Why Visit Burnsville, NC?

Burnsville sits in a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the eastern United States. About 1,700 people live here. Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi, rises just outside town. Downtown is walkable, the Town Square has been a gathering spot since 1834, and the area holds one of the largest concentrations of working artists per capita anywhere in America.

Whether you’re driving up from Asheville for the day or staying a weekend, here’s what locals send visitors to see.

Downtown Burnsville and the Town Square

The Town Square sits at the center of downtown — a grassy public common with shade trees, benches, and a statue of Otway Burns, the War of 1812 captain the town is named for. The land was donated in 1834 and the square has been the heart of Burnsville life ever since.

Around the square and along Main Street you’ll find:

• Appalachian Java for coffee on the square

• Homeplace Beer Company for beer, food, and live music in a historic building at 321 W Main St

• Hammond’s Antiques — three floors of genuine treasure on Main Street

• Plott Hound Books — independent bookshop named after the state dog

• The Yancey Theatre — a 1939 single-screen movie house still showing first-run films

• Hearth Glass & Gallery — working glass studio founded by the family of Harvey K. Littleton, the father of the American Studio Glass Movement

The Yancey County Farmers’ Market runs Saturday mornings adjacent to the Town Square, with produce, honey, flowers, and handmade goods from local farms.

Mount Mitchell rises 6,684 feet — the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. It became North Carolina’s first state park in 1915. You can drive most of the way up; the observation deck at the summit gives you a 360-degree view of six of the ten highest peaks in the eastern U.S.

For shorter hikes near the base of Mt. Mitchell, Roaring Fork Falls (100 feet) and Setrock Creek Falls (75 feet) are both off NC Highway 80 and easy to reach. Crabtree Falls along the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the state.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is 19 miles south of downtown via NC Highway 80. Fall color usually peaks mid-October.

Mount Mitchell and the Blue Ridge Parkway

Yancey County has one of the largest per capita concentrations of artists in the country. The Toe River Arts Council Gallery in downtown shows work from over 150 local artists with rotating exhibits. Penland School of Craft — internationally known — is 13 miles east in Mitchell County.

The Toe River Arts Studio Tour happens twice a year (spring and fall) and lets you visit working artists in their actual studios across Yancey and Mitchell Counties.

For theater, Parkway Playhouse is the oldest continually operating summer theater in North Carolina, with shows running April through December.

One of the Most Artistic Counties in America

Where to Stay

The NuWray Inn on the Town Square is North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel — first built in 1833, recently restored. Past guests have included Thomas Wolfe and Elvis. The Carolina Country Inn on West Main Street is another local option, and the area has cabin rentals and bed-and-breakfasts throughout the surrounding ridges.

Annual Events Worth Planning Around

• Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair — first weekend in August, around 200 juried crafters fill the streets around the Town Square

• Toe River Arts Studio Tour — spring and fall weekends

• Yancey County Farmers’ Market — Saturday mornings, May through October

Jack’s Locksmith is at 5994 US-19E — just east of downtown. Husband-and-wife team, 26 years in the trade.

If you lose a key on the trail, lock yourself out of the cabin, or need a copy made before heading up the Parkway, give us a call.

Locked Out in Burnsville? We’re Right Downtown