Plan Your Visit
Artisan Gallery
The Stecoah Artisan Gallery provides a local sales venue and marketing support for more than one hundred local and regional artists in a wide variety of media – ceramic, wood, glass, fiber, metal and more.
Local Experiences
Access resources and information to help you plan your visit to Stecoah including accommodations, food, and other not to be missed experiences during your stay in Graham County.
The Grand Stage
Our grand old stage, built in 1926, faces a fully restored wooden auditorium with original vaulted ceilings. The natural acoustics are incredible – we like to say that we’re the little rock schoolhouse with the great big sound!
Cultural History
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center is a vital contributor to the preservation of the southern Appalachian Mountain culture through our music programs, festivals, classes and other events that appeal to all age groups.
Stecoah Yesterday & Today
The name Stecoah is derived from the Cherokee language. The term “Usdi Gohi,” meaning “little place” was applied to many places by the Cherokee, but here the words became “Stecoah” and the name stuck. Stecoah was home to more than a dozen Cherokee families at the time of the Removal.
The historic schoolhouse was built in 1926 in the heart of the Stecoah valley and was expanded in the 1950’s after the building of Fontana Dam. The K-12 school continued in operation until it was closed in consolidation in 1994.
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, which has been housed in the historic schoolhouse since 1996, now offers over 20 programs to approximately 15,000 people annually.
Where is Stecoah?
Stecoah is about a half-hour west of Bryson City via US-74 West and NC-28 North – roughly midway between Bryson City and Fontana Dam.
We’re also about 15 minutes north of Robbinsville via NC-143 and NC-28 South.
Volunteer
Stecoah has always been community minded – a place where people come together to help one another work and have fun together. We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers. Ask about becoming a volunteer today!
