Directions to Carolina Mountain Vacations
in Bryson City, NC.

approximately one hour.
Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Bryson City. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

Approximately three hours.
Take I-85 South to US 74 West. Continue west on US 74 to I-26. Take I-26 west to I-40. Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Bryson City. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

Approximately two to 2-1/2 hours.
From Spartanburg, take I-26 west to I-40. Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Bryson City. The drive from Spartanburg to Bryson City is approximately two hours, or 2-1/2 hours from Greenville. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

Approximately 3 hours travel.
From Western Atlanta, Take I-75 North to I-575, which becomes GA Route 5/515/76. Near Blue Ridge,GA; Route 5 splits off, stay on 515/76 for approx. 45 miles. Take a left turn (heading west) at the intersection for Route 60/60 Spur. Travel 1.5 miles to Mineral Bluff, Ga. At stop sign, turn right on 60 Spur and travel approx. 12 miles to the junction with US 19/74. Turn right, heading east, and proceed on US 19/74 through Murphy, Andrews, and the Nantahala Gorge to Bryson City. The drive from Murphy to Bryson City is approx. one hour. Take a left off Exit 67, onto Veteran’s Boulevard, towards downtown Bryson City. At the first traffic light, turn right onto Main Street (which is also Hwy 19). At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light, onto Bryson Street. (This is also Mitchell Street on the left side). Just past Joe & Kate’s Laundr-o-mat, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house

From Eastern Atlanta, take I-85 north to I-985, which becomes US 23, which becomes US 23/441.You’ll pass through Clayton, GA, then Franklin, NC. In Franklin, take the exit to continue on 441 North, towards Dillsboro and Cherokee. In Dillsboro, stay in left lane and merge onto Hwy 74 West (The Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Travel approx. 14 miles west to Bryson City, Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

you have four routes to choose from. Driving time will depend on route and traffic.

1. Via Interstate 40 - Take I-40 east into North Carolina to exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Bryson City. The drive from Knoxville to Bryson City is approximately two hours. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

2. Via US 129 - Take US 129 south through Alcoa and Maryville. After crossing into North Carolina, take US 28 south to US 74 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue east on US 74 approximately 10 miles to Bryson City. Note: the section of US 129 known as "Deal's Gap" and "The Tail of The Dragon" is extremely curvy (318 curves in 11 miles). This drive is approximately 2-1/2 to three hours. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

3. Via Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park -
Take I-40 east to exit 407 and proceed south. At Sevierville, TN, take US 441 south through Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Cherokee, NC. At Cherokee, take US 19 south to Bryson City. Depending on traffic, this drive can be from 2-1/2 to four hours. From Cherokee to Bryson City is only 10 miles. Once in Bryson City, at the first light turn right onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

4. Via Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park-
Take US 129 south through Alcoa to Maryville. In Maryville, take US 321 east to Townsend, TN. From Townsend, take Little River Road east through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to US 441 (at the Park Visitors Center). Take US 441 south through the park to Cherokee, NC. At Cherokee, take US 19 south to Bryson City. This drive is approximately three hours. From Cherokee to Bryson City is only 10 miles. Once in Bryson City, at the first light turn right onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house..

Approximately 2-1/2 hours.
Take I-75 north to US 64 (near Cleveland, TN). Drive east on US 64 (which becomes US 64/74) through Ducktown, TN and the Ocoee River Gorge into North Carolina. At Murphy, NC take US 19/74 east through Andrews, NC and the Nantahala Gorge to Bryson City. Take a left off of Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

There are two Highways that serve Bryson City

US Highway 19 "Scenic Route" is a very curvy, winding road that passes through many small mountain towns with slower speed limits and all the "Trap"-ings of a small town. This highway is often routed by GPS systems and other mapping software because it is shorter in distance to Bryson City than HWY 74. However, Hwy 19 is definitely the slower, longer route and can easily add an hour to your travel time. We Strongly suggest that you use HWY 74 for your arrival trip and especially at night. From Cherokee travel 19 South, you will cross the Tuckaseegee River then continue along 19 to Bryson City then turn Right onto Everett Street ( the first Street light). Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

US Highway 74 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) The four-lane, limited access modern Highway is the Quickest and Easiest route to Bryson City. Take Exit 67 onto Veterans Boulevard (Downtown Bryson City). At the first light turn right onto Main Street, also Hwy 19 to Cherokee. At the next light, turn left onto Everett Street. Cross the bridge and turn right at the light onto Bryson Street (just before the RxR). Just past Joe & Kate's Laundry, turn right onto Greenlee Street. We are on the left in a gray stone house.

Exit 64 (Alarka Road)
Exit 67 (Downtown Bryson City)
Exit 69 (Hyatt Creek Road, Ela).

Other Swain County HWY 74 exits:

Exit 72 (Whittier), to the Smoky Mountain Country Club and Golf Course
Exit 74 (Cherokee), for Unto These Hills Drama and Harrah's Cherokee Casino

Though we have some of the most beautiful scenic drives in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina; Watch how the road unfolds in font of you. Mountain roads are commonly very curvy and not always marked by road signs. A hidden or unexpectedly sharp turn will catch you distracted; causing you to enter the turn at an unsafe rate of speed or drifting into the oncoming lane possibly ending your vacation. Try taking turns behind the wheel and share the exhilaration of driving a curvy mountain road and the passenger seat where the serene beauty of the North Carolina Mountains will surround you. Another suggestion is to take advantage of the scenic overlook pull offs found along a few state and county roads.

Sorry; we love them too, but when trying to navigate around the local roads the mountain terrain and dense forests themselves often obscures the satellite signals of GPS systems making them extremely inaccurate on smokey mountain back roads. Also many of the private roads are not in their mapping systems. We have had numerous guest attempt to locate their cabin by their GPS rather than follow the printed directions handed them upon check-in, only to end up severely lost. Please note: Our road scale only reflects the conditions of the private drives to the cabins we rent and a GPS system with a weak signal can misdirect you on to roads that may not be safe for your vehicle. GPS will work for Highway travel to get to our office. Though, we recommend staying on hwy74 to Exit 67 and not taking the scenic route down hwy19 as many GPS systems will try to direct you. It is a pretty and curvy drive but can add almost an hour to your trip depending on traffic.

The back mountain roads can appear intimidating at night. The ambient light in the Smokey Mountains is almost nonexistent which makes our nights not just dark but black. Drop offs that only go a few feet can appear to go for miles at night and the fog common in the Smokey Mountains can hide turns. Street lights are very rare on Mountain roads. Road signs are only dimly illuminated by your vehicles head lights and landmarks are harder to see.

Most roads in the Smoky Mountains of NC follow the topography of the mountain they are on; which means they are often very curvy. The state and county roads are generally marked by speed limit signs indicating the speed at which a local resident who knows the road may safely travel. The mountains are definitely not the place to speed. No, it is not a ticket that will be you biggest concern at higher than posted speeds; it is the sudden sharp turn or wild life darting across the road that are increasingly dangerous at high speeds. Never drive more than 20mph on a private mountain road whether paved or gravel. These roads are often more curvy and not marked by road signs. Try to maintain a consistent controllable safe speed when driving up a gravel Smokey Mountain road. Take a lesson from the turtle who won the race; slow and steady climbs the mountain.

If your tire slips or spins on loose gravel or dirt just let off the gas slightly; Do Not Punch-it!! And Do Not Slam on the Breaks either! (Unless you are in danger of hitting a tree or driving into a ditch). Just slowly let off the gas pedal. This will allow the spinning tire to regain traction while the other powered wheel keeps your vehicle traveling forward. Giving it a lot of gas or “punching-it” only increases the spin and prevents the tire from regaining traction. If/when the spinning tire finally grabs traction your vehicle could jump forward unexpectedly. Spinning your tires also further loosens and damages the structure of the road making it progressively more difficult for yourself and future vacationing guest to get up the cabin’s road. Though it takes more gas pedal to climb a steeper incline than a flat road, the objective is to maintain a safe controllable and steady speed; not to generate/use momentum to throw a vehicle up a mountain road at a higher rate of speed. This is not safe or as effective as relying on the torque of a lower gear and the traction of the other tires. Stop only when your forward progress is completely halted and the tires are still spinning even though you are still applying a moderate gas pedal. In a sever case like this it may be necessary to carefully back a short distance down the road. Then switch into a lower gear and steer around the loose/ soft spot as if avoiding a pot hole and continue up the road. The only roads at cabins represented by Carolina Mountain Vacations where this is most likely to happen will be labeled by a minimum of SUV/ TRUCK or 4X4.