Waynesville, NC Road Trips

Waynesville was the scene of the last and perhaps most unusual skirmish in the eastern theater of the American Civil War. On May 6, 1865, Union Colonel William C. Bartlett's 2nd North Carolina (Federal) Mounted Infantry were attacked at White Sulphur Springs (east of Waynesville) by a detachment of rebels from Thomas' Legion of Highlanders, who had been summoned by locals.

Buildings and places listed on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 Boone-Withers House, 305 Church St. It was built about 1883, and is a 2½-story, Late Victorian style frame dwelling. 2 Citizens Bank and Trust Company Building, 161 N. Main St. A two-story, brick and marble front rectangular building in the Classical Revival style 3 Francis Grist Mill, N Main St, Walnut St, and Beech St. A functioning Grist Mill that was built in 1887. It is a 1½-story, heavy timber frame mill building sheathed in board-and-batten siding. 4 Frog Level Historic District (roughly bounded by Commerce and Boundary Sts., Water St. and Richland Creek, Depot St., and 80 Commerce St). It includes Early Commercial architecture and Romanesque architecture. The buildings are predominantly one- and two-story brick or frame buildings dating from the first three decades of the 20th century. Notable buildings include the C.G. Logan Auto Company (c. 1915), the Medford Furniture Company (1912), the T.N. Massie & Son building (c. 1900), and the North Carolina National Guard Armory (1936). 5 Haywood County Courthouse, Main and Depot Sts. It was built in 1932, and is a three-story, ashlar stone veneered rectangular building in the Classical Revival style. 6 Alden and Thomasene Howell House, 129 Woolsey Heights. It was built about 1905, and is a 2½-story, Shingle Style frame dwelling. 7 Masonic Hall, 37 Church St. It is a three-story, Classical Revival style steel frame and brick building. The Three Seven is now a meeting and venue space Charles and Annie Quinlan House, 274 S. Main St.

Waynesville is connected to Interstate 40 and the rest of southwestern North Carolina via the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, providing easy access from Knoxville and Asheville. The Great Smoky Mountains Expressway is a four-lane divided highway between Sylva and Exit 98 near West Waynesville. Then it is a four-lane freeway to Interstate 40 near Canton. It has exits for Hazelwood, West Waynesville and Russ Avenue through the town. Asheville Regional Airport and Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport are the nearest airports. Asheville is about a 40-minute drive east, Knoxville is an hour and a half to the northwest.