Say hello to Andrews Geyser, one of those quirky mountain attractions you’ll find out and about. It’s not a real geyser – it’s a man-made spout powered by a near by lake. The lake is at a higher elevation, so the water drops down a narrowing pipe, and that creates the pressure to make the water spout 150 feet into the air.
The geyser was built in the 1880s. It was named for Alexander Boyd Andrews, the builder of the Western North Carolina Railroad. You’ll find the geyser in a unique horseshoe bend of the rail line.
This is the first time we’ve visited. It was fun to look for the rainbow in the water, and to dodge the spray. This place must be a hit with kids on a hot summer’s day.
9 Comments
Ah…thanks Ash. I got confused and though this was in Andrews, NC. 🙂
B Smart, yes, this is Andrews Geyser, just outside of Old Fort.
I recall that there’s one of these just outside of Old Fort too. The last time I was there (7-8 years ago?) it wasn’t working as they were repairing the pool that surrounded it. It was the same setup though, water comes from a lake higher up.
Cool, Screwy.
Thanks Don.
Sasha, yes!
Ashe, v. cool. thanks for sharing.
Hey we found this place on accident a while back…I made a video. The guy in it is my now EX boyfriend just after some Lasik surgery or something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XGYlXnNZeE
the coolest thing about the Geyser: once in the 70s they let it freeze during a massive snowstorm and it was a huge tower of ice… very fun…and a great childhood memory of mine…
Andrew’s Geyser and The Round Knob Lodge are among the more unique places in our area. My company did the survey for the lodge before it was rennovated. It was really neat to see it beofre the work started. While there are no pictures of the lodge, we have pictures of the geyser, railroad, and impressive mountain views on our website http://www.highcountrysurveyors.net – they are in the travelogue.
There’s a lovely old lodge at the top of the hill near the geyser. The railroad barons built it at the turn of the 20th century, and the trophies still hang on the walls.
Glad to see it is running again. We were there a few weeks ago and it was frozen, I guess.
It is a blast.