Let's head west to Saluda, where Kirby Gibson has spent the day soaking up history, food, and hospitality that make this mountain town well worth the visit.

♪ - My name is Kirby Gibson.

Today, we take a trip to a tiny town with a big old heart.

This is Saluda, North Carolina, a town so rich with history, delicious food, art, and the most beautiful views.

After staying a night at the wonderful Orchard Inn, there is no better way to get your day started than with a lovely cup of the Orchard Inn's own blend of delicious coffee and a scrumptious breakfast, all with this tremendous mountain scenery decorating the backdrop of this cozy town.

(upbeat music) This building here is actually 100 years old this year.

It was built in 1926 by the Brotherhood of the Clerks of the Southern Railroad, and it was built for them to have the opportunity to have a very affordable vacation.

It was built for summer residents only.

We have different kind of rooms in the inn.

We have cottages that were also built 100 years ago.

Breakfast is included.

I love doing breakfast, so we do a really nice breakfast.

We have the restaurant, which is a fine dining restaurant.

It's a pre-fixed menu, five courses, and we are very much a place for anniversaries and birthdays and celebrations and weddings.

We have a very zen kind of little spa that looks out in the mountains, and we have a little sauna that all of our guests can use as well, and we're pet-friendly.

Anybody can come by any time.

We're always here.

Somebody's always here to show you around.

So I always consider this house as being happy.

It was built to make people happy, and it still does.

♪ - Downtown Saluda, North Carolina, located just 20 minutes north of the South Carolina border, is a small mountain town steeped in rich history.

To learn more, we're stopping by the Historic Depot Museum to learn about the railroad that helped build this town.

♪ - Back in 1830, they built a railroad initially from the port of Charleston out to Aiken, South Carolina, about 35 miles.

That was, at that time, the longest railroad in the world.

So time moves on.

They kept building the railroad.

Took them roughly one year to come from Tryon up to Saluda, which is about 6 1/2 miles.

The first train came through here in 1878.

After the railroad, ah, suddenly we had tourists, and we had people that came here.

We had a minimum of eight trains a day, which was a lot, both up and down.

So that helped establish Saluda.

So in 1881, the town of Saluda was established.

Our museum receives around 10,000 visitors per year.

Our main purpose is we are educational.

We are a tourist destination.

We like to keep the history of Saluda alive.

We are a nonprofit.

We're a 501(c)(3).

Everything we offer to the public is free.

For example, admission, there is no admission.

We have educational programs.

We put on programs for the kids.

We try to be a history resource.

- I love learning about history, but I know there's a lot this town has to offer, and we are only scratching the surface.

Did you know that Saluda's Main Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places?

But not every place in Saluda is a relic.

Some places are newer than others, like our next stop.

Something smells good.

Green River Barbecue sits just off of Main Street, making this a must-visit stopover.

Founded in 1984, this mouth-watering smokehouse has been slinging out everything from fried okra to smoked brisket for over 38 years.

- We're a barbecue joint.

That's what we serve.

We sell smoked meats.

A lot of good sides we make here from scratch.

We smoke everything we can.

So we smoke our pork, brisket, turkey, chicken, wings, everything, whatever you associate with home.

That's the sense you get when you walk in the door.

I've been coming to this restaurant since I was a kid.

Everyone in this town either worked here as their first job or dated someone who worked here, or they came here after games on Fridays, or this is where they came after church.

Everybody has a connection and a story with this restaurant.

The whole mentality of the staff is that you're a welcome member and guest.

So we try to be a branch of the rest of Saluda.

- Right now I am on their smoked turkey salad kit.

It is very, very light dressing on it.

Second favorite is the smoked chicken, which you can make anything out of that smoked chicken with the leftovers, and you will have leftovers.

Third would be the ribs, which I had Saturday for lunch.

So it feels like home when you come in.

And so for me, that's what's so special about it.

Food's amazing, but it's really nice to just walk in and this is your place.

It's kind of like cheers.

Everybody knows your name.

We walk in the door.

There are times when there's a drink waiting for us on the bar.

Tom and Bri have become very good friends with us.

My favorite thing is probably either the ribs or the brisket, and I usually get a side of macaroni and cheese and beans.

You know, it's just Saluda has been completely welcoming to me.

I'm originally from Baltimore, and I love the small-town atmosphere.

Having grown up in the city, this is refreshing.

You know, people look you in the eye.

They go out of their way to say hi.

I think pretty much anybody would do anything for you if you needed it.

- I could eat my weight in pork, but now that things are winding down, I wonder where the locals gather?

Hey, where's that sound coming from?

This is Salud Sip and Strum, the social hub for the town of Saluda.

Every Wednesday, whether it be locals or visitors passing through, grab an instrument, play a tune, and sing in harmony.

♪ Time to go, river of time ♪ - It's a typical Wednesday night.

It's a pizza night at the Wildflower Bakery next door, and we get a natural crowd that comes in, and they'll come in and get a coffee or tea or a beer or wine.

So we do this every Wednesday and Friday.

We're mostly an acoustic cafe.

Somebody will bring an electric guitar by every once in a while, but we try to do a lot of original music.

A lot of locals will come and know about it, and then we'll have tourists.

They'll come by and find out, and they'll grab a guitar off the wall and come play, and there's a piano.

So you never know what's gonna be being played or who's gonna play, so it's a lot of fun.

♪ From my hands I talk ♪ - This place is amazing because two nights a week, they get together with the other businesses around here, and all the businesses are open.

They welcome us in on Wednesdays and Fridays.

They do jams.

You get your pizza next door.

You come here, listen to live music, and you see all kinds of different people, tourists and locals, young and old.

- I come to Saluda twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, because the music is amazing.

Each day, you don't know who's gonna show up, so it's always different, and you could come by yourself.

You can come with a group.

It doesn't matter, and just sit and listen to some great music.

- Saluda has a little bit of everything.

It's got great outdoors, hiking, kayaking, zip lines, a lot of nice stuff like that, some shopping, great restaurants, just a real sense of community, and luckily, all the locals will welcome you.

(laughs) So come on, they'll open their doors for you.

♪ When you reach the end of the line ♪ - A day in Saluda well spent.

We enjoyed the history, the food, and the music this town has to offer, and we even made a couple friends along the way.

Let's just say, Saluda, you've got something special here.

♪ Goodbye ♪ (audience cheers) - Saluda is located in Polk County, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.

For more information about things to see and do there, visit discoversaluda.com.