Tucked away in rural western North Carolina, the Toe River Valley in western North Carolina has a strong astronomical background. In the 1850s, the Burnsville Academy advertised that the school had a tellurium, an early planetarium that, using gears, showed the movement of the planets and natural satellites. Several decades later, in 1918, the Smithsonian built a solar observatory on Hump Mountain in Avery County. If operated for almost a year before the equipment was boxed up and sent to Chile. In 1934, quartz from the Chestnut Flat Mine in Mitchell County was shipped to the Corning Glass Works in New York. It was heated and then poured into a mold, creating the 200-inch Hale Telescope that was installed at the Palomar Observatory in California. At the time, it was the world’s largest telescope.

 
The Mayland Earth to Sky Park began as a mica mine in the early 20th century. At first, mica was used in lieu of glass in windows and  in stoves. When Thomas Edison developed an electrical motor in 1881, mica was used as both an armature and insulated commuter. In the late 1960s, when domestic mica mining was curtailed in favor of overseas production, the open pit mica mine was used as a landfill. Later, the landfill was closed and capped off, and wells were sunk to capture the methane gas the decomposing rubbish generated. In 1999, the Energy Xchange was built, featuring a series of pottery and glass studios that used the gas to power the furnace to melt the glass.

Eventually, the methane gas ran out, and the buildings sat vacant. Staff from nearby Mayland Community College used the dark skies to stargaze. The site, while operating under the name “Blue Ridge Star Park,” became a certified International Dark-Sky Association park. It was number twenty-two in the world, and the first in North Carolina. In 2016, the Mayland Earth to Sky Park was founded, and thanks to the generous donation of the Bare family, an observatory was constructed above the old Energy Xchange. The Sam Phillips Foundation donated the funds to build a 34-inch telescope, the largest opened to the public in the Southeast. The Bare Dark Sky Observatory opened to the public in June 2017.

Not only is the ESP home to the Bare Dark Sky Observatory (BDSO), but also the Glenn & Carol Arthur Planetarium, a Visitor’s Center, the Carolyn Munro Wilson Picnic Shelter, numerous gardens, the Paul & Susie O’Connell Conference Center, an Aquaponics Lab, and soon-to-be-opened Children’s Discovery Centers. The Arthur Planetarium opened in July 2022 and offers astronomy and environmental education during daylight hours, making it the perfect field trip destination for K-12 schools and Mayland classes alike. Laser Light shows are also a popular entertainment attraction for locals and visitors. The O’Connell Conference Center provides a meeting space as well as a classroom space. The Aquaponics Lab resides inside a greenhouse and serves as a classroom to explore alternative farming methods. The Altec Styslinger Engineering Discovery Center and the Environmental Science Discovery Center are planned to open in 2026 and will consist of hands-on STEM education exhibits. The ESP, like the Blue Ridge Boutique Hotel, is operated by the Mayland Community College Enterprise Corporation.