The Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce reopened the Visitor Center located at 79 Parkway Dr, Spruce Pine on May 1st. The Visitor Center is located inside the National Park Service NC Minerals Museum, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The visitor center reopening is an important piece to the success of Mitchell County.
Following the Chamber’s Loss of funding for the visitor center due to a legislative change in 2022, the chamber board made a heartbreaking decision to not continue with the contract with NPS. But thanks to a concerned community partner, the chamber was able to fund almost 6 months of expenses. The chamber will be selling spotlight ads in order to cover the difference and hopefully extend the season longer than the required 6 month contract.
Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mandi Polly said, “We were so ecstatic when we were presented with the opportunity to possibly be able to reopen this vital asset in Mitchell County. The initial decision did not come lightly to the board and the vote to reopen was an unanimous yes. We could not be more relieved about this opportunity to serve small businesses, the community and visitors again at the largest opening to our county.”
