Carolina whistle-stop with mountains of charm

December 17, 2006|Beth D'Addono, Globe Correspondent

DILLSBORO, N.C. -- There was a murderer aboard the train. And it was our job to solve the caper.

The train in question is the vintage Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, chugging along about an hour north of Asheville. We had boarded the mystery dinner theater express, along with a cast of suspicious characters, including Hugh R. Awsum, a Hollywood filmmaker, starlet Anita Tallwon , and the guilty-looking Ben Dover, stuntman to the stars.

Although the ensuing drama was good fun -- Anita did it -- and dinner was surprisingly tasty, they couldn't compete with the stunning views from the passenger cars of the Tuckasegee River and the gorgeous rolling Smoky Mountains that attract visitors to this western corner of North Carolina year round. Still, the train is a huge draw, with its many themed and specialty excursions, bringing 200,000 passengers annually to this town of just 236 people. A different train line, the Western North Carolina Railroad, is the reason the town exists at all. Dillsboro was founded in 1888, when the arrival of the train out of Asheville created an economic boom.

Some residents, like Theresa Dowd, came as tourist s to ride the train and decided to stay. Dowd was an urban planner in Annapolis, Md., when she came to Dillsboro with her son, a train enthusiast. Today, she is the owner of the West Carolina Internet Café, dispensing chai and cappuccino, scones, and free Wi-Fi access to her customers.

"I guess I always had a dream of getting away from the rat race, and this is the nicest little town I've ever been to," she says.

A ride through "downtown" Dillsboro takes about two minutes. But turn off the main street, Haywood Road, and head a few blocks toward the river. On Webster, Church, and Front streets, all of which lead to or abut the railroad tracks, more than 40 merchants sell everything from country kitsch to high-style home accessories. The latter is the forte of partners Bud Smith and John Miele, who have owned the Golden Carp for 17 years.

"We're half-back Yankees," says Smith. "We went to South Florida, then we came half way back." The shop's eclectic collection of imported and locally made serving dishes, lighting fixtures, textiles, and chic bric-a-brac would be at home in any big city.

There aren't too many places to stay in town, but what's there has character. The mayor, Jean Hartbarger, and her husband, Jim, run the Jarrett House, a ramshackle inn that dates to 1884. Known for its family-style dining -- fried chicken is a specialty -- and friendly service, the Jarrett House offers comfortable (and sometimes architecturally odd) rooms at a good price.