Hot Springs

Travelers have visited Hot Springs since the mid 1700s, drawn first by the warm springs and later by the attractions of a small mountain town rich in rivers and mountains in far western North Carolina. The elegant Mountain Park Hotel brought visitors by rail and offered a quarter-mile glassed-in veranda, steam heat, gas lighting, an elevator serving three stories, a spacious ballroom and stage, and a skilled French chef; one newspaper called it first class and said its table could not be surpassed by any in the country. Visitors have long come to explore the surrounding landscape, and the area remains a destination for outdoor recreation including the Appalachian Trail, Lovers Leap, the French Broad, and the springs themselves. The North Carolina mountains and foothills were designated the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in recognition of their natural beauty and living traditions of music, craft, agriculture, and Cherokee culture.

Hot Springs, North Carolina · United States