Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Mountain Farm Museum, Mingus Mill in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is located at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on U.S. Highway 441 near Cherokee, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway ends nearby. Stop by the Oconaluftee Visitor Center with plenty of maps, guides, and helpful park rangers and programs.

At the center, find the Mountain Farm Museum. The farm buildings, most dating around 1900, were moved from their original locations throughout the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to create an open-air museum. Visitors can explore a log farmhouse, barn, apple house, springhouse, and a working blacksmith shop to get a sense of how families may have lived 100 years ago.

Most of the structures were built in the late 19th century and were moved here in the 1950s. The Davis House is a rare chance to view a log house built from chestnut wood before the chestnut blight decimated the American Chestnut in our forests during the 1930s and early 1940s.

Pet & Bike Friendly Trail
The Oconaluftee River Trail is one of two walking paths in the Smokies on which visitors can walk dogs and bicycle. Pets and bicycles are prohibited on all other park trails. The trail travels 1.5 miles one-way from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to the outskirts of the city of Cherokee, NC. It is relatively flat, but does have a few small hills. The trail runs through the forest along side the Oconaluftee River and offers beautiful views of the river.

The Farm Museum is free. Open All Year: October 8:00-6:00, November - March 8:00-4:30, April 8:00-5:00

Mingus Mill
A half-mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Mingus Mill. Built in 1886, this mill uses a water-powered turbine instead of a water wheel to power all of the machinery in the building. Located at its original site, Mingus Mill stands as a tribute to the test of time. A miller demonstrates the process of grinding corn into cornmeal. Cornmeal and other mill-related items are available for purchase at the mill. Open 9:00-5:00 daily mid-March through mid-November. Also, open Thanksgiving weekend.

Directions: About 52 miles from downtown, allow 1.5-2 hours to travel. Take I-40 West to Exit 27. Follow Highway 19/23/74 for about 4 miles and exit onto Highway 19 toward Maggie Valley. About 3 miles past Maggie Valley, watch for the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance, and go south. The Parkway ends at Highway 441. Turn right to find the Visitor Center. The Parkway is closed much of the winter. If the Parkway is closed, continue on Highway 19 to Cherokee and follow Highway 441 North.

Download a Great Smoky Mountains Park Map (1mb PDF).