Golf in Franklin

Franklin is the county seat of Macon County, in the NC Blue Ridge mountains at the headwaters of the Little Tennessee River. The town is known as the gem capital of the world due to the ruby and sapphire deposits in the surrounding Cowee Valley, and gem mining is a significant tourist activity in the area. Franklin is the commercial hub of the western NC mountains south of the Nantahala Gorge, serving Macon County's communities in the Little Tennessee River watershed. The surrounding Nantahala National Forest and the proximity of the Appalachian Trail give Franklin a strong outdoor recreation identity.