Good Sam Park of the Month: Valley River RV Resort
A Beautiful Place to Stay in the Great Smoky Mountains
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Valley River RV Resort
About an hour’s drive from the beauty and diversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Valley River RV Resort is tucked into rural, serene surroundings in a get away-from-it-all setting. The luxury resort in Murphy, North Carolina, with 93 RV sites boasts majestic views, Southern charm, and abundant trails for hiking and biking in every direction.
Photo Credit: Valley River RV Resort
Each spacious site at the open year-round RV resort has full hookups, level concrete pads, Wi-Fi, and cable TV. A creek runs through the property, and there’s a private lake for catch-and-release fishing so you can book a waterfront site and step outside of your RV each morning to cast a line just feet away from where you slept. Valley River also has a clubhouse with a game room, a saltwater pool (open spring through fall), a dog park with a pet-wash station, laundry facilities, a deluxe bathhouse with four showers, and an on-site propane filling service.
Half a mile from the RV resort, Harrah’s Cherokee River Valley Casino has 50,000 feet of gaming space that includes table games and 1,000 slot machines. A five-minute drive from the RV resort will get you to small-and-charming downtown Murphy with its historic buildings. Spend the day strolling the River Walk and exploring antique and art shops or paddling a kayak on the Hiwassee River.
Photo Credit: Valley River RV Resort
There are 15 miles of hiking and biking trails on the Piney Knob Trail System for exploration as well. From Murphy, you can take the 98-mile drive to Rosman via Route 64, aka the Waterfall Byway Scenic Drive, with more than 200 waterfalls.
Valley River RV Resort, rated a 10/10*/10 by the Good Sam North American Campground Guide, is a jumping-off point for exploring trails and history, whitewater rafting, and endless adventure set in a postcard-perfect backdrop.
Photo Credit: Wildsam
City Stop: Atlanta
A few hours’ drive from North Carolina, you’ll find the unofficial capital of the New South—a city bursting with culture, great stores, and good food. From Wildsam Field Guides’ Atlanta book, here are three spots to embrace the ATL.
Breakfast
At Home Grown, everybody’s favorite low-key diner in Cabbagetown, the comfy chicken biscuit will lull you into a Sunday nap. A Southern treasure.
Photo Credit: Adam Goldberg Photography/Getty
Shopping
Call it the his-and-hers combo on Howell Mill Road: At Sid Mashburn, gents find made-to-measure suits, stacks of vinyl records, and ping-pong. At Ann Mashburn, seek preppy-to-Parisian dresses ina warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Art Stop
The Hammonds House Museum champions the history and future of art in America showcasing artists of African descent in a classic Victorian home, with 350 works by significant creators like Romare Bearden and Carrie Mae Weems.
