Just Outside Asheville Is A Resilient North Carolina Town With A Historic Main Street And Outdoor Access

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers has described his town's recent history as something out of the Book of Revelation, and he's not far from the truth. However, despite a run of bad luck, Canton has invested in outdoor spaces and maintained the charming historic Main Street that makes it one of Western North Carolina's most compelling small towns.

You see, for 115 years, this town was not on many tourism itineraries. It was known for one thing: its paper mill. The mill's stench, which (according to the New York Times) locals called "the smell of money" but neighbors called "a giant fart cloud," kept most visitors from seriously considering spending time in downtown Canton. In 2023, the mill closed, taking with it the smell of paper and more than 1,000 jobs from a town of just 4,500 full-time residents. It was a devastating blow to the Canton economy, and things were only about to get tougher. Sixteen months after the mill closed, Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, including Canton. The Pigeon River, which flows directly underneath Main Street, surpassed its all-time historical crest by more than 4 feet, causing damage that Smathers called "apocalyptic." A town that was still absorbing the loss of its largest employer was suddenly underwater.

I have been to Canton several times since these events, and I am happy to report that somehow, some way, Canton has come out on the other side of tragedy. It is now a serene, locally-oriented destination with a lot going on. Just a 30-minute drive from the Asheville Airport and roughly 20 from Downtown Asheville's heart, "Papertown" is one of the more authentic small-town destinations in Western North Carolina.

Most Canton residents will likely tell you the same thing former mill warehouse manager and high school football coach Jody Mathis told the New York Times: Canton is "never going to be a tourist town." That's exactly what makes downtown Canton worth a visit. Walking on Main Street is a great example of the beauty of the smaller, blue-collar Appalachian towns committed to taking care of themselves from the inside out.

Canton is no cultural mecca or sprawling destination with block after block of charming shops, but it's downtown options are high quality. If you're into the craft of coffee, you won't need to drive to Asheville for espresso. Just walk in to Papertown Coffee, an independent Main Street coffee shop that shines a spotlight on its passionate baristas. Down the street is Grateful Table, a gourmet grocer that works double duty as a retail shop and breakfast/lunch option full of local flavors. Every time I go to Canton, I try to get a Bacon Pimento Cheeseburger at J-RO's, which serves up Haywood County beef with a mouthwatering variety of condiments. Mack's Shack BBQ wasn't open last time I was in Canton, but this food truck turned brick-and-mortar shop downtown looks good enough to justify another trip.

Once you're fueled up, you can easily explore Main Street Canton in an hour or two, stopping at shops like Blue Moon Books, which highlights local authors. Between the area's wide-ranging gift shops (like Geek Mountain and Maddie's on Main), you can also find locally-made souvenirs for loved ones of all tastes.

Canton has invested heavily in expanding outdoor recreation opportunities around town, most notably at Chestnut Mountain Nature Park about 2 miles east. The town (via the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy) took ownership of the land in 2022 and turned it into 450 acres of mountain biking and hiking trails. The park's spine is the Papertown Express, a 5.7-mile out-and-back trail that takes you to the top of Chestnut Mountain. You can find solitude and still reach the mountaintop on the hiking-only Dutch Cove trail, and if you don't feel like going up, the Old Timer trail takes you deep into the woods without much ascent.

Before all those new trails, Canton was already well-located for outdoor recreation. The town is surrounded by parks and mountains: There's the Pisgah National Forest to the east, the Cradle of Forestry in America to the south, Cherokee National Forest to the north, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the west. You could spend several seasons working through the hikes, waterfalls, and viewpoints within an easy drive of town.

If you've only got a long weekend, head straight onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, only 30 minutes away via windy Cruso Road, which follows the Pigeon River out of downtown. Turn left onto the parkway, and you'll soon land at the foot of Skinny Dip Falls, a short parkway trail with overlooks and waterfalls. Or, you can turn right towards an easy out-and-back hike with incredible views via the abandoned and restored Frying Pan Mountain Lookout Tower. You can also skip the parkway entirely. Last time I was in the area, I went straight from Cruso Road onto the Pisgah Highway to check out the Twin Falls and Clawhammer Falls loop, a lowkey hike that starts about an hour from Canton at the Pisgah Forest Riding Stables.