September 25, 2019

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“I’m not sure what I learned way back when, but it’s kept me coming back ever since.”

The real gems of rural Appalachia lie in its rustic charm.

Boomers will discover spectacular views around every turn while driving the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina in September and October. Sunlit trees glow like yellow, orange, and red lanterns, and views over mountain ranges confound the eye with brilliant colors interwoven with morning mists and lingering sunsets.

But don’t miss the forest for the trees. The area sits within 6,500 acres of land, much of which was donated by the Vanderbilt family for conservation in the late 19th century. Camping and nostalgia-laden motels vie with luxurious accommodations for the attention of visitors, and many New Orleanians have cherished vacation homes in upscale towns and villages like Highlands and Cashiers (“Cash’-ers,” to those in the know).

If You Vanderbilt This, They Will Come

Folks in the Carolinas treat the National Park Service’s “Cradle of Forestry in America” center near the college town of Brevard as if it were their own birthplace. Dating from 1898, the rambling expanse of forested land chronicles the development of conservation techniques under the strict guidance of Dr. Carl Schenck — a no-nonsense conservationist and educator. Schenck developed the concept of forestry in his native Germany before George Vanderbilt brought him to North Carolina to teach young men of good character how to preserve the area’s natural resources.

The heart of the center is in a rustic village in Pisgah National Forest. There, eager students of the past attended lectures by Schenck and lived a self-sustaining existence in the wilderness. Rangers, volunteers, and visitors return year after year to walk the same paths Schenck, Vanderbilt, and their students followed.

This summer, Milton Bullock, 77, a Vietnam War veteran and former chief of the Dade County, Florida fire department, returned on the center’s Pollination Day, celebrating the 70th anniversary of his first visit at age 7.

“I’m not sure what I learned way back when, but it’s kept me coming back ever since,” he confided.

Cashier and receptionist Mary Toledo was born in Cuba, but arrived in Florida with her family at age 2. Now a Connecticut Yankee, she looks forward each year to her gig at the North Carolina center.

After teaching lower and middle school and serving as a wilderness instructor in Alabama, Clay Wooldridge, 38, assumed the title of cradle manager two years ago.

Youthful and enthusiastic Education Manager Stephanie Bradley spoke with excitement about upcoming autumn events at a booth set up at the center’s Pollination Day event in June.

“Here, take one of these little wooden houses back to your garden in New Orleans and give a solitary bee a home to thrive in,” Bradley said, handing me a small wooden box, open at one end and filled with natural items to attract errant bees and give them shelter.

Encouraged to name her complimentary cozy bee enclosure, one visitor came up with the winning title of the day, “Air Bee & Bee.”

“And come back in the fall for a celebration of mountain heritage,” Bradley added.

On October 5, Forest Festival Day — where young women often out-chop men in a tree-trunk-splitting completion — is complemented by the Appalachian Folkways Series. The series displays the wares of local craftsmen and farmers, and visitors are welcome to sit on the porches of the commissary and other buildings in Schenck’s village.

On October 13, the Acorn Patrol will recreate camping as it would have been in Schenck’s time. The conservationist established the event in 1903 to build the public’s interests in the principles of responsible forestry that he was promoting.

On October 18 and 19, Cradle Manager Clay Wooldridge will join Bradley and others to revisit “The Legend of Tommy Hodges,” weaving fact and legend into an oral history of the area.

If you go: 

Blueridgeparkway.org has information on road conditions and amenities. In September and October, it posts daily updates about the status of changing leaves.

Cradleofforestry.com has information on events. A lifetime senior national park service pass costs $80 and offers free or half-price entry to most properties, including The Cradle of Forestry, for up to four people in the same car. 

Caffe Rel, 459 E. Main St., Franklin, NC 28734, 828.369.9446

Pisgah Inn, 408 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Canton, NC 28716, 828.235.8228

Old Edwards Inn, 445 Main St., Highlands, NC 28741, 866.536.8008

Canyon Kitchen, 150 Lonesome Valley Rd., Sapphire, NC 28774, 828.743.7967

Fill’er-up, Gas Tank and Stomach

Unleaded, Regular, or Diesel are the options offered by the filling station that houses Caffe Rel in the town of Franklin, but inside this seemingly-out-of-place French bistro, diners can choose a plate of crawfish and snails, brandied chicken livers, pasta carbonara, or a burger.

Locals still lament that you can’t order a root beer float in this former home of an A&W Rootbeer outlet, but high-end French/American cuisine at bargain-basement prices keeps this odd oasis so busy that lines often form before the no-reservations, cash-or-check-only destination opens for lunch or dinner, Wednesday through Saturday. It is a well-kept secret that everyone loves to talk about.

On our recent visit, Marina Tkash, who hails from Russia’s Ural Mountains, whetted our appetites with the house’s complimentary tomato-bruschetta special, French bread on a plate of tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, garlic, capers, opal basil, and lemon zest. Stalwart Mei Dong, who speaks proudly of her recently-acquired American citizenship, rushed briskly from kitchen to table in the small space, making sure everyone had enough to eat.

Opened in 2003 by Richard E. Long (REL), who studied under Russian and Swiss chefs and in The Greenbrier resort’s apprentice chef program, Caffe Rel is filled with both French and American memorabilia — a melange of which Julia Child would surely approve. New creations supplement the extensive menu, which should be capped with at least one towering slice of homemade Italian Wedding Cake.

Highways and Byways

Back on the parkway, Pisgah Inn, which opened in 1918, sits near the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Updated cabins feature porches with spectacular views, and the glass-fronted restaurant offers three square meals a day in heaping North Carolina style.

In Highlands and Cashiers, both a fair piece from the parkway, posh restaurants and accommodations abound. Locals fret that Old Edwards Inn, with its genteel, yet homestyle, Madison’s restaurant, could someday own just about everything in Highlands.

Nearby Cashiers, with a resident population of less than 200, has voted to remain unincorporated — ‘cuz that’s just how things are done in this chic venue. In 1875, a pair of Kansas developers had taken a map and drawn a line from New York to New Orleans and another from Chicago to Savannah. Where the lines intersected, they thought, the spot would become a great center of commerce, but the most profitable venture turned out to be High Hampton inn, a family-oriented resort that is closed for extensive renovation. It will reopen in a year or so as a decidedly upscale establishment.

But fear not: Just down the road in Lonesome Valley, a chef from West Monroe, Louisiana, Ken Naron, is turning heads at a sophisticated restaurant in a lofty barn-like structure. Canyon Kitchen sits in an idyllic setting with kitchen gardens that provide many menu items. The surroundings may not boast the luminous hues of autumn leaves, but what is on your plate can be equally dramatic.

So don’t think of North Carolina as just boiled peanuts and winding mountain roads. Autumn in the state is a visual, historical, and culinary treat that should not be missed.

Keith Marshall began his writing career in 1973 as The Times-Picayune’s representative in Europe. He has also written travel, art and architecture, and feature articles for major newspapers and magazines.