It’s a very special year at Fryemont Inn. It’s our 100th birthday! We are eager to invite you all to join us to celebrate all year long.
2023 Event Schedule
We’ll be celebrating like it’s the roaring 20s all year long, so feel free to don your flapper fringe and jazz suits to dinner and events during your stay.
Opening Weekend: April 21st – 23rd
Kicking off our 2023 season and our 100th anniversary is our opening weekend party. Friday will be our Innkeepers reception with complimentary wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres. Saturday will include a champagne and charcuterie happy hour, trivia contest, scavenger hunt, storytelling and the start of our 2023 time capsule. We are all so excited to reach this incredible milestone and hope you will make plans to celebrate with us. It’s going to be an awesome weekend!
Kephart Days: May 19th – 21st
A Celebration of the Life of Horace Kephart
“I think we owe the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Horace Kephart and his understanding of the healing power of the wilderness.” –Filmmaker Ken Burns
Horace Kephart was a conservationist, historian, travel writer and librarian, who wrote “Our Southern Highlanders”, a fascinating tale of his life in the Great Smoky Mountains and the people he met in Western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century.
He also wrote the classic outdoors guide “Camping and Woodcraft” and “Smoky Mountain Magic”. But most importantly he was instrumental in establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail to protect the area that he loved so much.
Join Kephart enthusiasts, scholars, and members of the Kephart family as we celebrate the life and legacy of Horace Kephart as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the historic Fryemont Inn.
Fryemont Inn guests are invited to join the Innkeepers, Libby Kephart-Hargrave, great-granddaughter of Horace and Laura Kephart, and musician Lee Knight for a complimentary wine reception on Friday evening.
Other weekend activities will include a walking tour of the Bryson City Cemetery with Don Casada, the unveiling ceremony of two new grave markers honoring Laura Kephart and George Masa at the Bryson City Cemetery, speakers Ethan Becker (“The Joy of Cooking”, K-Bar Knives), Jason Brady (Special Collections, Western Carolina University), Libby Kephart Hargrave, Dale Stewart (explorer, audio documentarian) and dinners at the Fryemont. More details are available at www.HoraceKephart.com.
Bluegrass, Bootleggers, and Barbeque: June 2nd – 4th
A 1920’s prohibition era speakeasy house party featuring live music by “Granny’s Mason Jar.”
Following in the footsteps of Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White, and Tony Rice, Granny’s Mason Jar brings together the talents of Blue Smith (The Blue Revue, Bluegrass Lumber Company) and Aaron Plantenberg (Commonfolk, Big House Radio) to continue the tradition of flatpicking, travis picking, and other traditional acoustic guitar styles.
