COWEE BALD FIRE TOWER - Cowee Bald Fire Tower is an active fire tower used by the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources. The tower provides scenic views of three counties. Travel north on N.C. 28 from Franklin. Turn right on Cowee Creek Road (S.R. 1341). Go 1.5 miles and turn left on Leatherman Gap Road. This road will become Forest Service Road 70 and take you to the fire tower. This is a steep gravel road. Cowee is Cherokee for place of the deer clan.

GEM MINES - Franklin is known as the "Gem Capital of the World". There are many gem mines in Macon County. The largest group of mines is located in the Cowee Valley, north of Franklin. Other mines are off N.C. 28 and U.S 441.