MAGGIE VALLEY, N. C, -- This little town in the Western North Carolina mountains is sort of like Gatlinburg, Tennessee's little brother.
The area has many of the same kind of attractions as its more well-known neighbor on the other side of the Smoky Mountains, but it does lack one major thing: The traffic jams.
Maggie -- just like Gatlinburg -- has a beautiful mountain stream running through it, lots of motels/hotels/restaurants, a beautiful golf course, a snow ski area, and it borders the Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
But U. S. Highway 19 running through Maggie Valley rarely has a traffic jam, a common occurrence in Gatlinburg.
Aside from the beautiful mountains and crystal-clear Jonathan Creek (a mecca for tubers and kayakers/canoists) Maggie Valley has three prime venues for daytrippers and overnighters:
1. The beautiful Maggie Valley Club golf course, which has undergone several million dollars in improvements in the past year and now ranks as one of the best golf facilities in Western North Carolina/East Tennessee.
2. Ghost Town in the Sky. a western theme park offering dozens of rides, shows and food venues.
3. Cataloochee Ski Area, a mountaintop ski area affording spectacular views and the longest ski season in North Carolina (traditionally opening in November and closing in March).
Each of these venues attract more than 100,000 visitors each year.
Some details about each:
The Maggie Valley Club is really the star -- or should I say four-star -- attraction in Maggie Valley.
Those who love mountain golf should not miss the chance to check out this 6,500-yard venue, and it's not even all mountain golf. The front nine is located in the valley and is punctuated by a meandering small creek and several ponds.
Maggie offers a challenge from the blue tees, but the 6,100-yard white tees and seniors/ladies tees are manageable for the average golfer.
The back nine, which wends through mountain forests and lovely flora and ponds, is where the real risk/reward fun begins. You face challenging uphill doglegs, but then you find downhill 330-yard holes overlooking valley vistas. The mountain nine rises 800 feet from the valley floor and offers some of the most picturesque and fun venues to be found in Eastern America.
Maggie Valley, first opened in 1963, has upgraded itself to four-star status by spending about $7 million on its 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, restaurants, conference center, fitness center, fairways, bent grass greens, cart trails, traps, etc. New cart trails were added to the front nine last year and the back nine will get new trails later this year. In fact, the club won a national award this spring for its extensive renovations.
The clubhouse features stone accents, rustic timber beams, stone fireplace, fitness center, first-class locker rooms and a dining room.
Green fees vary seasonably, but the current rates are $80 for 18 holes (with cart) and $60 for nine holes (with cart). Rates are $60 and $50 in the spring and winter (beginning in November). Rates are also $10 cheaper after noon each day.
Maggie Valley Club has several golfside two and three bedroom fully supplied condo units available for rent (including golf packages) or sale.
For more Maggie Valley Club info: toll-free 800-433-3861 or internet at www.maggievalleyclub.com
Until 2007 Ghost Town was literally a ghost town as the facility had been closed for four years.
But new owners spent about $4 million to refurbish the facilities and reopened it to the public in 2007, with nearly 200,000 people checking out the western theme park.
Ghost Town, which first opened in 1961, is located alongside U. S. 19 and you get to the park by taking a chairlift or incline railway up the steep mountain (or you can ride a shuttle bus).
Once you reach the 99-acre Ghost Town site at the top of 4,000-foot mountain peak you can see staged gunfights, check out Silver Dollar Saloon dance hall girls, enjoy live music and shows, crafts, food, etc.
For Ghost Town info: 828-926-1146 or the Internet at www.ghosttowninthesky.com
Cataloochee Ski Area is also reachable off U. S. 19 and offers both beginners, intermediate and expert ski areas, as well as tubing and a terrain park (with ramps, rails, boxes).
The runs are served by chairlifts.
Lift prices and rentals vary according to age, but generally run from $14 to $18 per person.
For Cataloochee information: 800-768-3588 or on the Internet at www.cataloochee.com
Maggie Valley is located about 90 miles southeast of Knoxville. Take Interstate 40 east toward Asheville and get off at the Maggie Valley exit and follow the signs. For general information about Maggie Valley accommodations, attractions, restaurants, things to do, etc., contact the Maggie Valley Visitors Bureau at 800-624-4431 or the Internet at www.maggievalley.org.
By the way, Maggie Valley got its name from a man, Jack Setzer, who wanted a post office for the community. In 1900 he petitioned the U. S. Postal Service to set up the post office. They eventually granted his request in 1904 and asked him to name the town. He named it after his 14-year-old daughter, Maggie.

This story was published on 23 May 2008.