8 Best Small Towns in North Carolina for Outdoor Enthusiasts

North Carolina is a geographic wonderland. The widest state east of the Mississippi has three distinct regions, starting with the mountains in the west, transitioning into the hilly Piedmont in the middle, and ending with the flat coastal plain in the east. Snuggled in this spectacular, sweeping terrain are small towns, gateways to many of the best activities, and getaways from said activities when you need to recharge with food, drink, and charm. We are spotlighting eight tiny NC towns that can satisfy the outdoor adventurer from morning to night.

Sylva

Take the high ground in Sylva, a town set 2,000 feet into the Plott Balsam Mountains. Not only can you scale that ravishing range, but you can continue north into the Great Smoky Mountains and then trek south into the Great Balsam Mountains, covering such wonders as Pinnacle Park, Thomas Divide, and Richland Balsam Overlook. After the vistas literally and figuratively take your breath away, refill in Sylva proper, a refreshingly uncongested community of 2,500. In saying this, Sylva brings its fair share of fair-weather tourists, who patronize the bars, restaurants, and stately historic sites. The Sylva lining, however, is that said haunts can unite hikers with homebodies, as can a tour of filming locations for iconic movies like The Fugitive and Deliverance. The American Museum of the House Cat, on the other hand, attracts a particular type of tourist. Sylva has pretty mounts and catamounts.

Brevard

You will not be hung out to dry by "North Carolina's Land of Waterfalls." That is the slogan of Brevard, a city the size of a town with waterfalls the size of the Statue of Liberty. Two-hundred-and-fifty falls surround the 7,700-person "city," including the 411-foot Upper Whitewater Falls, which is considered the tallest waterfall east of the Rockies. If you thought Brevard could not be more of a braggart, it boasts 100,000 acres of public land for outdoor enthusiasts to fulfill their wildest dreams. But it is not enough that Brevard has natural beauty. Its art scene consists of theater, live music, and multidisciplinary galleries. Even its squirrels are decorated white for mysterious reasons. What a fitting feature for Transylvania County.

Swansboro

Balancing out North Carolina's magnificent mountain towns is the scenic seaside settlement of Swansboro, population 3,700 - and growing. People flock there for the Atlantic Ocean and all that it provides, including sites/sights like Hammocks Beach and Jones Island, food like fish, crabs, shrimp, and oysters, and recreation like fishing, boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, and sailing. For outdoor enthusiasts who do not want to get wet, there is Historic Swansboro, a district awash with beautiful heritage buildings dating back to the 1700s. A walking tour of the area should fill an afternoon with light exercise and heavy wonder. From sun up to sun down, Swansboro is the place to be.

Hillsborough

Hillsborough is a town that is quickly losing its "small" modifier. From 2010 to 2020, it grew from 6,000 residents to nearly 10,000 for reasons that will soon become clear. Historic homes, a charming downtown, international restaurants, vibrant art galleries, and a delectable chocolate shop are a few of the fabulous features of this central NC community. Of course, being nestled in the foothills makes Hillsborough just as desirable for hikers as it is for hipsters. They can scale Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, tour the Ayr Mount plantation, and take the Riverwalk Greenway. This trek is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, covering 1,175 miles of diverse geography across the state.

Bryson City

Another Western North Carolina town engulfed by mountains, Bryson City, has roughly 1,500 residents and about as many scenic destinations. To the north is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with over 800 miles of hiking trails, including 71 of the famous Appalachians. To the south is Nantahala National Forest, containing over 600 miles of trails that can be traversed by foot, bike, horse, and all-terrain vehicle. To the west is the Tuckasegee River, which offers myriad aquatic excursions. To the east is Cataloochee Ski Area, one of the oldest and southernmost ski resorts in the eastern US. In between is a quaint little town with food trucks, museums, and a heritage railroad. For those who love the outdoors but not enough to risk falling off a cliff, you can take a train through many of the aforementioned hotspots.

Aurora

An authentic small town of roughly 450 residents, Aurora promises big adventures at its annual Fossil Festival. Taking place on Memorial Day weekend, the festival is run by the Aurora Fossil Museum, which stores fossils and artifacts pulled from nearby mines as well as those donated from across the world. After viewing the indoor displays, head outdoors to the food, craft, and fossil vendors; 5K run; parade; Jurassic Classic bike ride; live music; dinosaur shows; and the Pits of the Pungo, where you can excavate your own fossils from material donated by the phosphate plant on the Pungo River. Treasures pulled from the pits include prehistoric whale parts and teeth from the megalodon, considered the largest macro-predatory shark to have ever existed. Outside of the fossil field, Aurora has a lush riverside with boating, fishing, hunting, camping, and gardening. Can you dig it?

Banner Elk

There are no native elk in Banner Elk. They were plentiful when its Elk River was surveyed in the 1700s but went extinct by the time the namesake Banner family settled in the mid-19th century. Today, Banner Elk has just a hair of over 1,000 permanent residents, but many more stay for high-elevation Lees-McRae College and countless other activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a nature preserve featuring bears, cougars, and two reintroduced bull elk, plus ski slopes at Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain. The banner attraction may be Land of Oz, the ruins of a defunct Wizard of Oz theme park turned into an annual autumn festival. If you ever want to enter Emerald City on a ski lift, a trip to the Banner Elk area is your only chance.

Beaufort

The 4,500-person town, through 300 years of Atlantic Ocean molding, is a pearl of North Carolina. Boardwalks, beaches, and booming businesses satiate conventional appetites, while untamed coastlines like Rachel Carson Reserve, replete with wild horses, stimulate the pioneer's palate. If you want to get even wilder, visit Old Burying Ground, a cemetery established before the United States, and the NC Maritime Museum, which displays artifacts collected from Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship Blackbeard crashed into Beaufort Inlet in 1718. Enjoy Beaufort's buried and excavated treasures.

Discover North Carolina's Scenic Small Towns

We know that outdoor enthusiasm is not one-dimensional. North Carolina, with its diverse geographic regions from the mountains to the sea, is an excellent place to explore one's scenic interests. Whether you love swimming, skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, boating, fishing, gardening, fossil hunting, or simply walking around a historic district, North Carolina has it - and its terrific small towns will show you the way and help you unwind after.