Voices of Inspiration
Voices of Inspiration is a travel podcast that goes beyond the guidebook. Hosted by Amelia Old, each episode centers on the people who give a destination its soul—travelers with transformative stories, locals who call these places home, tourism professionals shaping how we experience them, and others whose work or lives are deeply connected to a place.
Through candid conversations, Amelia uncovers the moments, challenges, and personal histories that reveal what a destination is truly like. These aren't surface-level travel tips—they're stories about identity, belonging, resilience, and discovery. The kind that help you understand not just what a place is, but why it matters to the people who know it best.
At its core, this podcast is about connection: how travel brings us face-to-face with perspectives we might never encounter otherwise, and how every destination becomes richer once you've heard the voices behind it.
Voices of Inspiration
Bryson City, NC’s Resilient Spirit and Holiday Traditions
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In this episode, I sit down with a leader who helps shape the story of one of North Carolina’s most beloved mountain towns. Bryson City, nestled in the Smoky Mountains, is known for its small-town charm, outdoor adventure, and holiday traditions—but recently the community faced an unexpected challenge when Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina. In our conversation, we talk about the spirit of Bryson City, the resilience of its people, and how a tight-knit community came together when it mattered most.
You’ll hear from the Executive Director of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority about what it takes to promote a destination that so many people love, how tourism supports the local economy, and why visitors returning after a disaster can make a real difference. We also talk about Bryson City’s magical holiday traditions—from the Polar Express train ride to festive downtown lights—and why this mountain town continues to feel like stepping into a Hallmark movie during Christmas.
Episode Highlights
[01:09] – My guest shares her role as Executive Director of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority and how tourism helps support Bryson City and the surrounding region.
[02:24] – A look back at how she first entered the tourism and hospitality industry after graduating college and discovering her passion for travel marketing.
[04:51] – What makes Bryson City special: the community’s strong roots, family heritage, and welcoming small-town spirit.
[07:08] – We discuss the impact of Hurricane Helene on Western North Carolina and how Bryson City experienced flooding while neighboring communities faced devastating damage.
[14:07] – A powerful story about local business owners standing together in floodwaters to protect their downtown businesses.
[18:40] – How Bryson City communicated with visitors and helped coordinate recovery efforts while supporting neighboring counties.
[25:19] – Why tourism matters now more than ever—and how responsible travel helps communities rebuild after natural disasters.
[29:55] – Holiday traditions in Bryson City, including the Polar Express train ride, festive downtown lights, and seasonal attractions.
Links and Resources
https://www.explorebrysoncity.com/
Instagram: @AmeliaOldOfficial
Website: https://AmeliaOld.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review Voices of Inspiration wherever you listen. It helps more listeners discover these stories—and helps communities like Bryson City continue sharing their spirit with the world.
Voices of Bryson City Tourism
Speaker 1Everyone has a story to tell. We connect and relate to one another when we share our stories. My name is Amelia Old and I am your host of Voices of Inspiration. Join me as I share stories of friends, family and strangers from my everyday life and travels. We will laugh, possibly cry or walk away, feeling connected more than ever to those around you and ready to be the change our world needs. Everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
Speaker 2Thank you so much for joining me today. I know that things have been very busy your way, especially over the last month, month and a half, and you're getting ready to go into a very busy tourism season, so I know things are busy. So thank you so much for taking time just to share a little bit about your story today.
Speaker 3Yeah, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2So can you just start off by telling us a little bit about your role in Bryson City's tourism development?
Speaker 3Sure, absolutely so. I am serving as the Swain County TDA Executive Director, so I work with a wonderful board that is basically. Our goal is to promote Bryson City, Swain County, and travel and tourism within the state, within our popular region I mean, obviously, anywhere we can. It's a very exciting role. It's like a quasi local government, quasi community, quasi PR marketing job. So it's very, very different than a lot of the jobs that I've had in the past. But I've been in Swain County and Bryson City for a long, long time so it seemed very natural.
Speaker 3I have a wonderful board that is just very passionate about the community and the tourism community and the tourism industry. So it's very, very helpful to have people that you're working with who are just as passionate. You're working with who are just as passionate, and the fact that these are, you know, local business owners, local community members themselves and they're taking the time out of their day to come and, you know, work for the whole of Swain County. So it's a really interesting job. Every day is different. We'll just say that Every day is different.
Speaker 2Never boring right. Exactly, Yep. What initially drew you to working in tourism? What?
Speaker 3initially drew you to working in tourism. Oh man, well, I actually graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2008. And so obviously we can kind of recall the time frame. Well, hopefully we can kind of recall We've been through so much these last what 15 years. I mean, it's been crazy.
Speaker 3But at UNC Charlotte my goal was actually to go into NASCAR, and so I had interned there at Charlotte Motor Speedway and, you know, just really sort of fell in love with the whole PR aspect of NASCAR and I thought, hmm, this is a big industry, but it seemed like a very tight-knit community. And so I remember having a conversation with my dad and I said, you know, I really am passionate about PR, pr and marketing, and I like the vibrancy of it, the excitement of it. And he said, well, you know, industries come and go, you know they're up and they're down. He said, but one industry that I feel like is going to be here forever is tourism. And I thought, hmm, tourism and hospitality. And I thought, yeah, you know, everybody wants to take a vacation, everybody has to go stay somewhere, everybody needs to enjoy, you know, time away from work and real life. And so it was just sort of a light bulb moment where I thought, okay, I've had fun in NASCAR, but let me try something. You know, as I'm graduating from college, let me try something that I think is going to be long lasting, and my focus was to originally get somewhere in Asheville. I wanted to be in the Asheville Mountains.
Speaker 3My family is from Hickory, which is the Piedmont area, but our roots are in Swin County, and it was just one of those keep searching, keep searching, keep searching until you can find something. And I landed a fantastic job at Great Smoky Mountains where I wrote in Bryson City. And just to be an early graduate in 2008 and really land a good job immediately was insane. So, um, yeah, I packed up from Charlotte and moved, you know, up to to Bryson city and, um, I was with the railroad for 13 years.
Speaker 3And, um, after those 13 years, it was basically like, okay, I'm committed to this industry. So the people that I've met, the experiences I've had, the places I've gotten to travel as a benefit of being in hospitality and tourism have been fantastic. And, you know, taking this step into an executive director role with Swain County was just a step. To say, you know, I worked for the largest attraction in Bryson City for so long Now I get to actually work for the whole county and it just seemed like a natural progression, and the excitement has not stopped. I'll tell you that.
Speaker 2How would you describe the spirit of Bryson City and its people to someone who's never been there?
Speaker 3Oh man, that is such a great question. You know, I feel like we all, when you ask those kind of questions about where you're living or working, you know we all feel like it's unique. Everybody's story, everybody's answer is unique to that location. And, you know, nobody else can experience the things that you're talking about unless they visit there or they're from there.
Speaker 3And so, man to really tunnel it down, if I'm explaining the spirit, there's a close connection in that community, where there's heritage, there's roots, there's culture, but there's also just a sense of hardworking, a drive, a goal of just always, you know, putting the best foot forward. And you know, just in general, as far as a working community, they're fantastic. I mean, you have families that have been there for years, I mean hundreds of years, who you know they still live in the same area that their great, great great grandparents lived in and there's something to be said for that. I think a lot of people appreciate that groundedness, that rootedness, to be exactly where their family's been for hundreds of years. As far as describing it as a travel and tourism destination, it is such a unique town I don't think it's the best kept secret anymore, because I think we've done a really good job of putting ourselves on the map.
Speaker 3But there is still that traditional small town mountain getaway location in Bryson City that you feel like you're at home, even though it's not your home we hear a lot of people talk about. Every time I go there, I want to move here, I want to move here, I want to move here and that really is. It's a place you can vacation and feel like you're coming home, but also feel like you get the adventure and excitement of a vacation. You know you do things that aren't normally what you do in everyday life. So if you're looking for that like just quintessential small mountain town experience, that's Bryson City and there's such a warm connection that the town itself just holds and resonates with visitors just holds and resonates with visitors.
Speaker 2Unfortunately, just back in September Western North Carolina faced great devastation with Hurricane Helene. Can you share a little bit about the challenges Bryson City faced with Hurricane Helene and maybe even your own personal experience in those first couple of days?
Speaker 3Yeah, well, first and foremost, I will say that we have, just as a community and just personally, we've been brokenhearted to see some of our neighboring counties and what they're going through. The devastation is unimaginable. You know, obviously, in the travel and tourism world, devastation is unimaginable. Obviously, in the travel and tourism world we have close connections business-wise, and so a lot of those places like Asheville, chimney, rock, beach Mountain, boone, bulling Rock, grandfather Mountain, we all have personal connections with, not only on the business side but on the personal side, and so just the stories and what we've experienced through their eyes has been devastation, I mean completely devastated, and our hearts have broken and breaking for them.
Speaker 3Fortunately for Bryson City, because the way that the storm tracked it took a eastern turn towards I think that last couple of hours, which was not anticipated, but because of that, that last couple of hours, which was not anticipated, but because of that, our far western North Carolina counties like Bryson City, swain County, graham County, clay, those counties did not receive as much damage as our eastern neighbors, but we did have flooding. We had some flooding downtown and that was minimal and I say minimal in comparison to what you saw everywhere else. It was minimal and you know, as fast as the waters came, they receded quickly. This type of flooding was different because it brought in so much of the mud and the silt and all the nastiness from the rivers and so yeah, just it's. It was something that I had never experienced, because you think when you're in a hurricane, first of all you think of the beach or the coast and you see the palm trees, you know, bent over sideways. So a hurricane coming through the mountains and the terrains of the mountains is something that I have never experienced in that way. So you think of, you know the flooding and how that happened. It wasn't a. It wasn't a. There were flash floods, but it was a slow progression. It was, you know, standing there watching the rivers rise and knowing there's nothing you can do. You just have to let it do what it's going to do and then try to regroup and figure out what to do to clean up. So, with Bryson, they knew the river was going to flood, they knew it was going to, they figured, okay, it's going to come over its banks, it's going to come and spill it into main street. So the business community, especially in downtown I mean immediately acted. We're banding together, we're putting out sandbags.
Speaker 3Obviously, one of the biggest stories has been the lack of communication. That happened, you know, right as the hurricane hit, and that was 100% true. The cell phone service and wifi-Fi was going out, you know, intermittently. You would have it, you wouldn't. And so this really came down to people being there on site in the moment communicating face-to-face about hey, we need sandbags over here, hey, we need to go into this business and get their stuff up off of the ground, or you know how, we need to go check on this person over here. So it was so interesting to see that happen because you're, you know, you're so used to just picking up your phone and shooting a text. Are you okay, are you?
Speaker 1there.
Speaker 3Well, when you can't do that, you've got to go physically there and see that. So the the downtown Bryson city, like I said, they, as quickly as the waters came, they receded and, um, just as fast the business community banded together and said, hey, we got to clean up, we got to figure out how we can help each other. You know, what do you need? Do you need shovels? Do you need an HVAC, do you need, you know, dehumidifier, what do you need? And so, really seeing that happen, I think that it set a tone for how Breslin City was going to operate from that point moving forward. Their biggest concern was to take care of each other, take care of their neighbors and then, you know, make sure they can make Bryson City as safe as possible. You know, personally I don't live right in downtown Bryson City, but I live in the area, and so just trying to communicate with my own people and my own people that I worked with was so difficult, and then adapting to what we had to do, just to get it done, of communicate with my own people and my own people that I worked with, was so difficult, and then adapting to what we had to do just to get it done. You know, driving 30 minutes outside somewhere to go get cell phone service, you know, trying to ration your groceries, trying to make sure you can save whatever's in your freezer. We, you know, we were all sort of dealing with it in our own way. But as far as just downtown Bryson City itself, they really were super reactive, super helpful and fortunately, like I said, we did not see the devastation that our neighbors saw After the initial cleanup began and things were starting to roll.
Speaker 3I think the next turn was we were all standing there going. How can we help our neighbors? How can we help Buncombe? How can we help Old Fort? How can we help Marion? What can we do for Chimney Rock? And again, that's just a testament to the Bryson City spirit Once they know they're okay, they're going to turn and help their neighbors. They're going to turn and help those people that they know they need help. So, yeah, it's, it's one of those experiences that I wish I was a journaler, because I would love to have journaled the entirety of it so that I could recall it clearly, because I, you know, I don't think I'll ever see anything like that in my lifetime. I hope we don't ever see a hurricane like that again in our lifetime, because it will be. There will be lasting effects, absolutely, it will be. There will be lasting effects Absolutely.
Speaker 2Yeah, I agree. I live just outside of Charlotte, so I'm not terribly far away and I've never seen anything like that either. I've spent a lot of time in the mountains and I've never seen anything like that. And to your point about the cell phone service and communication for those that have spent time in the North Carolina mountains or any mountains, really there are a lot of times where that service can be spotty anyway.
Speaker 2And so add this into it. You know it makes sense as to why it just was non-existent. Through all of this, I've spoken to a couple of people you know about their experiences and what they've gone through. A couple of people you know about their experiences and and what they've gone through, but also other stories that they've seen, maybe in their communities or nearby. Is there one? I know that there are many, but is there one particular story that just really stands out to you that in that moment you were just really taken aback with feeling inspired, having hope, overwhelmingly, feeling just like, wow, you know this, watching everyone come together. You know it's the one story
Bryson City's Post-Storm Resilience
Speaker 2that sticks out.
Speaker 3One of our business owners her name is Erin and she owns Humanity Boutique and she and I had been texting, and the way that the storm came in in the morning, the early hours of Friday, it was like we had cell phone service for a good amount of time and then all of a sudden it just went out. You know, it just was very random. And so in that morning we had been texting each other back and forth and I had been trying to pop on Facebook and figure out what's going on. And, um, there was a moment when the cell phone service went out and and we were mid texting each other, you know, and she was saying, um, I've, I've got to run downtown, you know, we're going to check on the businesses, I'll let you know. And I said, okay, great, just let me know. And she said, vice versa, you know, I was teetering on what I have to evacuate, not sure, waiting on those orders as well, and then the cell phone service just went out, done, and there was a good probably four or five hours where I just kept thinking what's going on, what's going on, what's going on. And so, after the storm had cleared, going on, what's going on, what's going on. And so, um, after the storm had cleared, interestingly enough after the hurricane moved through, it was a beautiful day, I mean, the blue skies were out, it was, the temperatures were cool, I mean it was it was a gorgeous day. And so, you know, I thought, let me head out and try to find cell phone service. So I headed east, you know, towards towards Asheville, to see if I could find some service. And as soon as I got service, you know, my phone just started paying immediately.
Speaker 3And I got onto Facebook and, um, you know, there was just post after post after post of photos that were coming in from people downtown that were taking pictures. And, um, you know, just not not edited photos, not perfectly shot photos. It was literally just, we're trying to share information because we know it's getting. You know, communications are down. And I saw there was some photos about Everett Street and Main Street, specifically where Erin's business is at, and you know she had posted and she said you know, we are getting out there as fast as we can with sandbags. You know, please just hold on, we're getting to you as quickly as we can with sandbags. You know, please just hold on, we're getting to you as quickly as we can.
Speaker 3And then, right after that post, I saw another picture and it was about three or four of those business owners, including Erin and some of her staff, and they're standing in the middle of the road and you know, like shin, deep water and they, they. You have this photo and it's looking out and you can see the rest of the street flooded and they're there standing there with sandbags. I mean not even paying attention to what's going around them, and I knew in that moment okay, bryson City is going to be okay because of people like Aaron, because of people like Aaron's staff, because of our town, because of our mayor, because of our aldermen and board members, because they're there and they're getting out there immediately. And even though I couldn't communicate or text with them because texting or cell phone service was down, I still could get those glimpses of photos coming in and just the amount of people communicating back and forth via Facebook.
Speaker 3Um, it was super heartwarming because, you know, typically speaking, social media isn't always the best platform to go on and natural disasters are really, honestly, every day, because it can be so negative and it can be so crazy with people's opinions and just the way they talk to each other. But in this moment, for probably that good hour that I was on Facebook, I got more information in that hour and more photos in that hour than I had probably gotten in the following week, because people were just trying to desperately update. And that sense of hope and seeing those people saying, you know, our businesses are flooding, but we're still out here on the street trying to help the other businesses as well, was so heartwarming and so encouraging to know, whatever is happening and until I can figure out exactly what is happening, they're taking care of each other and there's something to be said for that and I'm glad that that positivity was on Facebook and was shown in that way that it was.
Speaker 2Absolutely. I do think that that um it throughout this social media has been helpful in the beginning, especially in the beginning. Um, it was really helpful for um, all of the communities that were facing it to kind of share information and because at times, from my understanding, you could access something like social media but you couldn't get text through.
Speaker 3It was always so spotty, it was crazy, so yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, so I think that that it was definitely really helpful during that time. What steps have been taken to make sure that Bryson City is ready to welcome winter visitors? I know it's going to be. It's a busy time of year for you.
Speaker 3Yeah, absolutely Well, again, our first step obviously was the initial cleanup and then really the things that we had focused on, even in the following days and really up, honestly, until last week, is trying to clearly communicate to our audience what's going on. And again, this goes into the feeds, into the whole social media thing. Everybody has an opinion, everybody has an assumption. You know they can, and, again, freedom of speech, they can say whatever. But we really focused on we're going to report the facts, we're going to, you know, clearly show and try to tell everyone the current, you know, situation status of Bryson City. And that really started within a couple of days when we knew, okay, we've surveyed the damage, we are not hit as hard as the other places. So we need to make sure and basically set the narrative straight, set the narrative correct and at the time, within those first, within that, well, honestly, within the first couple of weeks, you know, generally as a whole West North Carolina was not the place to be for a tourist. You know, we had people who were evacuating from Asheville coming west to us and saying, you know, hey, they told us we needed to leave. Where can we go? What can we do? And so, you know, no, we should not have had tourists, we didn't want people there the first couple of days, within those first reactive days, because people needed to get the help, we needed to get emergency services in and then we needed to survey the damage, you know in general. And so you know, once again, after the couple of days, we said, ok, we're OK. Then it was let's connect with our state level and our DOT levels and let's really figure out what roads are open, what major interstates and highways are open, where is it safe to travel through? And then how do we make sure our guests know that? And again, the reactivity of people within the first couple of days was a little concerning, because we saw people thinking oh, you know, they're not going to open at all this year, they're going to be closed up until, you know, next year.
Speaker 3And although it could seem like that, with the images coming through, we really dedicated ourselves to saying we're going to show real-time footage, real-time images, to show this is what we look like, this is, you know, this is when we're ready and we want our tourists and our visitors to take the safest routes possible. So, again, becoming that entity that clearly and transparently reports the ways to get here and the appropriate ways to get here. You know, that's pretty much how we reacted and really focused on that, and I will have to say our state travel and tourism visitancy did an excellent job of really corralling us all together. You know, within the first couple of days, we those who were able and had power and were able to do it we were able to jump on a call with each other. So not only was the state aware of who is open or who can be open and who cannot be open, and also, you know, the ones that weren't hit as hard were aware of the ways that they could help, the ways that they could. You know, if they needed to help their neighboring county or community, they would know immediately who to contact, what to do. And then also we knew the ways in which we could appropriately promote. You know we wanted people to come when it was time and ready, but we want them to take their route and focus on going the route.
Speaker 3Don't stop. You know one of our major interstates runs through Asheville, obviously, and so with 40 being closed and, you know, opened again, it was okay, you can travel, but please don't stop in those counties that aren't taking visitors. Please don't stop and use their gas. Please don't stop and get their groceries. Come to us, we're ready. But you know again, travel safely, but travel straight to your destination.
Speaker 3So those were some of the ways that we were really trying to prepare and again, the business owners we had full confidence in them. They were very open and honest with us about here's the situation. This is how long we think it's going to take and fortunately for us, it was a couple of days. There were some other locations, like Darnell Farms is one of our big agro tourism, cultural entities here and they flooded there. Some of their fields flooded and so they had crop damage and things like that.
Speaker 3And so just them clearly and transparently communicating with us about, you know, this is what we're going through, this is what our needs are, um, but we can still do X, y, z. That was super helpful. So, um, again, it was just preparing everybody, but also making sure that we're clearly communicating. I can't stress enough how important clear communication is, especially with a natural disaster, and so we were. There was some points where I was thinking, okay, I'm just going to send like a letter, or I'm going to get a pigeon or something because I can't get a text out, I can't get an email out, I can't get there. So let me try to figure out whatever I can do to get information out. And I think that's one of the biggest things I recall about this whole experience is just how difficult it is to try to communicate with people when your main avenues of communication is gone. Yeah, so yeah, but like I said, we were very fortunate to be opened and ready very quickly, but we wanted to be sensitive to those around us who were not ready.
Speaker 2So to those around us who were not ready, and that's one of the things that I really appreciated from you guys and the others in Western North Carolina was the fact that everyone was transparent and being very clear about what they needed, whether they were accepting visitors or not, because, especially as things went on, we all saw that there was a lot of information some true, some not true that was going around and coming straight from the tourism boards. That was incredibly, incredibly important to say. This is what we need yes, you can come here or no, you cannot come here, and I think that that was very important and I think everyone did a really great job with that. Can you talk about why it's important for visitors to come and see you and support Bryson City right now? I know that even still, there's some hesitation on some people feeling uncomfortable traveling to certain areas. Can you talk about why it's important to travel there and how visitors can still come enjoy a weekend there while being respectful to neighboring counties that might have been affected?
Speaker 3Right. Well, you know, I think our, again our travel and tourism for the state has taken a really great approach that I think kind of reflects all of our opinions is the best way for our communities to get back is for our visitors to be back, and I think that that, you know, just that thought alone is basically what speaks. You know, miles and miles and miles. It's we.
Supporting Western Carolina's Tourism Recovery
Speaker 3You know a lot of our counties, a lot of the counties in Western Carolina obviously have experienced unimaginable economic devastation, and not only just that but infrastructure and land and building. And, you know, obviously, with deaths as well, they've just experienced something that is unimaginable. But what is even more unimaginable is, you know, the economic impact that will have. And you know a lot of the counties that again were able to kind of get back up very quickly on their feet. They were very much aware of not only what was currently going on but then also what could have happened or what can happen if economically things begin to take a turn. And you know we all we're in a recessed economy. We all know that. You know we understand that the everyday tourist guest is going to be making decisions. You know, hey, do I save for six months to take a vacation, or do I use that money within my own family budget for other things? We understand that that's happening and so it's so important for our communities to say again the best way for us to get back and the best way for us to help our neighbors get back is to come back and to visit and to support those economies that can be supported. You know travel with that in mind, knowing that you know we welcome you. These counties are welcoming you, and even the counties that aren't necessarily welcoming right now, they will be ready to welcome you at some point, whether that is within 2024 or within 2025, they will be ready at some point to welcome you. You know the travel and tourism industry is extremely resilient. They have weathered, you know, storms up and down, whether it's hurricanes, tornadoes or you know they've weathered those kinds of storms, but then they've also weathered the economic storms, and so when, again, you have a spirit like Bryson City that's so focused on resiliency but also tight knit connection, they are ready to work to make things better, but then also work to welcome people to. You know their vacation, and so I would understand and I do understand people's hesitation and that's where I just encourage people to you know number one don't get all the information about traveling via Facebook or social media.
Speaker 3You know. Go to your destination's website themselves. You know, for example, the Biltmore. The Biltmore is open in Asheville but there are certain steps and ways that you would take to get to Biltmore. They have, you know, altered some of the entrance ways to get in. Don't go to Facebook to find that out. Go to the Biltmore's website. Go to Asheville's website.
Speaker 3You know, especially even traveling to Bryson City, don't go to just a general Facebook page about. You know someone's opinion. Go to our ExploreBrysonlincitycom and check it out for yourself. Find the direct link to it. And again, it's it's asking the guests to be informed, to try to be informed.
Speaker 3And we all know when you go on vacation you don't really want to process any information, you just want to go and be like somebody else, take care of it. I'm here, I want to take just like a brain vacation day. We get it. But do a little bit of pre-planning, you know. Plan your trip and go directly to those sources and find that information. And, you know, travel with that in mind, knowing that you're supporting not only that county's economy but you're inevitably supporting their neighboring economies as well Because, rest assured, all of the counties who are able to, all of the people, the businesses within these counties, not only are they using their economic success to support their business but they're going to, in turn, support other people's businesses, other people's livelihoods, because you know they want that. We all want everyone to succeed. You know a rising tide raises all boats. We all want everyone to succeed. You know a rising tide raises all boats, all ships, and we want to make sure that we can support that rising tide, not only for our communities but for other ones as well.
Speaker 2Really great advice. Let's talk about some of the fun things that Bryson City has going on this winter. What types of activities or attractions or traditions are going on in the next couple of months?
Speaker 3Yes, absolutely so. Bryson City, I think, is a hallmark town. Honestly, I know that's a trademark, but I do. I think it's a hallmark town. We've called it the heart of the holidays because it really has such a great Christmas spirit. A lot of that is, um, due to the Polar Express. So the Polar Express is our insanely popular Christmas train ride at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and, um, you know that always brings thousands of people to Bryson City, families and and generational families, which is great, and it brings them all in their PJs, which we love. Because where else are you going to go to a small town and see, you know, 500 people walking around in PJs eating at the pizza place or you know, grabbing coffee or a Danish at the bakery. So that itself is pretty cool to come in and see that. So obviously, the Polar Express is one of our biggest holiday things to attract people. But you know we have our. The yard is one of the places here that we've opened up that has ice skating, they do hot cocoa and cookies and that's really cool, because you know, we wish we were in the mountain areas that got snow all the time. That's not necessarily possible, so anytime we can experience a winter treat like ice skating. That's really fun.
Bryson City's Christmas Season and Resilience
Speaker 3Bryson City also has a drive-thru light show called the Great Smoky Mountains Christmas Light Spectacular, which is a fantastic thing to do in your car with your family or your pets. You know, bring your snacks, drive through. We've got fun Christmas music playing and it's a really, really, really fun light display. And then, just in general, our downtown merchants. You know downtown is lit. We have our main county Christmas tree area at our county courthouse. That's historic, that it really makes you feel like you've stepped into a Hallmark movie. You know the lights are twinkling, the shops are open, the restaurants are open and you know people are milling around. There's always activity and you know, I think again, that's part of the spirit that it holds. It's just, we understand the importance of Christmas and we also understand the importance of the spirit of Christmas and for the most part we have participated in that spirit year over year over year and we just keep building on it.
Speaker 3You know there's wonderful lodging as well. I mean, if you want to come somewhere where you have other options besides just a hotel, we've got cabins, we have glamping, we have really unique places that you would never like. An Airbus. I mean, you would never think to say I'm going to stay in an Airbus or an Airstream. There's all kinds of options to stay that really make your vacation unique. So, yeah, christmas is our season and we are very excited to finally be in it. We can't believe it. It's been so fast, but yeah, we're very, very excited about Christmas.
Speaker 2I do feel the same. I cannot believe that we're already at the holidays. Yeah, it's crazy. So I have one more question for you. I ask everyone this question every episode. Do you have a favorite quote or any words of wisdom that you would like to leave behind?
Speaker 3Oh man, um, hmm, that is a really, really great question. Um, oh goodness, I'd say a quote. This is, I feel like it's so cliche and I don't. I mean, yeah, I have a, um, a very interesting take on trying to and this may just be because I've been working for so long and my age or whatever, but I tried to um, you know, let things come and go as they, as they are, and so I've heard this and we all say it, but it is what it is. You know, it is what it is, and I don't say that in a cynical or a negative way.
Speaker 3You know, we are especially in this line of work, travel and tourism. It ebbs and flows. You know, there's things that happen that are out of your control, and the good thing is is you can receive it, deal with it and then move on, let it go, and that's good and bad, and so, generally speaking, yeah, it is what it is. You know we've had an interesting season, but it is what it is and we're going to make the best of it. Um, even if it's not what we would love to see, we're still going to do the best we can to make it the best it is. And, um, yeah, I think a lot of times I wake up in the morning and I just think, well, this and this and this could be better, and we could do this, this, this and better. But you know what it is what it is, and most of the time it's wonderful, it's perfect, it's great, um, and so, yeah, that's as far as a lasting legacy I would not want that to be it, but as as far as the line of work that we're in, it is what it is and it's okay, it's going to be great. You know, and I really have felt so much pride for Bryson City in this community and to see how they've, you know, dealt with this whole situation because, again, it was unprecedented.
Speaker 3Nobody knew what to expect and just to watch them respond and then watch them take that aspect of, hey, we've had some, you know, we had flooding, or my business is flooded or there's mud everywhere, but they said it is what it is and we've got to clean it up and we've got to keep moving forward and, you know, we've got to open, we've got to keep moving. And I think that there's something to be said for that, because they didn't dwell, they didn't stop, they didn't say, okay, this is it for us, we're done, we can't rebuild, we can't move, we just we're going to stay here. They said, nope, we're going to keep moving forward. And they have really made Bryson City what it is and have really.
Speaker 3I think there was a few couple of integral days where they could have lost, they could have lost the season. They could have said, nope, we're just going to give up, we're not gonna, you know, we're not gonna, we're not going to do anything, we're just going to sit here. But they said, nope, we're going to capture the spirit, we're going to keep on moving, we're going to get ready and we're just, you know we're going to trust each other.
Speaker 2We're's been amazing to watch the community do that. My husband always tells me to only focus on what you can control, and I think that Bryson City has done a really wonderful job of that through the last month.
Christmas Spirit in Bryson City
Speaker 2Thank you so much for taking time to be with me today and sharing a little bit about Bryson City, and I know that you guys are gonna have an amazing holiday season and I can't wait to come visit. Yeah, I really appreciate you being with me today absolutely.
Speaker 3Thank you for having me and, like I said, we're welcoming everybody. So, please, if you need somewhere to travel for Christmas, we have got you taken care of. Come to Bryson City and you can visit us at explore Bryson City, comm. And yeah, you come, just bring your Christmas spirit with you, because there's enough of it to go around.
