A walk through the early settling days in the mountains of Western North Carolina. This is a great park managed by the US Forestry Service and a very short drive from Asheville, NC. The Cradle of Forestry has a nice welcome center with information about the Smokey Mountains and the animals in the area as well as the history of settlers. Then a few nice trails wind through early cabins and an old school house.
We were fortunate that there was an event taking place on the day of our visit. There were crafts people, a forestry demonstration, and people in period costumes showcasing the historic sites. Our girls loved the easy hike and playing in the fall leaves.
The Cradle of Forestry was an accidental find as we were driving through the mountains one afternoon. We have been to some other historic sites with early cabins but never seen any so well taken care of.
The day was beautiful and the girls enjoyed making wishes while blowing dandelions. Piper needs to work on her skills, dandelions are no fun when you try to eat them.
This is a great place to spend an afternoon and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates history and a great walk in the woods.