Whether you’re trekking the hills, camping along the slopes, enjoying a performance at Parkway Playhouse, attending the Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair or Carolina Mountains Literary Festival—there’s always a good day waiting for you in Burnsville, NC. The city is home to around 1,700 people and has a quaint downtown dominated by its town square. Drive through the Mount Mitchell scenic byway, take a full-service, guided fly fishing trip, roam the Appalachian Trail—the possibilities for adventure are endless.
It’s small downtown is dominated by the Town Square with towering trees. Burnsville is located 35 miles northeast of Asheville, along the Mt. Mitchell Scenic Byway.
The Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair transforms the streets around Burnsville’s town square into a festival affair for craft and art lovers, with more than 150 juried crafters displaying and selling.
Our favorite dining spot downtown is the Garden Deli with a fantastic array of high quality sandwiches, plus dinner entrées on weekend nights (closed Sundays). Their beautiful outdoor dining is right on the Town Square, surrounded by lush plantings and flowers.
The TRAC (Toe River Arts Council) Gallery downtown at 102 West Main Street exhibit local artists with changing exhibits and a great gallery shop. With work from over 100 artists in a variety of media: clay, glass, jewelry, painting, photography, fiber, wood, sculpture, mixed media, and more. The quality and diversity of art in the area is outstanding. TRAC sponsors the Toe River Studio Tour twice a year on the second weekend in June, the first weekend in December. Over 100 studios and galleries are represented in this free, self-guided tour.
The famous art school Penland School of Crafts is just 13 miles east. About 10 miles east of downtown is the energyXchange with artist studios powered by landfill gas. Both are have galleries open most days. The Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville is a small professional theatre with shows from April through December.
Yancey County (where Burnsville is located) is full of old and new Agri-Tourism experiences. Visit local farmers markets and farms to purchase fresh produce of the season & delicious homemade treats. And in late November and December, cut your own mountain grown Christmas tree.
The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway is 19 miles away, via NC Highway 80 south. Go five miles north to Crabtree Falls and 11 miles south to the entrance of Mt. Mitchell State Park. While the address for Mt. Mitchell is Burnsville, it’s a 35-mile drive since you need to go all the way around the mountain for the entrance from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The great village of Spruce Pine is just 14 miles east on US 19.
