Grumpy Bear RV Park and Campground- Bryson City, North Carolina (May 2019)

The drive from Blue Ridge, Georgia to Bryson City was very nostalgic to me. We traveled on two-lane mountain roads with swift moving streams following along the sides of the highway. I could not help but think of the many times during my childhood my parents traveled similar roads while on our family vacations. 

The warm memories of happy times from my childhood had me in a great mood to start the WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International) Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan. This caravan will travel the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway for the next four weeks. 

The sign at Grumpy Bear

Our first campground was Grumpy Bear Campground and RV Park in Bryson City, North Carolina. This campground was about 15 miles from the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

To answer a potential question, we didn’t see any bears while camping at Grumpy Bear. I doubt that a bear would be grumpy here because this campground was along the shore of the Tuckasegee River. The sound of rushing water flowing behind Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, was very pleasant. So how could a bear be grumpy here?

Rosie and a few Airstream Friends

There was a strawberry festival going on over the weekend across the street from the park. We ate more than our fair share of strawberries while at this campground. 

Barn at the strawberry farm across from Grumpy Bear Campground 

Strawberries!

Becky came down with a cold so she skipped the whitewater rafting trip down the Nantahala. Breaking a long family tradition, Steve didn’t fall out of the boat and into the water while going through the rapids. 

Steve survives the whitewater raft trip

Here are some specifics about this park:

• Our site was gravel 
• We needed to use leveling tools on our site
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp power service
• Our site had water service 
• Our site had sewer service 
• The park's restrooms and showers were clean and up-to-date
• The park had two washers and dryers in the laundry area
• We were able to watch NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. We were also able to receive Antenna and ME-TV digital channels 
• AT&T placed two bars of 4G service over our site good for both voice and data 
• This was a pet friendly park

By the way, the campground owners were very friendly and helpful during our stay. They went above the call of duty to make sure everything was good while we were there. 

Becky bought this beaded belt created by the Cherokee Indian shown in this photo 

A Cherokee Indian creates pottery

Original stketchbook watercolor art created by Becky of the barn at the strawberry farm

Original stketchbook watercolor art created by Becky of the view behind Rosie