Southern Mountains

Tour 1:
Black Mountain, Montreat, Swannanoa

From the edgy avant-garde, to traditional poetry, to contemporary mystery writing, the villages of Black Mountain, Montreat, and Swannanoa are home to an incredibly rich variety of literary influences. Writers with a connection to this area include Patricia Cornwell, Robert Creeley, Fielding Dawson, Ed Dorn, Robert Duncan, Ruth Bell Graham, Francine du Plessix Gray, Jill Jones, Alfred Kazin, Charles Olson, Joel Oppenheimer, Mary Caroline Richards, Elizabeth Spencer, Peter Turchi, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and Jonathan Williams.

Tour 2:
Canton, Cold Mountain, Lake Logan, Balsam

From the living relatives of Cold Mountain’s Inman, to trout twining the streams frequented by a future NC Poet Laureate, to the rugged landscape that inspired so many Cherokee myths, the towns of Canton, Cold Mountain, Lake Logan and Balsam have given birth to some of our state’s greatest stories and storytellers. Writers with a connection to this area include Fred Chappell, Donald Davis, Charles Frazier and Kaye Gibbons.

Tour 3:
Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee, Highlands

A birthplace of legends and tall tales, and a popular location for Hollywood storytellers, the massive rhododendron thickets and the cold rushing streams of Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee and Highlands have long stirred local poets to create passionate portraits of local people and landscapes. Writers with a connection to this area include Mary Adams, William Bartram, Sallie Bissell, Rick Boyer, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Sean Bridgers, Sue Ellen Bridgers, Gary Carden, Catherine Carter, Thomas Meyer, John Parris, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Walker Percy, Dannye Romine Powell, Thomas Rain Crowe, Ron Rash and Jonathan Williams. 

Tour 4:
Franklin, Hayesville, Brasstown, Murphy, Texana

The inspiration for the first novel ever written in North Carolina, a hiding place for Civil War refugees, and the home of a rare Appalachian enclave of African Americans, the towns of Franklin, Hayesville, Brasstown, Murphy, Texana have been a source of fierce independence and the birthplace of  a nationally-revered folk school. Writers with a connection to this area include John C. Campbell, Olive Dame Campbell, Jan Davidson, George Ellison, Charles Frazier, Peter Jenkins, Terry Kay, Silas McDowell, Barbara McRae, Janice Townley Moore, Charles F. Price, Margaret Siler, Nancy Simpson, Robert Strange and Shirley Uphouse.

Tour 5:
Robbinsville, Cherohala Skyway, Fontana, Almond, Nantahala Gorge 

From the oldest trees in North Carolina, to the jade fingers of Santeetlah Lake, to the secrets of the Snowbird Cherokee medicine trail, the towns of Robbinsville, Fontana and Almond will introduce you to some of North Carolina’s most storied people, while the Cherohala Skyway and Nantahala Gorge will take you to our state’s most stunning heights and depths. Writers with a connection to this area include William Bartram, Olive Tilford Dargan, Gail Godwin, David Brendan Hopes, Horace Kephart, Marshall McClung, Robert Morgan, Duane Oliver and Ron Rash.

Tour 6:
Bryson City, Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

From the grave of Horace Kephart, to the heart of Cherokee country, to entire towns buried under the waters of Lake Fontana, a visit to Bryson City, Cherokee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park will put you in the center of mystery, magic and rich oral traditions. Writers with a connection to this area include Michael Chitwood, John Ehle, George Ellison, Deborah Kinsland Foerst, Charles Frazier, Hanay Geiogamah, Gail Godwin, Kermit Hunter, Horace Kephart and Sequoyah.

Tour 7:
Waynesville, Hot Springs, Marshall, Mars Hill

From the rugged "Kingdom of Madison," to Appalachian songcatchers, to the oldest educational institution in western North Carolina, the steep hills and remote valleys of Waynesville, Hot Springs, Marshall and Mars Hill are treasure troves of words, music and history. Writers with a connection to this area include Sheila Kay Adams, Rob Amberg, Olive Dame Campbell, Donald Davis, Pamela Duncan, Keith Flynn, O. Henry, Michael McFee, Caroline Miller, Jim Wayne Miller, Della Hazel Moore, Dellie Chandler Norton, Ron Rash, Christian Reid, Cecil Sharp, Betty Smith, Elizabeth Daniels Squire and Manly Wade Wellman.

Tour 8:
Weaverville and North Asheville

From the antics of F. Scott Fitzgerald, to the ingenuity of Zebulon Vance, to the elegance of some of the state’s most historic structures, Weaverville and North Asheville have been a source of respite, recreation, and inspiration to literati for more than a century.

Writers with a connection to this area include Sallie Bissell, Tony Buttitta, Richard Chess, Jonathan Daniels, Wilma Dykeman, John Ehle, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Charles Frazier, Gail Godwin, Tommy Hays, O. Henry, David Brendan Hopes, Horace Kephart, Sidney Lanier, Sharyn McCrumb, Joan Medlicott, Robert Morgan, Peggy B. Parris, Carl Sandburg, James Seay, Janet Beeler Shaw, Nina Simone, Elizabeth Daniels Squire, Thomas Wolfe and Charlotte Young.

Tour 9:
Downtown and South Asheville

From streets walked by Wolfe and Fitzgerald, to architectural wonders including the world's largest residence, to an ambitious history and culture trail, downtown and South Asheville’s literary legacy ranges from the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize to a bookstore that appears in a recent romance novel. Writers with a connection to this area include Emoke B'Racz, Tony Buttitta, Olive Tilford Dargan, Jude Deveraux, Wilma Dykeman, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gail Godwin, O. Henry, Henry James, Michael McFee, Arthur Newton Pack, John Parris, Peggy B. Parris, Edith Wharton and Thomas Wolfe

Tour 10:
Brevard, Rosman, Green River, Zirconia, Flat Rock, Hendersonville

From the highest steamboat line to the homeward-looking angel, from the whitest squirrels to the oldest river, the towns of Brevard, Rosman, Green River, Zirconia, Flat Rock and Hendersonville have been home to some of our greatest poets and birthplace of some of our greatest plays. Writers with a connection to this area include Mart Baldwin, Michael Chitwood, Wilma Dykeman, F. Scott Fitzgerald, DuBose Heyward, Robert Morgan, John Parris, Ann B. Ross, Carl Sandburg and Paula Steichen.

Northern Mountains 

Tour 11:
Burnsville, Micaville, Celo, Mount Mitchell

From galax to ginseing, blockade to biscuits, pinnacle views to the French Broad River, the towns of Burnsville, Micaville, Celo and Mount Mitchell are home to the state’s oldest summer theater as well as one of its newest literary festivals. Writers with a connection to this area include Jonathan Daniels, Abigail DeWitt, Louisa Duls, Wilma Dykeman, Tom Higgins, Everette M. Kivette, William G. Lord, Robert Morgan, Margaret Morley, Charles F. Price, Muriel Earley Sheppard, Timothy Silver, Anne Tyler, Thomas Wolfe and Perry Deane Young .

Tour 12:
Old Fort, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Tryon

Hemingway and Fitzgerald slept here, and so can you. From Thomas Wolfe’s “other angel”—the one his father lost in a poker game—to some of the state's most-visited 19^th and 20^th century tourist attractions, including its only (man-made) geyser, the towns of Old Fort, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and Tryon are the sites of historic lodges, notable movies, and remarkable railroad tunnels.Writers with a connection to this area include Margaret Culkin Banning, Freddy Bradburn, Lilian Jackson Braun, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Wilma Dykeman, Tony Earley, John Ehle, Payne Erskine, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Gillette, Ernest Hemingway, Sidney Lanier, William G. Lord, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Robert Morgan, Margaret Morley, Peggy Payne, Donald Culross Peattie, Elia Wilkinson Peattie, Nina Simone, Bob Terrell, Jules Verne and Phyllis A. Whitney

Tour 13:
Rutherfordton, Spindale, Forest City, Shelby

From the Civil War to Reconstruction, from Green River Plantation to textile mills, the towns of Rutherfordton, Spindale, Forest City and Shelby have given birth to a bluegrass legend, a private mint, and paranormal thrillers

Tour 14:
Lincolnton, Hickory, Moravian Falls

From an early feminist to an award-winning biographer, a poet laureate to a UFO expert, the towns of Lincolnton, Hickory and Moravian Falls also are home to many writers drawing inspiration from local Revolutionary and Civil War sites. Writers with a connection to this area include Dale Bailey, Daniel W. Barefoot, Molly Bass, Rand Brandes, Mary Boykin Chesnut, James Lincoln Collier, Tim Earley, George Fawcett, Kays Gary, Hatcher Hughes, Toni L. P. Kelner, Louis L'Amour, Sallie Nixon, James Larkin Pearson, Tim Peeler and Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Tour 15:
Wilkesboro, Happy Valley, Blowing Rock, Linville Falls, Morganton

From the legend of Tom Dula to the Mitford tales of Jan Karon, the area including Wilkesboro, Happy Valley, Blowing Rock, Linville Falls and Morganton has been the birthplace of memorable mystery, murder, mountain myth, and fantasy. Writers with a connection to this region include John Ehle, Sam Ervin, Marita Garin, Robert Inman, Jan Karon, Michael McFee, Sharyn McCrumb, Margaret Mitchell, Kathleen Moore Morehouse, Margaret Morley, Scott Nicholson, John Parris, James Larkin Pearson, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Christian Reid, Donald Secreast, Sequoyah, R. T. Smith, Jules Verne, Manly Wade Wellman and John Foster West

Tour 16:
Marion, Little Switzerland, Spruce Pine, Penland, Bandana, Kona, Bakersville, Roan Mountain, Banner Elk

From a legendary murder that spans three gravesites, to a luxury hotel that straddled the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina, the towns of Marion, Little Switzerland, Spruce Pine, Penland, Bandana, Kona, Bakersville, Roan Mountain and Banner Elk are home to a writer’s retreat, a mineral museum, and an internationally-acclaimed school of crafts. Writers with a connection to this area include Doris Betts, LeGette Blythe, Bill Carson, Thomas Dixon, Hilda Downer, Louisa Duls, Julia Nunnally Duncan, John Ehle, the Hicks Family, Gloria Houston, Elizabeth Hunter, Jennifer Bauer Laughlin, Sharyn McCrumb, Robert Morgan, Margaret Morley, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Christian Reid, Carolyn Sakowski, Muriel Earley Sheppard, Jonathan Williams and Perry Deane Young

Tour 17:
Grandfather Mountain, Crossnore, Valle Crucis, Vilas, Boone

From a dramatic mountain visage to an outdoor drama seen by generations of North Carolinans, from the shadowy secrets of Valle Crucis to kaleidoscopes made from cotton mill bobbins, Grandfather Mountain, Crossnore, Valle Crucis, Vilas and Boone have been home to some of North Carolina’s most prolific and versatile authors. Writers with a connection to this area include Joseph Bathanti, LeGette Blythe, Susan Fenimore Cooper, Robert Crutchfield, Grace DiSanto, Lynn Doyle, Kermit Hunter, Kathryn Kirkpatrick, Charles Kuralt, Romulus Linney, John Muir, Scott Nicholson, Susan Weinberg, John Foster West, Anne Hall Whitt and Isabel Zuber.

Tour 18:
Todd, West Jefferson, Jefferson, Crumpler, Sparta, Roaring Gap

From an international publishing house to an international retreat for writers, from summer people to Christmas trees, the towns of Todd, West Jefferson, Jefferson, Crumpler, Sparta and Roaring Gap are home to tall tales, a tall mountain, and a new river. Writers with a connection to this area include Noah Adams, Leland Cooper, Mary Lee Cooper, Chris Cox, Hal Crowther, Clyde Edgerton, Zetta Barker Hamby, Frank Borden Hanes, Tim Peeler, Lee Smith, Tom Wolfe and T. J. Worthington.