Linville Falls Village

The Village of Linville Falls is located on Highway 221 atop the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with an elevation of 3400 feet and an average summer temperature of 67 degrees. Unique in location, it is situated in three counties: Avery, Burke and McDowell. The friendliest and happiest people on earth live in this "air-conditioned by nature" community and offer a haven of rest and recuperation for the weary.

This region was the summer home of the Cherokee Indians until military removal in 1778. Their name for the falls was "The Great Falls" and the river "Eeeseeoh," the river of cliffs. In 1766, William and John Lynvile, while on a hunting trip, were massacred by the Indians two miles above the falls. The area then assumed the name of Lynvile and the falls were known as "the Great Falls of Lynvile."

At first there was only one distinct falls cascading over the rock formation. In the 1873, the lower ledge gave way. Now the Upper Falls flows over a twelve-foot rock shelf, then the water drops 90 feet at the Lower Falls into a swirling pool. This pool, known as the Plunge Basin, heads the 12,000 acres of Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, unequaled in depth and wilderness in eastern America. For a distance of about 12 miles below the falls, the turbulent river flows in a series of cascades through a narrow gorge. The sides of the gorge reach to depths of 600 to 2000 feet and cut down through the eroded Linville quartzites into the granite below.

Linville Mountain and Jonas Ridge cradle the river making accessible the many trails into the gorge and views of the beautiful and intriguing formations of Sitting Bear, Hawksbill, Table Rock and the famous Brown Mountain Lights.

We invite you to experience our lodging, restaurants, village businesses, and area churches and attractions. We can host weekend getaways, vacations, celebrations, reunions, weddings, and more.