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Yancey is an elevated county (population 17,800) with some of the highest mountains to be found in Western North Carolina—and in the eastern U.S., for that matter. It makes sense, then, that the county offers living situations and outdoor experiences that go above and beyond the norm, presenting you with many opportunities to Live Abundantly.
While mountain traditions run deep in Yancey, the county has recently made some key modern advancements. In late 2012, the main highway through the county, US 19E, was expanded from two lanes to four, aiding travel to and from the area. That said, there's actually one less reason to drive out the county: In a 2010 referendum, Burnsville residents okayed alcohol sales, so Yancey is no longer a dry county.
Yancey is also home to one of the most unique communities in the South: Celo, a settlement and land trust founded in 1937. There, some 40 families adhere to a loosely defined humanist ethic and help run a collective farm, and the Arthur Morgan School, a progressive middle school with roots in Quaker values and the Montessori educational approach.
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Nearby Mount Mitchell is surrounded by the 2,000-acre Mount Mitchell State Park, which is full of choice spots for hiking, camping, picnicking, and outdoor education. Several trails of varying lengths lead to the summit of Mount Mitchell, where an observation deck offers the perfect perch for high-altitude sightseeing. The summit can also be reached via a short, paved, ADA-accessible path. Halfway to the summit, the Park Restaurant serves up vittles with a view. Flowing right by the park is the Toe River, which offers premium trout fishing and whitewater rafting.
In addition to its peaks and valleys, Yancey County is known for its extraordinarily rich artistic output. The county boasts more than 400 full-time and 200 part-time working artists, including basket makers, glassblowers, metal smiths, painters, papermakers, potters, quilters, sculptors, and weavers.
Located on the border of Yancey and Mitchell Counties is the renowned Penland School of Crafts. Innovative artists—both emerging and established—come from all parts of the country and represent the creative mission of the school. In addition to a sales area, there is a gallery that has an ongoing series of invitational shows and walking tours of the campus.
The performing arts have a strong presence here, as well. Founded in 1947, the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville is the longest-running community theater in North Carolina. It produces a wide range of performances and has a special dramatic arts education program for children aged 4–18. They create distinctive productions for their audiences that often are crafted and performed by artists who live in the community. This commitment makes the theatre experience at the Parkway Playhouse unique.
Twice a year, the Toe River Arts Council sponsors the Toe River Studio Tours, as scores of local artists, from both Yancey and neighboring Mitchell County, open their studios for a free, up-close look inside the creative process. And each August, downtown Burnsville comes alive with local art at the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair, which has been celebrated for more than 50 years.
The Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is held in Burnsville each September. It started as a small gathering of authors and readers in 2005 and has blossomed into a full-fledged literary happening complete with readings, workshops, plays, and seminars. The event is free and draws some of the region’s most popular writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
One standout Burnsville institution is the Nu Wray Inn, built in 1833. The oldest lodging house in the region, it has hosted such notables as Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, and Elvis Presley. The inn is known both for its historic charms and signature Southern breakfasts, with most menu items sourced from local farms.
The John Wesley McElroy House was built around the same time, in 1840, and also plays an active part in saluting Burnsville's heritage. McElroy, a local businessman and lawyer (and later a Confederate brigadier general) constructed the 3,000-square-foot home as a mountain mansion for his wife, Catherine. In later years, the family of William Moore, a state senator, and Union Army officer, took residence in the home. In the early 1900s, it served as Burnsville's first post office, before being abandoned and falling into disrepair over the decades. The home got a new lease on life in 1987 when a local historical association purchased it and established the Rush Ray Museum of Yancey County History.
