The Swain County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Main and Fry Streets in Bryson City, the county seat of Swain County, North Carolina. The two-story Classical Revival structure was designed by Frank Pierce Milburn and R. S. Smith, and built in 1908.
It has a central core block, which is fronted by a Classical tetrastyle portico with Ionic columns and has a hip roof. This block is flanked by symmetrical wings, except for the southern façade, where a secondary entrance is flanked by Ionic pilasters. It is the county’s third courthouse; the first was a log structure built in 1872, and the second was built in 1880 after the first burned down.
The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The building is now used as the Swain County Heritage Museum.
This is the current Swain County Courthouse. It was built in 1982 by Grant Architects, Wilkie Construction Company, Inc.
The Road to Nowhere
The Road to Nowhere, a scenic mountain highway that takes you six miles into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ends at the mouth of a tunnel. On the map, it is called Lakeview Drive, but to the citizens of Swain County it is “The Road to Nowhere — A Broken Promise.”
Great Smokey Mountains Railroad
Ride the train along side the Nantahala River to the Nantahala Gorge and back again. The trip lasts four and a half hours and includes your meal. Beautiful views and good food and beverage service too.
Great Smoky Mountains
A short drive from Bryson City is one of the entrances into the Great Smoky Mountains and several trails. The park has camping and grills for day trips.