Campgrounds??

Comment by Dena Howard on May 29, 2009 at 9:26am

Count us in - we're going !!! Kids r gonna be ticked off if we don't find a place where they can go tubing and knee-boarding. I just thought about that spot over on Micken's Branch at Hiwassee Lake where Stacey and I camped about 5 or so years ago. It was a pretty good spot and we were able to drive down to it and pull the boat right up to the bank.

Comment by John Dilbeck on May 29, 2009 at 10:06am

Good morning, Stacy.

I know you already know about Hanging Dog Campground on Lake Hiwassee, so it doesn't really count as a recommendation, but it played a big part in my decision to move here in the first place.

In the early 1970s, I lived in the Atlanta area and used to come up here to camp there. Back in those days, I kept a canoe tied on top of my truck all the time. What I liked about the Hanging Dog Campground is that it was a good place to stay for a few days and then take some very easy day trips to canoe the Ocoee River and the Nantahala River. I also enjoyed driving over to Cherokee and visiting the museum, Oconaluftee Cherokee Indian Village, and seeing "Unto These Hills."

One of the reasons I liked visiting this area was because of my interest in the Cherokee Indians, so I did a lot of travel in the area, related to that. I still enjoy the idea of living in Cherokee County.

Sometimes I'd just come up and camp overnight to get away from Atlanta and find some peace and quiet.

When Mom and Dad retired, they wanted to move to the mountains. Dad was raised in Benton, Tennessee and Mom was raised in Gainesville, Georgia. Both of them still had a lot of relatives in those areas and wanted to live somewhere so it would be convenient to visit them.

I'd also become a real fan of the John C. Campbell Folk School, which is located in Brasstown, NC, about a dozen miles or so from Murphy. I loved their Fall Festival, Friday night concerts, and meeting all the talented artists who taught there.

So, when Mom and Dad were talking about retiring, Dad and I drove up here and looked around the area. We found two houses he liked. One was between Andrews and Topton and the other was north of Murphy about three miles from the Hanging Dog campground.

They bought the house near Murphy and lived here for many years. Both of them were very happy that they moved here.

Later I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, but came back here to live when Dad was sick and needed some help caring for things. He recovered and got to where he could out-work me, again. ;)

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that I'd probably never have met you in the first place if I hadn't loved the Hanging Dog campground so much.

While it's not in Murphy, I also used to enjoy camping at Standing Indian campground between Hayesville and Franklin. It's quite a bit higher up in the mountains and was a cool place to spend some hot summer days.

As far as I can remember, those are the only two campgrounds I used to visit in the area.

I hope you enjoy your camping trip.

Act on your dream!

JD

Comment by Stacy S. Howard on June 1, 2009 at 6:38pm

Thanks for the info John, and it was real nice to hear you personalize it. That's a great story, and I too, have camped at both campgrounds. But I am still interested in hearing and learning of others in and around Murphy. So, if you happen to hear about any others, please let me know. Tks, Stacy.

Comment by John Poltrock on June 4, 2009 at 9:40pm

Stacy, My brother-in-law owns a BEAUTIFUL lot right on Davis Creek. It has water, power, and sewer hook up right there. There's no toilets there, so you might have to rough it a bit unless you have a camper. It's GORGEOUS! 15'+ RUSHING creek will really put you to bed at night. Email me at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com if you have any interest in more.

Comment by John Poltrock on June 4, 2009 at 9:41pm

That pic turned out weird, oh well. It's something else! That's my daughter and nephews having a ball playing in the creek.

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