Blue Ridge Vacations Guide

Blue Ridge Mountains

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Blue Ridge Parkway

Blowing Rock and Boone NC Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is part of the National Park Service, NPS, and connects to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the southern end near Cherokee NC at Milepost 469. The Blue Ridge Parkway speed limit is 35 to 45 mph, and passing areas are very limited, so please don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere. Watch for bikes!

Blue Ridge Parkway
National Park Service
(828) 298-0398 | (828) 271-4779 | Watch a Video
Blue Ridge Parkway Map – Road Conditions

Southern Highland Craft Guild

The Moses Cone estate houses the Southern Highland Craft Guild and The Blue Ridge Parkway Craft Center. Open daily from March 15 through November 30.

Southern Highland Crafts
Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 294
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7938 | Watch a Video
Blue Ridge Parkway Map

Gardens of The Blue Ridge Nursery

We are mainly a mail-order wildflower nursery, but you are welcome to stop by and purchase native plants. We have a little cooler climate due to our elevation so flowers start growing in mid April and different things will bloom throughout the rest of the summer.

Gardens of The Blue Ridge Nursery
9056 Pittmans Gap Road | Milepost 313
Newland, NC 28662
(828) 733-2417

Blowing Rock and Boone NC Parks and Zoos

Grandfather Mountain

The highest peak in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. North Carolina Vacations Guide Features the Mile High Swinging Bridge, elk, bears, cougars, and otters in their natural habitats. Open year round, weather permitting. $20 Admission Fee.

Grandfather Mountain
US Highway 221 South (Parkway Milepost 305) Linville, NC 28646
(828) 733-4337 | 1 (800) 468-7325
Blue Ridge Parkway Map

Grandfather Mountain State Park

2,456-acre backcountry to spectacular hiking and backpacking. The South’s most severe weather and challenging terrain, with trails that have hikers scrambling along cliffs and up ladders. 12 miles of trails and backpack camping sites is generally from the Profile Trailhead on NC 105 or trailheads along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Grandfather Mountain State Park
Office: 9872 Hwy 105 S (Suite #6)
Banner Elk, NC 28604
(828) 963-9522 Trail Map

Blowing Rock and Boone NC Caverns and Caves

Linville Caverns

Located at the southern gateway to the North Carolina High Country, Linville Caverns is echoed within Humpback Mountain. Visitors are invited to explore the splendor and wonders nature created “inside a mountain”. Cave tours last 3540 minutes and depart every 1015 minutes. Linville Caverns is a seasonal operation.

Linville Caverns
19929 US 221 North (Parkway Milepost 317)
Marion, NC 28752
1 (800) 419-0540 | (828) 756-4171 | Watch a Video

Blowing Rock and Boone NC Parks and Waterfalls

Linville Falls

Linville Falls is the most popular waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains because of its accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a spectacular three-tiered waterfall plunging into Linville Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians.” Operated by the National Park Service.

Linville Falls
Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 316
Linville, NC 28646
(828) 652-2144 | Watch a Video

Area Attractions

Art in the Park May through October

Art in the Park hosts 90 artisans at each show. Some of the best local and regional artists and craftspeople showcase their handcrafted jewelry, pottery, fiber, glass, photography, painting and more. 2018 Dates: May 26, June 16, July 14, August 11, September 8 and October 6.

Art in the Park
Park Avenue
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
828-295-7851

The Blowing Rock

The Blowing Rock is the ‘Oldest Tourist Attraction in North Carolina’. The Blowing Rock is located directly across the road from the Green Park Inn on U.S. Highway 321, just as you enter Blowing Rock NC. Open Daily. Admission Fee. Weddings!

The Blowing Rock
Highway 321 South
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7111 | Watch a Video

Concerts in the Park

Blowing Rock’s Concert in the Park is an annual set of free outdoor concerts, held at 4 PM on Sundays, following Art in the Park. The performances offer entertainment from a variety of musical genres. Family friendly and casual. Bring a lawn chair or blanket!

Blowing Rock Concerts in the Park
Memorial Park Downtown
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7851

Fort Defiance – Lenoir NC

Fort Defiance is a historic plantation and former home of Revolutionary War General William Lenoir. Located north of Lenoir, NC, off US Highway 321 at Highway 268. Open April to October.

Fort Defiance
4555 Fort Defiance Drive
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 758-1671

High Country Audubon Society

High Country Audubon Society in Boone, NC offers North Carolina High Country bird walks, birding field trips, education and volunteer opportunities to support area birds.

High Country Audubon Society
PO Box 3746
Boone, NC 28607

Tweetsie Railroad Theme Park

Tweetsie Railroad allows children and families to let their imaginations run wild and discover all sorts of fun. Kids can be a cowboy, an Indian or an engineer. Families love riding on our famous steam engine, Number 12, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just looking at her is enough to take you back.

Tweetsie Railroad
300 Tweetsie Railroad Lane (US Highway 321)
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
1 (800) 526-5740 | Watch a Video

Blowing Rock NC Winterfests and Winter Activities

Winterfest January 24 through 27, 2019

Winterfest in Blowing Rock NC is held the last weekend in January. Winterfest features a chili cook-off, winterfeast, a pancake breakfast, bonfire, ice carving, dog show, free hot chocolate and hay rides downtown, and the highlight of the four day winter event, the Polar Plunge at Chetola Resort, on Saturday morning.

Winterfest in Blowing Rock
132 Park Avenue
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
1 (877) 295-7801 | (828) 295-7851 | Watch a Video

Symphony by the Lake July 27, 2018

Join us for the Symphony by the Lake at Chetola. Always the pinnacle event of the summer season, the Symphony of the Mountains will again delight the audience! A spectacular fireworks finale will create a perfect evening! Gates open at 5:30 PM, the opening bands begin at 5:45 PM and the Symphony at 7:30 PM.

Symphony by the Lake
Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7851 | Watch a Video

Golf Courses

Boone Golf Club

Designed by Ellis Maples and opened in 1959. Available to the public all season April through November. This is a public North Carolina golf course.

Boone Golf Club
433 Fairway Drive, PO Box 1833
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 264-8760 | 1 (866) 532-4653

RedTail Mountain Golf Course

RedTail Mountain is featured in “Golf Digest”. This is a public Tennessee golf course.

RedTail Mountain Golf Course
422 Triplett Road
Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-7931

Willow Valley Golf Course

Willow Valley Golf Course at Willow Valley Resort offers a par-3 golf course. This is a public North Carolina golf course.

Willow Valley Golf Course
354 Bairds Creek Road
Vilas, NC 28692
(828) 963-6865

Ski Resorts

Appalachian Ski Mountain

Appalachian Ski Mountain Ski Resort is located just north of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. This Blowing Rock Ski Resort and Ski Area features family oriented skiing for beginners, intermediates, and occasional skiers and snowboarders. US Hwy 321 near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Appalachian Ski Mountain
940 Ski Mountain Road
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7828 | 1 (800) 322-2373 | Watch a Video

Hawksnest Tubing Resort

Hawksnest Resort is located off of Highway 105 S in Seven Devils, North Carolina, between Banner Elk and Boone NC. This popular Boone NC Snow Tubing Resort features only snow tubing, no skiing or snowboarding.

Hawksnest Tubing Resort
2058 Skyland Drive
Seven Devils, NC 28604
(828) 963-6561 | 1 (800) 822-4295 | Watch a Video

Ski Beech Ski Resort

Ski Beech Ski Resort and Ski Area is the highest Ski Area in east of the Rockies, at 5,500’ elevation. This Beech Mountain, North Carolina Ski Area features skiing, snowboarding, and an outdoor ice skating rink.

Ski Beech Ski Resort
1007 Beech Mountain Parkway
Beech Mountain, NC 28604
(828) 387-2011 | 1 (800) 438-2093

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort and Ski Area is the largest ski resort in North Carolina. This Banner Elk, North Carolina Ski Resort features skiing, snowboarding, and a tubing run.

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort
1009 Sugar Mountain Drive
Banner Elk, NC 28604
(828) 898-4521 | 1 (800) 784-2768 | Watch a Video