10 Things To Do In Murphy North Carolina | Hike, Eat, Gamble & More

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There are a lot of things to do in Murphy, North Carolina, a quaint mountain town in Western North Carolina with nature trails, movies, antiquing, and more.

For more help planning your trip, check out all of our travel posts.

A sign post in Murphy, NC with the words "10 Things To Do In Murphy, North Carolina" written next to it digitally.

Murphy is a peaceful small town in the mountains of North Carolina. One of Murphy’s big claims to fame is that it is closer to six state capitals than it is to its own.

But don’t use it solely as a place to sleep on your way to one of those capitals. It’s a great place to visit and to enjoy the great outdoors.

Where is Murphy, North Carolina?

Murphy is about seven hours from us in Wilmington and is very close to the Tennessee border, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Murphy is the westernmost town in North Carolina and Manteo, in the Outer Banks, is the easternmost. So you may have heard the phrase “from Manteo to Murphy,” which references when something happens statewide.

Oh, about those capitals. Murphy is closer to the capitals of Alabama (Montgomery), Georgia (Atlanta), Kentucky (Frankfort), South Carolina (Columbia), Tennessee (Nashville), and West Virginia (Charleston) than it is to Raleigh, North Carolina.

10+ Things To Do In Murphy, North Carolina

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See Alpacas At Two Crows Farm

If you need something to do, especially if you’re with kids, head to the alpaca farm at Two Crows Farm (1495 Boilig Springs Rd.). There are over 50 alpacas on the farm, plus a couple llamas, that you can visit with — as long as you call and schedule your visit ahead of time.

Believe it or not, Two Crows Farm isn’t the only alpaca farm in Murphy. There’s also an alpaca ranch at Cobb Creek Cabins (106 Cobb Cir.) That actually has a pretty interesting history. There are six waterfront cabins available for rental, and you get to explore its 23-acre farm, with alpacas, dwarf goats, Jerusalem Donkeys, chickens, and turkeys.

But, the farm is more interesting than that. It was established in 1881 and was (as far as I can find online) the residence of baseball legend Ty Cobb‘s grandparents. He would visit them from home in Georgia, and his aunt Nora would drive him to baseball games in her horse-drawn buggy.

There are a lot of things to do in Murphy, North Carolina, a quaint mountain town in Western North Carolina. Learn about some on www.drugstoredivas.net.

Visit Fields Of The Wood

Fields Of The Wood (10000 N Carolina 294) is a bible park that’s home to the largest display of the Ten Commandments in the world. That’s on the right side when you enter the park and is mostly what your see when you google the park.

On the left side when you pull in is Prayer Mountain. You walk up just over 300 steps from the bottom to top. Along the right side are bible verses that represent the history of the Church of God of Prophecy, the religious sect that built the park. There’s also a rotunda, called the Psalms Of Praise, with various psalms displayed around it.

At the bottom of the hill, there’s a baptismal pond and a replica of the tomb Jesus was laid in after the crucifixion. Around the back of the Ten Commandments is the All Nations Cross, worldwide flags displayed in the shape of the cross.

Fields Of The Wood is set in the beautiful mountains of Murphy and is definitely worth checking out when the weather is nice (this isn’t something to do when it rains because, besides the gift shop, it’s all outdoors).

Check out our full Fields Of The Wood review for more details about the park.

Go antique shopping

Murphy officially became a town 175 years ago, but people have been living here for thousands of years. With such a rich history, you know there are some great antiques in town. And there are really fun antique shops in the downtown area as well.

Every antique shop is unique, and a bunch are within walking distance of each other downtown, so check out as many as you can. There aren’t mass produced antiques, of course, so you really want to check out all the stores and see what you can find. We saw old antique milk bottles, casserole pans, egg carriers, and more.

In Carolina Crafting (49 Peachtree St), we also found a lot of handmade crafts. There were wooden items adorned with vinyl, wood burned items, hand pained items, and more. It was actually really cool to see the juxtaposition in of old and new items. That’s very much how the entire town of Murphy is.

Walk the Murphy River Walk

Murphy is right on the Valley River. Along parts of the river is the Murphy River Walk, a two mile stretch of (mostly) flattened trail. There are six parking stations and as many trail heads.

The Murphy River Walk will take you around Konehete Park, past Murphy Elementary School, through downtown Murphy, and onto a main road.

What I do about the Murphy River Walk is there are QR codes at various points. You can scan those with your phone for an audio explanation of the town, vegetation along the trail, and more.

My complaint about the Murphy River Walk, though, is it’s not a continuous loop that starts and ends at a parking station. There are a few different trails along the path and none are a full loop. So you either walk down the path, turn around, and walk back or you end up like us, making a left at the Lowe’s hardware store and playing Frogger to avoid passing cars.

For more intense hiking, with less main roads and cars to avoid, you can check out the Nantahala National Forest, the largest National Forest in North Carolina. It’s broken into three districts, with Tusquitee in Murphy. Tusquitee boasts three lakes, picnic areas, water for boating and swimming, camping, and space for other recreational activities.

Another option is the Hanging Dog Recreation Center (State Rte 1447). It has year-round access to Hiwassee Lake, where you can fish, boat, or kayak (swimming is not permitted. The campground area is permanently closed, so only day-use is available here.

Check out the Hiwassee Dam

If you’ve never gotten a chance to check out a dam (which sounds like an odd thing to say until you realize the Hoover Dam is a tourist spot), they’re pretty interesting. I don’t really understand the mechanics behind the turbines and how they generate power, although my dad did explain that to me when we were at the Hiwassee Dam (600 Powerhouse Road).

The hydroelectric dam was started in 1936 by the Tennessee Valley Authority, a building company in Tennessee (although this dam is in North Carolina) and took four years to complete.

It is a (just over) 1,200 feet walk from one end of the dam to the other, which is 307 feet above Hiwassee Lake, and you can get a really good look at the turbines. There’s actually one at Hiwassee Dam’s parking lot, so you can see it up close. That gives you a little perspective for the size when you’re looking down at the dam.

The area around the Hiwassee Dam is beautiful. You can see the Bear Paw water tower and mountains in the distance, and the water and grassy areas in the forefront. Photos don’t do the area justice. You really need to see the beauty with your own eyes.

Catch a movie at Henn Theatre

There were a few old timey movie theaters where we used to live in New York, and it was so much fun to see a movie at those theaters and feel like you went back in time. We only have modern theaters where we are in North Carolina, and they lack that charm.

So of course, I was so excited to see the Henn Theatre (38 Tennessee St) in downtown Murphy. It’s still a working theater. When we were there, it was showing the new Wonder Woman movie and the new Bill & Ted. Tickets were $5.50 each, for any age and any movie time. I would go see every new release for that price.

Catching a movie at the Henn Theatre is definitely something you can do if it rains in Murphy. So much of the town is outdoors, so it’s nice to have a few indoor options in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Eat at Main Street USA

My parents’ favorite restaurant in Murphy, North Carolina is Main Street USA (85 Hiwassee St). You can get the burger special, which is a burger, drink, and fries for $3.49. The burger is great too, topped with lettuce and tomato. It’s a real deal.

You can order other items as well, like the Hot Plate. That’s what Pete and I got when we went. For $5.49, you can choose one meat (I picked chicken, Pete got pollock), a bread (I picked cornbread and Pete got a biscuit), and three sides (we both got fried okra, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The last two came highly recommended). A drink is also included in the Hot Plate, so it’s a steal.

The cafeteria-style restaurant (cafeteria, like how restaurants were back in the day, not a school cafeteria) was packed when we went, and so was the drive through. So it’s definitely one of the hot spots to eat in Murphy. It’s generally only open for breakfast and lunch and occasionally for dinner.

So, if you’re looking for a definite dinner option, we really liked Rib Country BBQ (2121 E U.S. Highway 64 Alt). Get the onion loaf. Trust me.

Or, you can try Valley River Brewery. It’s Murphy’s only craft brewery, with 16 rotating taps, wood fire pizza, appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches.

Gamble at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino

The only reason we even knew Murphy existed in the first place is because of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino (777 Casino Pkwy). It is sister casinos with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, NC. We’ve been there before and it is a beautiful casino.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino is a little smaller, but it still has all the slot machines you could want.

There’s a food court at the casino with tables where you can relax and eat. You can’t bring any outside food or drinks onto the casino floor, but you can order drinks when you’re at the slot machines and card tables. North Carolina’s ABC laws don’t allow free alcoholic drinks to gamblers, but you can get free non-alcoholic drinks when you’re gambling in North Carolina.

Learn at the Cherokee County Historical Museum

Murphy, North Carolina is Cherokee County, so it’s rich in history, a history that you may have learned about in school — but maybe not. And even if you did learn about it, school was probably so long ago for you at this point. So going into the Cherokee County Historical Museum (87 Peachtree St), learning or relearning about the Cherokee tribe, and the area that you’re visiting is a really great idea.

The museum features over 2,000 Cherokee artifacts. What’s impressive is they were all collected by a local resident Arthur Palmer.

It also serves as an interpretive center for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Murphy has a deep history with the Trail of Tears. Fort Butler, one of the main holding areas for Cherokees being removed from North Carolina, was in Murphy. Fort Butler is no more, but you can read about the fort via historical markers.

Enjoy the mountains

Murphy is a very outdoorsy town. Murphy is nestled in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, right on the Hiwassee River. And there are a bunch of ways to enjoy those mountains.

Murphy is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, right on the Hiwassee River. There are a bunch of ways to actually enjoy the mountains.

You can drive through them. This is probably the easiest way to see them. Just jump in your car and enjoy the beautiful ride on the roads that wind through the mountain. This isn’t the best way for the driver to enjoy the mountains, though, because you really need to pay attention to the road. There are overlooks where you can pull over and park your car to get a view, though.

Or, you can go rafting or kayaking. There are so many outdoor companies in Murphy that rent out rafts and kayaks. So you can use them to go down the river, check out the mountains, see waterfalls (like Leatherwood Falls in the Fires Creek Recreation Area amongst others) and more. When we were driving, we saw so many rafters and kayakers in the water.

And, finally, hiking is a great option. Throughout the mountain, there are a bunch of pull offs where you can park and start your hike. Just be sure to only hike when it’s light out and be aware of when sunset is. You don’t want to get caught hiking in the dark. Some trails are open to horses and others allow mountain biking, so definitely research before you go, if you’re looking for something other than just hiking on your feet.

Read the Charters of Freedom

In downtown Murphy stands the Charters of Freedom monument (Valley River Ave), a display of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights. It’s a replica of the way the three are displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

To make this display more localized, the names of the North Carolina Representatives who signed the Constitution — John Penn, Joseph Hewes and William Hooper — are prominently displayed.