To get the most out of your vacation days advance planning is essential fun. Enhance the time spent daydreaming about your upcoming trip by reviewing these helpful travel websites.

Area Information
A very active and well maintained website, Welcome to Maggie Valley, developed by the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, provides a wealth of information that is updated daily. This website provides local weather reports along with links to live webcams and a critical events calendar. It also provides tips for hikes, scenic drives, and entertainment within minutes of downtown Maggie.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority provides an extensive overview of activities in the Maggie Valley area. Developed locally by people in the know, it links to activities that are off the beaten path as well as information about the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and local waterfalls.

Guided Hikes
A visit to Maggie Valley/Waynesville would not be complete without a visit to see the elk of Cataloochee Valley. Cataloochee Valley Tours will take you there. April through October the valley is host to a variety of natural beauty. Along with the elk you can see unique wildflowers and birds in April and May and the show of the synchronous fireflies in May and June.

Motorcycle Tours
For motorcyclists or for anyone who wants to find great loop tours in the valley check out America Rides Maps. Wayne Busch, “The Map Guy,” has covered thousands of miles to develop maps that take riders on the most scenic and challenging rides in the area. The website provides custom designed maps, tutorials, and links to Wayne’s blog.

Fly Fishing
For beginners to experience fishermen, the people at Waynesville Fly Shop are your connection to successfully fishing the Haywood County area.

This nationally maintained website Trails.com should be a go to for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities. With detailed information on trail heads and maps for hikers, bicyclists, campers, scenic drivers, Trails.com is an essential resource for planning a visit to Haywood County.

If you are interested in hitting Harrah’s, the quickest way to Cherokee from Maggie Valley is definitely US 19. But, if you are interested in the cultural side of Cherokee, the Blue Ridge Parkway takes you on a direct route to a wonderful day of exploration.

The Blue Ridge Parkway, Scenic Ride to Cherokee
The Blue Ridge Parkway provides a unique and scenic access to Cherokee from Maggie Valley. Traveling from mile marker 455.7 in Maggie to mile marker 469.1, you will arrive at the southern entrance/exit of the Parkway. With beautiful overlooks along the way, the 30 minute ride to Cherokee is spectacular. As you exit the Parkway, you will arrive at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This stop is worth the ride with a Mountain Farm Museum to explore and a gentle hike along the Oconoluftee River to take.

Museum, Art Galleries, and Live Performances
But, you won’t want to linger too long. Because as you continue along US 441, 2 miles south, you will enter the cultural side of Cherokee.

One of your first stops should be the Native American Craft Shop, as much a gallery of native American art work from around the country as a retail store.

Not far up the road you will encounter the main cultural intersection .

Everyone of these activities is well worth your time.
1. “Unto these Hills: A Retelling” provides a live reenactment of Cherokee history, the second longest running outdoor drama. Summer performances only
2. Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, the oldest and leading Native American Arts Cooperative in the United States, represents a wide variety of artisans. Open year round
3. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian retraces the 11,000 year history of the Cherokee of western North Carolina. Open year round
4. Oconluftee Indian Village recreates the lifestyles of the Cherokee in 1759. May through October

Light show starts in mid June
Unless you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia this year, the only way you will get to experience the synchronous fireflies is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Appalachian Voices provides an excellent explanation of the natural phenomenon. Catch a photographic view of the natural light show at the Knoxnews Blog.

Elkmont Historic District
If you are looking for an excuse to start your trip to the mountains in June, this rare event can be viewed for two weeks in mid-June at the Elkmont Historic District in GSMNP, a wonderful collection of abandoned cabins. The cabins began as part of a logging camp at the turn of the 20th century. Eventually, the area evolved into an elite club for the wealthy of East Tennessee. In 2009, the park service decided to restore these buildings that are now on the National Historic Register.

So, if you can’t time your trip to arrive for the synchronous light show of the fireflies, Elkmont and the Little River Hike should still make it onto your to do list when you visit Mystic Mountain and the Great Smokies.

TIPS
1. Book in advance as availability is limited.
2. Mention the Scrapbookin’ Getaway to receive your free gifts from Mystic Mountain and Haywood County Tourism.
3. Decide in advance if you want to schedule a crop at Pretty Crafty.

I wanna scrapbook but can’t find the time. Check out the Scrapbookin’ Getaway for you and your girlfriends at Mystic Mountain Cabin in Maggie Valley, a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains. At Mystic Mountain, you will find an assortment of cropping tools, idea books, and how-to DVD’s. Plus as a member of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority , Mystic Mountain will provide you and your friends with a wonderful Spa Gift with a retail value of $115 from HCTDA.

When you arrive, you will be treated to a Welcome bag with goodies for your first morning at the cabin. You also will find one of a kind scrapbooking gifts in your Scrapbookin’ Getaway Gift Bag along with a $40 gift certificate to Pretty Crafty, a wonderful scrapbooking supply store. Scrapbook uninterrupted from morning to night while you spend quality time with your girlfriends.

At a group rate of $174.83 per night (minimum of 3 nights) in a cabin that sleeps up to 6, you receive lodging, the spa gift, the scrapbooking gift and the $40 Pretty Crafty gift certificate. With 6 girlfriends splitting the cost, you could finally find the time to get all the scrapbooking done that you want for as little as $30 per girlfriend per night. Limited availability. Go to Mystic Mountain Cabin to check availability and book your Girlfriend Getaway now.