Explore Macon County Franklin- Cowee- Highlands

Worth visiting

Franklin

• Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum — housed in the historic 1850 Macon County Jail, ~6,000 items across mining history, fossils, Native American artifacts, and gems from all 50 states. Free admission.

• Macon County Historical Museum — local history housed in a 1904 historic goods store.

• Scottish Tartans Museum — the only American extension of Scotland's own Scottish Tartans Museum; trace your family tartan.

• Known as the "Gem Capital of the World" — over 10 local gem mines around Cowee Valley offer hands-on sapphire and ruby mining.

Craft & culture

• Macon County Gemboree — late July, one of the region's best-known gem shows.

• Franklin's Gem Shows — Franklin hosts multiple gem and mineral events around the same dates (2026: May 15-17 and July 23-26). GLW Shows (the same organization behind the famous Tucson Gem Show) runs a large wholesale-only tent for dealers and buyers, but multiple additional tents in the same parking area are open to the public. This year also brought two large public gem and mineral areas off the Highway 23/441 Highlands Road exit — fully open browsing and buying for visitors, no trade credentials required.

• PumpkinFest — October, 120+ vendors including mountain arts & crafts.

Cowee

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center — a 1943 stone schoolhouse, built by the WPA, now a nonprofit arts and heritage hub just a half mile from the ancient Cowee Mound. Home to eight resident artists, the Cowee Pottery School, and Cowee Textiles — a weaving and spinning program teaching the craft from raw fiber to finished cloth. The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild of WNC meets here the 2nd Monday of each month at 10am. The on-site Cowee Mercantile sells work from resident artists and local makers.

• T.M. Rickman General Store — built in 1895, operated by the Rickman family until 1994, now preserved by Mainspring Conservation Trust. Open Saturdays, 10am-4pm, May through mid-December, with weekly bluegrass and old-time jam sessions and mountain dancing. Sells work from local artisans — pottery, hand-carved wooden utensils, corn husk dolls, stained glass, turned wood, and more. A short walk from Cowee School.

  Craft & culture

  • Franklin Area Folk Festival — third Saturday in August, held in the historic gym and stage at Cowee School.

  • Cowee Christmas — annual holiday celebration at Cowee School, timed alongside Rickman Store's own Christmas open house the same day — visitors often do both in one trip.

Highlands

• The Bascom — a visual arts center on a mountain plateau with rotating exhibitions, studio art instruction, a sculpture and nature trail, and a retail space featuring local artists.

• Highlands Museum & Historical Village — local history exhibits tracing Highlands back to its founding in 1875 as a summer mountain escape.

• Highlands Biological Station, Nature Center & Botanical Garden — 450+ species of trees, ferns, and flowers, run as a field station for the region's ecology.

Craft & culture

Mountaintop Art & Craft Show — a two-weekend event bringing 80+ regional artisans to Highlands for demonstrations, fine art, crafts, and entertainment. 2026 dates: June 27-28 and August 29-30. Organized by the Mountaintop Rotary Club of Highlands.