23rd Asheville Orchid Festival entitled…
Read More

Comment

 

Group limits for Whiteoak Sink

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced group size limits for the popular wildflower season at Whiteoak Sink. 
Read More

Comment

 

DEQ reminds everyone that burning trash is illegal

The open burning of trash, metal, plastic and all other man-made materials not only harms the environment and poses a…
Read More

Comment

 

New fishing tournament comes to Haywood

Haywood Waterways will host the county’s first fishing tournament. 
Read More

Comment

 

Wildlife officials offer guidance for wildlife encounters

With spring arriving and wildlife encounters set to increase as the weather gets warmer, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has…
Read More

Comment

 

Hike the Smokies with Haywood Waterways

Haywood Waterways Association will lead two hikes to Mouse Falls in the Big Creek Watershed of the Great Smoky Mountains…
Read More

Comment

 

Overlook on Newfound Gap Road temporarily closed

Carlos Campbell Overlook on Newfound Gap Road is closed temporarily while maintenance crews assess cracks in the pavement and sidewalk. 
Read More

Comment

 

Waynesville Rec hiring summer camp counselors

Waynesville Parks & Recreation is currently hiring for summer camp counselors for Base Camp 2024. 
Read More

Comment

 

Friends of Panthertown awarded grant

Friends of Panthertown was recently awarded an Environmental Enhancement Grant by the North Carolina Department of Justice for a remediation and restoration project. 
Read More

Comment

 

Register for youth volleyball

Registration is about to close for Jackson County youth volleyball league. 
Read More

Comment

 

Finding healing and acceptance at the end of a trail

Peter Conti seemed destined for a life of chronic pain.  For nearly two years after a devastating motorcycle accident left…
Read More

Comment

 

Weigh in on NC river quality

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources is now accepting public comment on the proposed list…
Read More

Comment

 

Native plant sale extended

The annual native perennial plant sale sponsored by the NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers has been extended. 
Read More

Comment

 

Blue Ridge Parkway license plate sales top $570,000

North Carolina drivers raised $574,461 to enhance the Blue Ridge Parkway by purchasing or renewing the national park specialty license…
Read More

Comment

 

N.C. Forest Service celebrates Arbor Day

Arbor Day will be observed March 22 in North Carolina.  N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said tree planting is a…
Read More

Comment

 

Applications open for state ag grants

Applications are now being accepted for the N.C. Agriculture Manufacturing and Processing Initiative, which has been created to fund and…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson Chamber welcomes EcoForesters

The Jackson County Chamber and Visitor Center Ambassador Team held a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for its new members at EcoForesters,…
Read More

Comment

 

WNC Environmental Summit comes to HCC

Join the WNC Environmental Summit March 23 at Haywood Community College. Paul Allen from “Feed Me Foam” will showcase his…
Read More

Comment

 

Join wildflower, bird walks at Lake Junaluska

Lake Junaluska’s Corneille Bryan Native Garden is offering wildflower walks on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. from March 27 through May…
Read More

Comment

Page 1 of 3
Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.