North Carolina's Slice Of Wild West Spirit Is A Thrilling Railroad With Ethereal Blue Ridge Mountain Views

North Carolina's gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a number of must-sees. One is Asheville, this year's most affordable leaf-peeping fall foliage hotspot in the country, where you can also enter "America's Favorite Drive," the Blue Ridge Parkway. Another is Beech Mountain, a cute town with the East Coast's highest mountain resort of the same name, only about a 45-minute drive from a nostalgic mid-20th century amusement park long treasured by those who have grown up in the area — the iconic Tweetsie Railroad.

Dubbed a "Wild West Theme Park Adventure," it opened in 1957 and was North Carolina's first theme park. Most locals know about the railroad, but if you're from out of town or state, the closest major airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport, about 90 miles away. Tweetsie Railroad's history dates back to 1866, when Tennessee's government approved a railroad to be built by the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad Company. The plan was to connect Johnson City, Tennessee, and Cranberry, North Carolina, with narrow-gauge locomotives. Operations began in 1882, and later construction would bring the railroad to the artsy North Carolina mountain town of Boone in 1919. Its nickname, Tweetsie, came from the whistling sound it made announcing its arrival.

However, as the demand for train transport decreased, service to Boone ended. The trains were scrapped except for Locomotive No. 12, which passed through numerous owners (including Western movie star Gene Autry), until purchased by local resident, Grover Robbins, Jr. More locomotives were added to the fleet, and Tweetsie Railroad was born again as a family-friendly theme park located between Boone and Blowing Rock, showcasing the beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Open weekends, as well as for special events, a visit to Tweetsie Railroad is not to be missed. A ride on one of its vintage steam locomotive trains is a step back in time, when train travel was at its peak. The 3-mile ride — a "Wild West Train Adventure" — is family-friendly fun for all ages. It's an enduring homage to railroading and a true Americana experience. Throughout the year, Tweetsie Railroad also offers holiday experiences, like the Halloween-themed Ghost Train and Tweetsie Christmas, as well as other seasonal events like meeting the Easter bunny, their July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza, and Railroad Heritage Weekend.

While Tweetsie Railroad is primarily known for its trains, there's plenty more to do. It has three themed amusement park areas: Country Fair, Tweetsie Junction, and Miner's Mountain, including classic rides such as a carousel, Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, Tweetsie Twister, a chair lift, and more. There's also Deer Park Zoo, open April through October, where visitors can meet and pet small farm animals like burros, goats, llamas, micro-mini donkeys, and miniature horses. In between rides, grab a bite to eat in the park's variety of restaurants, go shopping, play arcade games, and even pan for gold.

Guests can also take in a can-can revue or a magic show at the Tweetsie Palace. In Mountain Miner's Theater, children will especially enjoy the interactive Hopper and Porter's™ Musical Celebration. The theater also offers its Tweetsie Railroad Country Clogging Jamboree, which introduces guests to clogging, a style of dance from the British Isles popularized in the Appalachian Mountains, especially in North Carolina, where it is the official state folk dance.