As Fall Break slowly creeps up, instead of going to “the ushe” spots like OBX or back home, head west to the beauty of North Carolina. Last Fall Break, I found myself trekking through North Carolina in a desperate escape from the Duke “bubble”. Final destination? Cherokee, NC. The road less traveled was a daunting yet exciting one. I encountered hours of no cell service and a lack of highway streetlights, leaving me in the pitch black with no contact with the outside world. The feeling was exhilarating – a complete 180 from the constant use of cellular data and fluorescent lighting of the college life.
Cherokee was a place that I would have never found myself in. It was a quaint town consisting of one main grocery store and small touristy shops. And yes, Cherokee is named for the Cherokee tribe, who inhabited the area back in the day. Thus, the town was filled with Cherokee culture (some of the people there looked like true Cherokee descendants) – Cherokee paraphernalia and a museum dedicated to the history of the Cherokee tribe.
While I was there, I didn’t explore quite as much of the Cherokee culture, but I did explore the nature around the town. The first day I ventured out to the well-known Blue Ridge Parkway. Swirling up in the mountains, I lost my breath – not because of the high altitudes – but rather the view. As a Floridian, I have never seen such an array of natural hues, especially so high up before.
The second day I experienced something else I would never have done before – white-water rafting hosted by the Nantahala Outdoor Center. White-water rafting sounds scarier than it actually is. The experience was like a natural water park ride with a bonus of the lush, vibrant scenery and the peaceful forestry silence.
Horseback riding was by far my favorite part of my trip in Cherokee. The ride was cheap to boot (a forty-five minute ride for fifteen bucks? What.) and riding a horse through the forests is an experience that is even better than it sounds.
On the way back to Durham I stopped by Asheville, NC for a bite to eat and a taste of society. It wasn’t hard to find a place to eat in Asheville, which came off as a hipster take on Franklin Street. The city was cute and friendly, and also held the most adorable café ever that was shaped like a double-decker bus.
If you’re in a rut to find something to do over Fall Break this year and don’t want to spend a ton of money to fly back home, definitely consider journeying to western North Carolina. The trip was a treat and a change of pace from the hectic, technology-savvy ways of college. Not only will you have a ton of photos to show to your friends, but also you’ll find yourself in a more relaxed state of mind.
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