Museum of North Carolina Minerals
Check pricesA Blue Ridge Parkway museum showing the region's mineral resources and mining history through hands-on exhibits.

Photo: Two Hearted River, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Drive almost to the top of the highest point east of the Mississippi, then walk a short paved path to the summit observation deck.
2388 N.C. 128, Burnsville, NC 28714 (off the Blue Ridge Parkway) · Burnsville, NC
Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet, is the highest point east of the Mississippi River, and this 1915 park was North Carolina's first state park. From the summit parking lot a short, steep paved path climbs to an observation deck with views in every direction. Easy trails wander through Fraser fir forest, and longer ones follow the ridge to other 6,000-foot peaks. Day use is free; the park is reached only from the Asheville side of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with no gas stations on the way.
The closest stops to Mount Mitchell State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
A Blue Ridge Parkway museum showing the region's mineral resources and mining history through hands-on exhibits.
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