Visit with Transylvania

Transylvania County is located in the Appalachian Mountain range in Western North Carolina, 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC and 60 miles north of the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC area. The county is a short drive to the I-26 and I-40 intersection near Asheville and a 20 minute drive from the Asheville Regional Airport via a 4-lane highway NC 280.

The county was formed in 1861 from parts of Henderson County and Jackson County. Its name is derived from the Transylvania Company and has Latin origins: trans ( "across") and silva or sylva ("woods").

Over a third of the county is part of Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Forest and Gorges State Park, home to the largest Black Bear Sanctuary. There are almost 500 miles of mountain trails in the county for you to enjoy.

The county has a total area of 381 square miles, of which, 378 square miles of it is land and 2 square miles (0.57%) is water. There are over 250 waterfalls in the county, partially due to the fact that Transylvania County is the wettest county in the state. This is contrasted with Buncombe County, thirty miles northeast of Transylvania County receiving the lowest precipitation. The Blue Ridge Parkway traverses parts of the county, affording spectacular views of the Appalachian Mountains, which reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m). The highest point, Chestnut Knob, 6,025 feet (1,836 m), lies northwest of the county seat of Brevard.

From the brushstroke on a local painter’s canvas to the stirring conclusion of a grand symphony, Transylvania County’s artists and performers provide visitors countless opportunities to enjoy a level of creativity as exceptional and varied as its mythic landscape.

These mountains teem with a rich cultural heritage and an imaginative spirit that unites virtuoso violinists with bluegrass fiddlers, contemporary sculptors with indigenous potters, Shakespearean actors with old-time humorists. There’s a little something for everyone, whimsical, studied or sublime, no matter where your flight of fancy may lead you.