Life well lived
in the mountains of North Carolina, Georgia & South Carolina
Mountain Layers Brewing
Mountain Layers Brewing Company is an award winning, 7 barrel, craft microbrewery and taproom located on historic Everett Street in beautiful downtown Bryson City, Swain County.
Kim and Mark Pettit, the company founders, use amazing water that comes directly from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. When possible, they incorporate locally sourced ingredients to brew the freshest and the finest variety of classic and cutting edge beer styles possible. This investment in the quality will be more than evident when you enjoy one of their beers at the Murphy Spring Festival.
Follow our blog as we spotlight the Breweries that will be in the
Spring Festival Beer Garden Saturday May 4th.
Big Timber Privacy & Creeks
Enjoy the privacy of beautiful big timber and small creeks on 64 acres. Cornering the Nantahala National Forest within 10 minutes of historic downtown Murphy, this property truly gives you the best of both worlds.
Give us a call and Lawrence can help you find your dream home in the mountains of Western North Carolina! 828-837-6611
Unusual Local Words
If you’re not originally from Western North Carolina like myself, you’ve probably had to correct the way you say “Appalachian” and “Nantahala“. I’m embarrassed to admit how long “Cherohala” was an epic tongue twister for me, but it now rolls off my tongue and I even know the difference between “Hiwassee” and “Hiawassee“.
Stop by our Welcome Center to learn more, get free maps of these places, and plan your adventures throughout the Tri-State Area.
Local Flavor
We always encourage our neighbors and guests to support our awesome local businesses. We’re friends with the owners and know the families that benefit from your support, so before you visit us, explore the directory by category.
If you’re one of our neighbors in need of a reputable business, this Chamber of Commerce Business Directory should be your first stop…you’ll find the business, phone number, website, and facebook page here!
Make The Most of Your Time
We live in an eclectic community, embracing the nostalgia of Appalachian ways while exploring the arts, local flavor, and all things adventure in our small mountain towns. We hope you’ll visit all of our neighbors and make the most of your time whereNCbegins!
p.s. While exploring our Event Calendar, you can share by phone or email to a friend. It’s a great way to plan!
Photo credit: Mountain View Marina
Spring Festival 2019
Last year the newly formed Murphy Business Association started an awesome new thing… the Murphy Spring Festival. It was a huge success and it’s back by popular demand! The festival stage will be packed with local talent, the Beer Garden will boast the best of local breweries and craft beer, vendors will line the streets, and kids of all ages can enjoy the entertainment. If you missed last year, don’t make that mistake this year. Follow our blog for a weekly spotlight of each Brewery and we’ll see you Saturday May 4th!
#ShaveThePounds
Tonight we kicked off the #ShaveThePounds challenge with Mayor Rick Ramsey of Murphy, Tim Radford of WKRK, and Mayor James Reid of Andrews. It was a festive evening as we celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of Murphy Health & Fitness with a Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, Murphy’s Chophouse catering, Kona Ice, and The Daily Grind and Wine coffee with many of our neighbors.
The weigh-in involved a lot of trash talking and fun, but we are most excited to see the communities come together and focus on the health and wellness of Cherokee County. You can watch the WKRK Facebook Live video of the weigh-in and follow our blog to keep up with their progress on #wellnessWednesdays!
P.S. Did we mention that the loser of the challenge gets their head shaved by our very own Becca McNabb?! You definitely want to follow the blog…
Foodie Love
Love Day has come and gone, with many of you celebrating your Valentine at a local restaurant. I am a definite foodie that Yelps local eateries to plan my vacations so I fully support this date idea. I have been to some amazing restaurants in cities throughout the country and our small mountain town can certainly hold its own! The best part, we’re not talking franchises that you can find anywhere else, these restaurants are owned by our neighbors and friends. Just to name a few…
- Bistro 29– We celebrated Junior Beta induction and the McNabb Properties Christmas here because the variety is phenomenal, as is the quality of food. They have a great selection of wine, bourbon, and cocktails so definitely a great happy hour spot after work. My family always loves the sushi, not to mention the soup, surf and turf, and scallops. Be sure to save room, everything on the dessert menu is delicious!
- The Copper Door– My husband treated me to a kid-free 40th birthday dinner here and I was not disappointed. The steak is always perfection, as is the Tusquittee salad and dessert. Y’all for real, that creme brûlée is something you don’t want to share with your date but you know you have to make good life choices so you get that extra spoon.
- Valley River Brewery and Eatery– This is our neighbor and the smell of brick oven pizza is heavenly! I recommend the barnyard if you’re a meat lover but my youngest is a huge fan of the veggie pizza. Our oldest always loves to get a gyro when she comes home from college and trust me on this, order extra sauce so you can dip your fries. It’s worth the extra time at the gym, I promise!
- Red Brick Deli– Our neighbor on the other side of McNabb Properties offers deli perfection and portions that will require a to-go box. Everything from the adult grilled cheese to the reuben is scrumptious and I personally recommend the potato salad as your side. I’m pretty sure my children would trade a sister for one of Bram’s brownie sundaes, so definitely save room for dessert or get some Key lime pie to go.
- Shoebootie’s Cafe & Shoetini’s Lounge– My girls love the all you can eat crab night and I personally love the upstairs Shoetinis Lounge to meet up with friends for appetizers and a glass of wine. It’s a quaint little eatery that has been owned by the same family and often has live music or trivia.
I could go on and on about food, but I’ll let you try some and see for yourself… here is a list of local options!
Oh, and a few quick recommendations for the travel junkies out there: Buvette or Marlow Bistro in NYC, Ponce City Market or South City Kitchen in Atlanta, Rue Cler or Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas in Durham, and Husk Nashville.
Okay, okay I may live by the travel rule that calories don’t count outside of your own zipcode. Much to my family’s dismay, I am a firm believer in walking to explore the city we are visiting, so just know that I rack up the steps and work off a little bit of that deliciousness. Just a little bit. If you’re visiting us in Murphy, check out the Murphy River Walk or Piney Knob Trails to work off your delicious eats and take in the beauty of our mountains!
Folk School Flash Mob in Murphy
As I walked to my car after meeting a friend to celebrate her birthday last night, I ran into someone else I had’t seen in a while. We chatted for a minute in front of The Parson’s Pub when I noticed a group of dancers. I went inside to find out about the dancers, one of whom was my daughter’s math teacher, only to happen upon one of the lovely mamas from our local swim team. Her son was the other dancer in this group, better known as The Magic Rappers.
This was one of many stops in their flash mob style pub crawl through downtown Murphy to raise funds for an upcoming competition. I followed the group to their next stop and enjoyed the curiosity as everyone in Valley River Brewery and Eatery tried to understand what was about to happen…
My video was interrupted by my daughter’s call (sorry for hanging up on you, Sofia but your math teacher was performing). Here is the rest of their well-received performance…
You obviously missed your chance to support this group as they passed their hat throughout the pubs, but if you’re interested in sponsoring this group, reach out to the John C. Campbell Folk School. I’m sure they can put you in touch.
Mrs. Brenda, it was wonderful to see you and best of luck to the Magic Rappers!
“How I See It”- Imagery by Abstract Artists
You can escape the winter weather and enjoy the abstract artworks of a select few in downtown Murphy. The Cherokee County Arts Council has invited a small group of artists including: S.J. Worsham, Dean Williams, David Rabhan, Sarah Hembree, Jeoffrey William Vasquez, and Geoffrey Karr to exhibit through February 28th, 2019.
“How I See It” – Imagery by Abstract Artists – will be on display at the Murphy Art Center (The MAC), 33 Valley River Avenue, in beautiful Murphy, North Carolina. This thought provoking exhibit boasts a variety of abstract styles, such as this painting depicting the artist’s life and overcoming addiction. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience the less conventional ways to express the many emotions of daily life through art.
The obvious beauty of our quaint mountain towns, paired with the cost of living and proximity to many Southern cities are inviting for young families, retirees, and entrepreneurs, especially artists. Cherokee County and the surrounding North Georgia communities in the mountains are home to a great many artists, enriching the lives of all residents. We are truly blessed by the Cherokee County Arts Council and Valley River Arts Guild.
Looking to pursue life as an artist or simply love the idea of moving to the mountains? Send us a message, we’ll be happy to introduce you to our community!
Once you visit, you’ll love it. We can help you make that move to the mountains!
Our community Event Calendar can help you make the most of your visit!
We’re proud members of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and the Murphy Business Association.
Life well lived 