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In the 1800s, wagons carried visitors to the town as they traveled over the Swannanoa Pass to or from Western North Carolina. These days, visitors come to the small town to enjoy the outdoors, wander the historic streets, and enjoy the lively community.

Perched in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Black Mountain is just 15 miles east of Asheville, making it an ideal day trip for anyone looking for their new favorite small town. And it is your new favorite: It was named one of the best small mountain towns in the South by the readers of Southern Living. Here are some of the best reasons to visit Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Rock Out

While Black Mountain does have a long and storied musical history, we're not talking about rock n' roll. Instead, dozens of rocking chairs are scattered around town on the streets of downtown Black Mountain, including a few massive ones near the Visitors' Center. From late spring through early fall, the rockers appear, each decorated by a local artist and each designed to invite a visitor to come and sit a spell. It has helped the town earn the nickname of the region's "front porch." When the weather gets colder around October, the town auctions off the rockers to make way for a new batch of chairs.

Run For The Hills

Each February, intrepid runners flock to the annual Black Mountain Marathon to run to the peak of Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain in the Eastern United States. Runners start in Black Mountain, dash to the mountain's peak, and then run back in a grueling 40-mile run. It is reportedly one of the toughest races in the U.S., so sign up or cheer on the runners.

Music Is In The Air

Whatever time of year you visit Black Mountain, you'll most likely be able to see some live music on stage at the White Horse Black Mountain. As for what type of tunes you'll hear, let's say the performance space offers an eclectic lineup. Depending on when you wander in, you'll listen to bluegrass, jazz, classical, or even Celtic tunes. If you're visiting in summer, check out the town's annual Park Rhythms Summer Concert Series featuring live music, food vendors, and beautiful views of the Seven Sisters mountains.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Cherry Street is a window shopper's dream. There are enough gift shops, galleries, antique shops, and stores filled with locally-made crafts that might turn window shoppers into actual purchasers. Shoppers of all types will want to peruse the wares at Town Hardware, which boasts an inventory of 35,000 items from over the years.

Eat, Drink, Be Merry

Despite being a small town, Black Mountain has a lot of restaurants—35, according to the visitor's board. Grab lunch at Blue Ridge Biscuit Company, get a burger at The Trailhead, or a snack at Hey Hey Cupcake and a cup of coffee at Dynamite Roasting or Dripolator Coffeehouse. And, of course, there are plenty of places to find a drink to wash down the food: Lookout Brewing Company, Pisgah Brewing Company, and the Black Mountain Ciderworks are all excellent options. Or go straight to the source and stop by the Round Mountain Creamery for fresh goat cheese.

Get Involved In The Arts

The town's distinguished history as an arts destination goes back nearly 100 years to the former Black Mountain College. The now-closed experimental liberal arts school fostered the talents of some of the most influential artists of the 20th century, including musician John Cage, architect Buckminster Fuller, choreographer Merce Cunningham, and artists Josef and Anni Albers.

The legacy lives on these days in the {Re}HAPPENING, a contemporary art event that honors the college's avant-garde legacy, and at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Visitors can also visit the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center or visit the many galleries and shops that showcase the work of local artists and craftspeople.

Take A Hike

Black Mountain is a hiker's paradise, surrounded by mountains crisscrossed with trails. Visit DuPont State Forest Waterfalls or Catawba Falls, hike up Mount Mitchell or Chimney Rock, or take to one of the many trails that run through the Pisgah National Forest. If you prefer to explore nature from the comfort of your car, Black Mountain's proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway makes sightseeing easy.

Fish Or Cut Bait

Anglers will find plenty of new favorite fishing holes thanks to Black Mountain's proximity to the 10-acre Lake Tomahawk. The picturesque lake, surrounded by walkways, is a favorite spot for local fishermen. It's also an excellent spot for people looking for a pretty place for an afternoon stroll or a quiet boat ride.

Be Festive

Events like LEAF Festival and the annual Sourwood Festival draw thousands of visitors to the town each year. Still, they aren't the only festivals in town: Taste of Black Mountain brings food lovers to town in May, Art in Bloom takes over Black Mountain Center for the Arts in June, and come December, there's the Holly Jolly Celebration and Christmas Parade.

North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will be part of an event at the Black Mountain Public Library Oct. 3.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Black Mountain Library, the event will feature a reading by Green followed by a book signing.

Green was appointed poet laureate by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2018 and has served in the position since.

Originally from the Piedmont region of the state, Green is the first Black North Carolinian to hold the position and only the third woman in the state’s history to be named poet laureate.

Green has received several awards for her work, including the North Carolina Award for Literature. In 2014, she was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.

She has authored eight poetry collections, and on Juneteenth in 2020 she released her first album of poetry, “The River Speaks of Thirst.”

Green created SistaWrite, an organization that provides writing retreats for female writers.

She now teaches documentary poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies.

Black Mountain Library Branch Manager Melisa Pressley said Green’s event is part of an effort to bring back in-person programs to the library in ways the library has not been able to since before the pandemic.

“We knew that we wanted to restart our programs in a big way,” Pressley said. “Our poetry nights have been so successful with Dark City Poets that we felt like a poetry program would be well-received.”

Formed in January 2020, the Dark City Poets Society was created by Pressley and resident Clint Bowman as a free group that would meet to listen and critique poetry other community members write.

In April, Bowman told Black Mountain News there are no membership responsibilities and anyone can join the group, whether they have written a poem or not.

“The Dark City Poets Society is open to everybody,” Bowman said in April. “Anybody who’s interested in poetry at all is welcome to join. You don’t have to share necessarily, you can just sit in and listen.”

More:Black Mountain's Dark City Poets Society hosts monthly poetry nights

The Green event is free to attend, and copies of her works may be purchased following her presentation to be signed by the poet.

Pressley said she is excited to see Green perform and hopes it inspires others to read more poetry.

“My hope is that we’re starting to see a return to pre-pandemic attendance,” Pressley said. “I also hope that it’s going to help people read more poetry and enjoy and embrace poetry as a form of expression.”

Green will be at the Black Mountain Public Library for a reading and signing on Oct. 3 from 6-7 p.m.

The annual Sourwood Festival will return to Black Mountain the second weekend in August.

The festival debuted in 1977 and has been a regular occurrence in the town, except for one year missed during the pandemic.

Sharon Tabor, executive director of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce, said the Sourwood Festival will have close to 150 vendors this year. She said this number is “about the same” as last year, though she said it took some “creative problem solving” to fit as many vendors in.

“We just had a few more vendors that took larger booths and then we lost some space this year,” Tabor said. “We were able to capture the same numbers in less space reconfiguring everything we were no longer allowed to use.”

She said vendors are mostly focused on arts and crafts like jewelry, woodworking, glasswork, mosaics, fiber art and more.

New this year is a food court where visitors will be able to get food in a centralized location.

For kids, Tabor said there will be a bouncy house, pony rides, a petting zoo and more.

Craft demonstrations will also be available both days of the festival, including chainsaw artists, glass blowing, pottery, and weaving demonstrations.

Two stages across the festival will feature music. The stage on Cherry Street will focus on acoustic music, while the stage on Black Mountain Avenue will host more full-band music.

“It’s a good family afternoon,” Tabor said. “There’s something that will keep everybody occupied.”

Parking is available at the old Bi-Lo, across from the festival entrance. More parking will be available at the Ingles garden center with a shuttle available to take festival-goers to the front entrance.

While Tabor said there is no real way to keep up with how many people attend the festival, the chamber is able to make a guess based on license plate counts. She said she estimates around 30,000 people attended the Sourwood Festival last year over the two day span.

“We’ve got so many entry points,” Tabor said. “There’s no way to keep up with the head count.”

Tabor said it takes all year to plan the Sourwood Festival with tasks ranging from coordinating with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to slow trains down and getting permits to recruiting vendors and working on the vendor layout. She said doing a “a little bit every month” gets the festival planned.

More:Lake Monster Parade returns to Black Mountain

Tabor said the festival could not run without volunteers and it takes around 50 volunteers to set up, work and tear down the festival each year.

The 2023 Sourwood Festival will be held from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Aug. 12 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 13 in downtown Black Mountain. For more information, visit https://www.exploreblackmountain.com/sourwood-festival.

Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected].

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BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WLOS) — Day one of the Sourwood Festival is in the books.

'Very important, very crucial' Sourwood Festival brings economic boost to Black Mountain

The annual Black Mountain tradition is not just a great economic boost to local businesses and vendors, but for visitors from outside the area as well.

Of the many shops lining the streets, most of them are from around Western North Carolina. But not Lacie Young.

“This is what I do,” Young said on Saturday. “I travel and do shows and that’s what pays our bills.”

Young makes and sells jewelry from silverware. When she is home, it’s in Nashville. It’s been her way of life for 13 years. In that time, it’s become a family affair.

SWEET CELEBRATION AT BLACK MOUNTAIN'S ANNUAL SOURWOOD FESTIVAL

Her two kids grew up at festivals like Sourwood.

“We’ve been to about 20 different states and lots of different cities,” Lacie’s son Mason said.

And they embrace it.

“It’s cool seeing her work for herself,” Mason said. “And then I get to travel around with her and do other stuff.”

“When COVID started, they were ready for a break,” Lacie said. “After that, they were like, ‘Mom, when are we going on the road? Mom, when are we going on the road?”’

Lacie Young started homeschooling her kids so they could not only keep her company on the road, but help her out.

“They get a lot of their education from traveling,” Lacie said. “Also selling; they know how to sell anything.”

While the Youngs rely on local festivals like Sourwood, they’ve seen how much they mean for small towns like Black Mountain.

'WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT' LOCAL BUSINESS BOOMING THANKS TO AVLFEST

“That’s bringing in money to your whole town,” Lacie Young said. “It’s very important, very crucial. These towns rely on these shows that only happen once or twice a year.”

2023 is Lacie Young’s seventh year selling at Sourwood. It’s one of her most profitable and favorite spots, one that she and Mason say feels like a second home.

“A lot of the things you see aren’t something you can just get anywhere,” Lacie said. “A lot of it’s hand-crafted. It’s a big event for the whole town.”

“Come out to the shows and festival,” Mason said. “Come explore it, it’s pretty fun.”

The sourwood festival resumes activities Sunday at 9 a.m.

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CLICK HERE for more information about the festival.

When the pandemic hit, John Richardson knew he had to find a way to keep people together.

Now, he is preparing for the opening of his new community gathering space concept, The RailYard Black Mountain.

“COVID happened, and I knew that people wanted to still have a place to go out and eat and gather,” Richardson said. “It’s going to be different. I’ve known about this space, trying to figure out for the town what this place could be that would be cool and fun and exciting.”

Located at 141 Richardson Blvd., the space will be host to a taproom, restaurant and community gathering space. The RailYard officially opens April 15, but Richardson said March is being used as a soft opening for locals to come in and get to know the space.

The RailYard will host American roots band LazyBirds, as well as craft beverages and food from the space’s own burger concept, SmashBalls, on the official opening date of April 15 from noon-10 p.m.

Once opened fully, the 7,000 square foot main building will host SmashBalls’ full kitchen, a taproom, a 70-foot bar and a 1,200 square foot community space. This community space will host events ranging from farmers markets to yoga classes and can be rented out for private events.

Five large garage doors open up the main building to an outdoor space lined with shipping containers that will eventually be home to food trucks and other local vendors. The area is filled with picnic tables and chairs for guests to enjoy. A large stage is planned for the space as well.

Richardson, the son of a Presbyterian minister, spent his summers in Montreat and previously worked in nonprofit leadership and sales. In 2011, he opened Black Mountain Ale House and in 2018 opened Black Mountain Brewing with Matt Schwarz.

He is also the founder of PubCorps, a nonprofit that works to make volunteering “simple, accessible and fun and then grab a beer afterwards.” The RailYard will be the home of PubCorps and will host various volunteer opportunities at the site.

Richardson said he sees the RailYard as an “incubator” for community-driven activities.

“It’s an incubator,” Richardson said. “It’s an incubator to build a community. It’s an incubator for nonprofits like PubCorps or Bounty & Soul or the Rotary Club or any other nonprofit that wants to use this space. An incubator for building a community.”

He said he wants to create a space that anyone from the community can come to and feel welcomed and have a conversation with someone.

“That’s the magic of it,” Richardson said. “What’s really important is when you get people from different walks of life who have different points of view who are then able to have a shared experience and talk about it.”

At the RailYard, Richardson said he wants to focus on making sure his staff makes not only a living wage, but a middle-class wage with health care benefits. He said he is looking for employees who are passionate about serving other people.

“We’re hoping that with that with the scale of this we’ll be able to get career people that want to do this and invest their life in this,” Richardson said. “Service is noble.”

Richardson said the RailYard would not be possible without the people he has working for him.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be even stronger as a community because it’s a bigger space to get to know more people,” Richardson said. “I think of myself as a social entrepreneur more than anything. If I had a bunch of rotten people working for me, it wouldn’t be as cool.”

He said it is his hope that the RailYard can make a difference in the town as a gathering space and non-profit hub.

“I don’t know what the solution is, but I’m willing to buy everybody a beer to talk about it,” Richardson said. “I know we’ve got enough smart people in this town that we can make a difference.”