Located in Graham County, North Carolina , the Matzkos’ Cottage is nestled at two thousand feet on Thunderbird Mountain, a peninsula nearly surrounded by Lake Santeetlah , a 2800-acre lake in the TVA system noted for its deep, clear water.
Thunderbird Mountain is seven miles north of Robbinsville, North Carolina, six miles from the southwestern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , and approximately fifteen miles from the Tennessee border. Graham County is relatively undeveloped and has few of the attractions associated with Cherokee (50 miles), Gatlinburg (77 miles), or Pigeon Forge (70 miles)—although these tourist-oriented towns are within driving range for day trips.
The Cottage usually appeals most to “outdoor people,” those who enjoy camping , canoeing , fishing , or riding and hiking the hundreds of miles of mountain trails provided by the National Park Service and the U. S. Forest Service in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Fine white-water rafting is also available down the Nantahala Gorge, about twenty-five miles from the Cottage.