MountainSouth USA is America’s Southern Highlands:

Representing the unique culture of America’s Southeast Mountain states - Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. For your authentic American holiday, visit Asheville - cultural capital of America’s Southern Highlands, home to the acclaimed Biltmore Estate and Gateway to America’s most popular National Parks and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area; the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Cherokee Indian homeland & sacred sites; Scots-Irish Heritage Trails and America’s First Frontier; the Birthplace of Country Music, bluegrass and the Americana sound; The Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail; the land of the real Cold Mountain. Experience unparalleled fall foliage touring & year-round festivals, fun and world-class golf, resorts and spas, outdoor adventure from rail to raft -- it’s the real American holiday!

Oconaluftee Village

The wood smoke drifting on the breeze isn’t like any you’ve smelled before. There’s something earthy about this fire, because it’s smoldering pitch pine, firing local Cherokee clay into gleaming blackware pottery. Then again, all the sights, sounds, and scents surrounding you today are novel. Here in the Oconaluftee Indian Village, it’s 1750. You’ve been taken back two centuries before your birth, and the old Cherokee ways are alive all around you. Experience the mountain life of the Cherokee Indians in Oconaluftee Indian Village, which was voted "Travel Attraction of the Year" by the Southeast Tourism Society for 2006.

Stroll acres of formal and informal gardens designed by America's foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. From the formal beauty of the Italian Garden to America's first managed forests, Biltmore's lush landscape in America's Southern Highlands is a living tribute to Olmsted's genius. Biltmore's experts continually work to preserve the original vision for the gardens and grounds, including the All America Rose Garden featuring more than 250 varieties of roses.

Asheville - Mountain Gateway

Asheville is that type of unique, special place that lingers sweetly in your mind and memories for years to come. The city's rich architectural legacy with its mix of Art Deco, Beaux Arts and Neoclassical styles is the perfect retro-urban backdrop to the edgy energy that emanates from the locally owned-shops and art galleries, distinctive restaurants and exciting entertainment venues. Known as an art colony, a healing resort and a home to notable luminaries, statesmen and bohemians, Asheville is one of the most welcoming, vibrant cities in America.

Get on Board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

With the romance and mystique of an era gone by, guests on board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through America’s Southern Highlands will enjoy scenic train journeys across fertile valleys, into tunnels and through river gorges in a spectacular region called The Great Smoky Mountains. This section of western North Carolina offers a wide array of ever changing vegetation and fantastic landscapes. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is truly spectacular with 53 miles of track, two tunnels and 25 bridges.

Maggie Valley, appropriately, was named after a child - the young daughter of the community's first postmaster. Today, it's still a perfect place for children and families. Maggie Valley, situated in North Carolina's stunning Smoky Mountains, is known for its unrivaled location and friendly, small town character. When you visit Maggie Valley, you're sure to discover the meaning of Southern hospitality wherever you go and whatever you do.

Imagine a time before electricity, hot-and-cold running water, the comfort of department stores. Imagine a time when most of what you owned, you made yourself. Time felt different then, its rhythm and urgencies shaped by the most basic needs. Visitors can now be a part of that era at the Foxfire Museum in Mountain City, Georgia. You will receive a rare glimpse of what life was like for the mountaineers who settled this area over 150 years ago. The Foxfire Museum is centered around a collection of over 20 historic log cabins and replicas of traditional log construction designs, with some of the authentic structures dating back to the early 1800s.

Follow the Trails in America's Southern Highlands

From American bluegrass and roots music to spectacular arts and crafts, from the homeland of the Cherokee Indians to endless mountain views, we have it all in the Southern Highlands. Follow the themed trails for a special time in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Mix and match trails, attractions and the beautiful landscape to have a perfect vacation in America's Southern Highlands.

Carolina Nights Dinner Theater in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, brings the charm of the Smokies to the stage, delighting crowds with top notch comedy, magic, dance and song. The Carolina Nights Dinner Theatre will entertain you, your family and friends, and make your trip to the Great Smokies a memorable experience. Enjoy a wonderful fun-filled family entertainment and a delicious dinner in America’s Southern Highlands!

Chimney Rock Park

Chimney Rock Park is the natural fulfillment of your trip to MountainSouth, America's Southern Highlands. Take a deep breath of refreshing mountain air, become invigorated by our hiking trails, and let your cares fade away in the cool mists of Hickory Nut Falls. This is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and spend time with family and friends. The Park, located 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina, offers the best of the mountains in one place-spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more.