My friend, Danita, and I took a trip to Cherokee, North Carolina today. Our plan was to first stop at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the southern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Visitor Center is home to the Mountain Farm Museum, a collection of historic buildings gathered from across the park that give visitors an idea of what life was like on a mountain farm a century ago.

After checking out the museum, we would then get on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the entrance for which is next door to the Visitor Center. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile long scenic highway that connects Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee with Shenandoah National Park near Waynesboro, Virginia. The name "Blue Ridge" is a reference to the mountains on which it is built. The plan for today was to explore the first 75 miles of the Parkway from Cherokee to Asheville. We picked this day in hopes of seeing the beautiful fall colors

We arrived at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to find live Bluegrass music on the large covered porch.

Live music at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Live music at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

A couple of guys were "Mountain Dancing," a mix of tap and clog dancing native to Appalachia.

Mountain Dancing.

Mountain Dancing.

Mountain Dancing.

Mountain Dancing.

Mountain Dancing.

Mountain Dancing.

The name "Oconaluftee" is a reference to the Oconaluftee River that flows next to the Visitor Center property. The path to the Mountain Farm Museum follows the river. I spotted this tree that looks like it fell over at some point, but kept growing at an angle.

The tree's roots are exposed, but do a good job of holding the leaning tree in place.

The kid in me wanted to start climbing. But my 51-year-old self was quick to remind me that I am not a kid any more, and that a trip to the emergency room would probably follow.

Tree on the way to the Mountain Farm Museum along the Oconaluftee River.

We spotted several museum visitors including this guy hanging out next to the river.

Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

He may not have been happy with the paparazzi taking his picture. But he gave me a few good poses.

Soon we arrived at the Mountain Farm Museum.

The John Davis Cabin dates from approx. 1900 and is named for its builder. Davis and his sons built the cabin in the Deep Creek, North Carolina area.

Looking upward at the hand-cut roof shingles of the Davis Cabin.

The cabin was hand-built using Chestnut logs and dove-tail joints.

The Spring House originally sat in the Cataloochee Valley area of the park. This is the 19th century version of "refrigeration," and was also a source of fresh water.

Detail of the Spring House.

Macro detail of the Spring House.

The Blacksmith Shop.

The Blacksmith Shop dates from approx. 1900 and came from the Cades Cove area.

Anvil inside the Blacksmith Shop. For some reason, I have trouble looking at an anvil without laughing because the first thing that comes to mind is Looney Tunes cartoons and Wile E. Coyote.

Detail inside the Blacksmith Shop.

The Hog Pen.

The hogs in residence had absolutely no interest in the paparazzi on this day.

The Enloe Barn dates from approx. 1880 and is so named for its builder, Joseph Enloe. The roof consists of around 16,000 hand-cut shingles. This is the only building in the museum that is original to the site, (Enloe owned the land on which the Visitor Center and museum sit).

Tools on display in the Enloe Barn.

The bottom floor of the barn housed livestock and tools.

The upper level of the barn housed hay and grain.

Looks like an old broom hanging from the rafters in the Enloe Barn.

Period correct farm equipment outside of the Enloe Barn.

Farm equipment detail.

The fence that surrounds the garden and crop areas.

The garden and crop areas needed a robust fence to keep animals out.

Danita checking out the displays.

Danita checking out the displays.

The Sorghum Mill. Sorghum cane was fed through the rollers to squeeze out the juice, which was used to make molasses.

Detail of the animal-powered Sorghum Mill.

After the juice was gathered from the Sorghum Cane, it was boiled over the Sorghum Furnace to produce thick and dark molasses.

Named after its builder, Will Messer, the Messer Applehouse was originally located in the Little Cataloochee area of North Carolina.