Mitchell County, North Carolina

 On October 26, 2022, we had a fun time visiting Mitchell County, North Carolina. It was a bit of a stretch for a day trip, about four hours each way. It was worth it, though! The county was formed in 1861, and was named for Elisha Mitchell. His research led to the identification of Mount Mitchell (in nearby Yancey County) as the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.

Mitchell County Courthouse

Our first stop was at the Mitchell County Courthouse in Bakersville, the county seat. We also visited the old county courthouse, which is across the street from the library (yay!) in the downtown area. Bakersville is a small town, less than 500 inhabitants. Long before the town was settled, Native Americans mined the area for mica. The town was named for David Baker, who owned a lot of land in the area.

 

One of the things Bakersville is known for is the NC Rhododendron Festival. The next one will be June 16-18, 2023, so we missed it this past June.

For lunch, we stopped at a roadside spot called Bonnie and Clyde's just outside of Bakersville in Loafer's Glory. We found this place because there was a geocache across the street, which we found! We enjoyed eating our lunch at a roadside picnic table nearby, before heading on.

Our next stop was in Spruce Pine, the largest town in Mitchell County. We didn't spend much time there, just long enough to find another geocache in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. (I know, so much else to see, but we were getting a little weary, and still had a four-hour drive back.) Of note here, though, is that Roy Williams, former UNC basketball coach, was born in Spruce Pine! Also, Spruce Pine is home of the NC Mineral and Gem Festival.

We hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the pretty short drive to Little Switzerland, a small community in both Mitchell and McDowell Counties. (On the way, we drove through the Little Switzerland Tunnel.) There's a cluster of businesses, but nothing much was open when we stopped. I remember visited the bookstore there years ago, where I bought a used copy of The Two, by Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace. If we ever make it back to Little Switzerland, a list of things to do is found here.

The rest of my Mitchell County photos are here.