3 Best Performing Arts in The North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina

The well-respected Highlands Playhouse, an Equity theater, puts on three or four productions each summer. It also doubles as a movie theater, with new and classic films screened year-round.

A project of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association (SAHA), Horn in the West is an outdoor drama by Kermit Hunter that traces the story of Daniel Boone and other pioneers, as well as the Cherokee, during the American Revolution. The drama has been presented since 1952. Performances are held nightly, Tuesday through Sunday from late June to mid-August. SAHA also operates the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum,adjacent to the Horn in the West amphitheater. The museum can be visited before the show.

More than 6 million people have seen this colorful historical drama, which tells the story of the Cherokee people from 1780 to the present day. First presented in 1950, the outdoor spectacle has been updated over the years with new scripts and costumes. The show runs from early June to mid-August. Contemporary plays are also presented in the 2,100-seat Mountainside Theater.