North Carolina Day Trip

Wednesday we took a little day trip over the mountain to Hot Springs,  NC. It’s only about a 30 mile drive. Come to find out really isn’t much in Hot Springs, and half of the few shops that were there were still closed for the season. The Appalachian Trail goes through town and I bet in the summer it’s a busier place. We roamed around an old fashioned hardware store and walked through the small town. The French Broad River runs through town. It’s a lovely wide river.

Along the sidewalks you’ll see this marking in the stone all through town pointing to the Appalachian Trail way…

There was a shop with odds and ends antiques and used books but it was closed. This book was in the window and I really want this book! I’ll have to go back soon and hope it’s still there!


‘Story is a mutt of democratic heritage who gets along with anyone and anything except for Mr. Butts the Goat and any of the four Hatcher brothers, who he hates with a murderous passion–no one knows why. As members of the Hatcher family start dying in unusual ways, suspicion eventually settles on Story.
Story is forced to flee from his home in Ethel, Tennessee, just south of the Kentucky border to take refuge with a friend on the top of Jellico Mountain. There he is protected by Belle Potter–a 70 year old woman who fits no one’s definition of an “easy victim.”  (from Amazon)

My grandmother was born on Jellico Mountain!

It’s available on Kindle if I can’t get this one, but I’d really rather have the physical book.

Since there wasn’t much going on in Hot Springs we rode on up the road to the next town, Marshall. It was a little bit bigger and there were several unique shops to roam around. We had lunch there in a quaint little cafe. It also sits on the banks of the French Broad. It’s the third oldest river in the world they say.

There were several interesting looking buildings in Marshall. I think they were both from the 1920’s. It is also the county seat for Madison County. I took a few pics there…

This one looks like an old apartment bldg. It’s a dentist office now. That’s Bossman standing in front of it.

This one has 1922 on it. Apartments on the top floors and offices on the ground floor. I thought the nice open patio area on top was unique!

A look down main street

On the road between Hot Springs and Marshall there were some lovely mountain views. I had Bossman pull over and let me get a couple shots…

We stopped back in Hot Springs for supper at The Smoky Mountain Diner. We took a different route home. It was a lovely, windy trip back over the mountains and I enjoyed that way the best. Saw one deer on the side of the road.

Hot Springs also has a very old hot mineral spring there with an interesting history. including WWI. We did stop and take a soak in the mineral springs. But I’m saving that part of the trip for another post! Stay tuned!

Peggy Ann