You’re cruising through the Blue Ridge Mountains, windows down, taking in that crisp mountain air, when suddenly—wait, is that a castle?
Your eyes aren’t playing tricks. Rising from the North Carolina wilderness like something from a European fairy tale stands Smithmore Castle, its white turrets piercing the sky in magnificent defiance of everything you thought you knew about Southern architecture.
Let’s be honest—castles aren’t exactly what come to mind when thinking about North Carolina landmarks.
Yet here in Spruce Pine, at nearly 4,000 feet elevation, stands an architectural marvel that has visitors questioning whether they’ve somehow crossed an ocean without noticing…