Due South: This Blue Ridge Trail Is One for the Ages

Plus: A visit to Sylva; a historic horse show; a stunning new restaurant

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE BLUE RIDGE BARTRAM TRAIL CONSERVANCY

Blue Ridge peaks from North Carolina’s Scaly Mountain.

Two hundred and fifty years after explorer, artist, and dreamer William Bartram blazed a path around the Southeast, chronicling his adventures in 1791’s Travels, his colorful drawings and descriptions of the region’s flora and fauna still captivate nature lovers. One of the most established routes of his journey winds from the North Georgia mountains into North Carolina. G&G contributor Sam Worley caught up with author Brent Martin about his new book, A Hiker’s Guide to the Bartram National Recreation Trail in Georgia and North Carolina, which offers detailed instructions for following in Bartram’s footsteps and reflects on the legacy of the naturalist, whom he describes as “America’s first hippie.” Learn more about the Bartram Trail and the fascinating character behind it.

JENNIFER KORNEGAY

Sylva, North Carolina. Its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway draws many drivers into the picturesque downtown for lunch and to stretch their legs. But I found more than a convenient pit stop in this small mountain town.

Sweet stuff. Fronting Main Street, Baxley’s Chocolates specializes in inventive twists on classic treats. Even though I’d just filled up on a bacon-laced, smoked-gouda-studded kale salad at Lucy in the Rye, its hand-crafted scuppernong wine truffles—pairing the earthy fruit notes of North Carolina’s native grape with rich chocolate—proved too tempting to pass up. A few miles away, at Dillsboro Chocolate Factory, the focus is on fudge, including creative riffs like orange cream (think Orange Julius in fudge form). But its slabs of dark chocolate topped with candied ginger grabbed my attention.
Riverside Thai. On DaLaya’s patio overlooking bubbling Scott’s Creek, fresh mountain air mixed with the garlic, ginger, and flame-kissed pork scents of my Kaeng Hung Leh, explaining why it was so hard to find a parking spot. Chef Kanlaya Supachana’s homage to her family’s home cooking brings an authentic taste of Thailand to Western North Carolina and earned her a James Beard Award nomination this year.
Funky finds. At Dixie & Co. vintage boutique, I scoured shelves heavy with antique cast iron and rifled through racks of eighties and nineties band T-shirts and groovy patterned scarves. And the earth-mama mood of Snake Song’s dimly lit basement-level space enchanted me, as did its plants in locally made pottery, jars filled with confetti-like dried blooms, and floral- and herb-infused salves and bath soaks.