Things to do in Brevard, NC

Brevard, North Carolina used to be a small town that hardly anyone had heard of, but over the past few years has really gotten the attention it deserves.

Brevard is called The Land of Waterfalls – and for good reason. There are 250 waterfalls located in and immediately around Brevard. It is home to Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreational Forest and Gorges State Park. 

Many of the waterfalls are easily accessible, including Whitewater Falls (the highest falls east of the Rocky Mountains, with its awesome 400 foot drop), Looking Glass Falls, and Hooker Falls.

Festivals

Several times a year Brevard will host different festivals, including:

• BANFF Film Festival – outdoor film festival featuring breathtaking documentaries about the great outdoors held in March.
• Assault on the Carolinas – annual cycling race that winds through some of Transylvania County’s most spectacular landscapes with 100k, 60K and 40K rides that is held in April.
• Pisgah Stage Race – five-day, mountain bike single-track course that runs 195 miles, climbing over 28,000 feet held in April.
• The White Squirrel Festival – free annual event celebrating Brevard’s furry mascot featuring a music festival showcasing some of the best local and regional bands for two nights in downtown Brevard held in May. During the day there are costume contests, arts and crafts, food and a “squirrel-box” derby.
• Songcatchers Series –  acoustic, open air concert series featuring some of the finest folk performers in Western North Carolina held in July.
• Mountain Song Festival – charity concert series featuring the best in acoustic music including bluegrass, newgrass, old time, folk, jazz and traditional mountain music held every year in September.

Museums & Performing Arts

There are several museums in Brevard. Probably the most well known is the Cradle of Forestry, which is open mid April through early November. The Cradle of Forestry has programs where you can learn all about forestry, see restored 1900s buildings, hike two paved trails (where you can see a portable saw mill and a logging locomotive that you can climb aboard).

The Forest Discovery Center has 15 hands-on exhibits including a fire fighting helicopter simulator over a forest fire and an “underground” exhibit where you can see which animals live under the forest floor.

The Adventure Zone is a series of hands-on activities (indoors and outdoors) designed to help children and adults with autism become active in the outdoors and gain a better understanding about the natural world.

Interested in space? Well, the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute may be just what you are looking for. You can explore a 200-acre former NASA facility. At PARI, you can enjoy hiking trails, campus tours, scenic mountain views, hands-on space and earth science exhibit galleries (Space Shuttle artifacts, satellites, and a collection of rare minerals and meteorites, plus more) a nature center and more. PARI is closed on Sundays.

The Transylvania Heritage Museum showcases the history and heritage of Transylvania County. Exhibits change twice a year, and end each year with a special, for fun, Holiday Display. There is also a Children’s Garden with monthly activities where children can learn about “How Things Grow” and many other interesting things about gardening.

If you prefer performing arts, may we recommend Brevard Little Theater (a local community theater in Transylvania County), Paul Porter Center (at Brevard College and features the Brevard Philharmonic, Brevard Community Band, Transylvania Choral Society, chamber music performances, the Artist Series, and more), and the Brevard Music Center (hosts various concerts throughout the summer).

Water Falls near Brevard

Looking Glass Falls

Hooker Falls.