Several homeschool moms and I sat down the other day and made a list of places that we could take our kids on field trips in Western North Carolina. I am going to post a few places today and share a few every week. When we do go to these places, I will be taking pictures and sharing them with you all.

Since I live in Western North Carolina, I love to go to the Great Smoky Mountain Park. There is so much to see and do in this area. Not only do you have the beautiful mountains you can hike in to see the wonderful flora and fauna, the animals and the landscape, you also have the many visitor centers that are located throughout the park. You have the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the entrance of the park in Cherokee, NC. There is an Old Mountain Farm set up there you can tour. Not even a mile down the road is Mingus Mill. It is an old mill that is working order.

In Cherokee, you also have the Oconaluftee Indian Village and Unto These Hills. They also have the Oconaluftee Indian Museum you can tour. Our family has enjoyed going here a couple of times and look forward to going back with the younger kids.

As you go farther west, you can also visit the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. My family hasn’t been here yet, but our homeschool will be planning a field trip here this summer. I have heard a lot of wonderful comments about this place and look forward to visiting it.