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The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Watauga County and the greater Boone NC area offers not only a picturesque place to escape and relax, but also an unending array of exciting outdoor adventures and attractions for the whole family. Positioned conveniently along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Watauga County is home to the towns of Boone, Blowing Rock, Foscoe, Beech Mtn, Seven Devils, Valle Crucis and many other local communities each with their own unique charm and character.
Consistently voted one of America's top destinations for outdoor adventures, the Boone NC area offers places to play during all 4 seasons. Conquer whitewater rapids or meander down the New River in a canoe; climb legendary mountain peaks or hike miles of trails and watch a magical sunset; glide down snow-covered slopes or catch some air snowboarding a terrain park. Go fly fishing and catch a huge trout or relax and ease down the river in an inner tube. Want more excitment? Hit the pavement cycling on roads that have been called the best in America for cycling which, naturally, makes the area a haven for mountain biking trails as well.
For those seeking a slower pace there are numerous festivals, tempting restaurants, and places to shop including unique antique shops, outlets, general stores and an array of coffee shops and bookstores to help relax your time away...
Known for producing the nation's best Christmas Trees, Watauga County has rekindled an age-old tradition of the Choose-n-Cut Christmas Tree experience. Families from across the southeast plan annual vacations to the Boone NC area between Thanksgiving and Christmas to experience the North Carolina High Country during this special time of year. Festivals and shops offer unique local products, concerts, tours, and theatrical performances fill the seasonal calendar, and a wide selection of Choose-n-Cut Christmas Tree farms are waiting to help your family find the perfect Christmas tree. Many farms even include hot apple cider and a hay ride too!
The Boone area is also home to Appalachian State University which delivers a multitude of benefits to the region including a full calendar of cultural and music events open to the community such as an Appalachian Summer Festival and dozens of NCAA Division 1 Men's and Women's athetic events featuring the 3-Time National Champion Appalachian State Football team.
Appalachian State University’s consistent overall quality is reflected by high rankings in national publications annually such as U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 America’s Best Colleges Guide.
* The information found on this page was provided by ExploreBooneArea.com. For more information about Watauga County, please visit ExploreBooneArea.com
36 Hours in Boone, NC An article from The New York Times by Jeff Schleg The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina were America's frontier when Daniel Boone hunted there during his mid-18th century wanderings. Boone would still recognize the beautiful Blue Ridge high country, where in the fall the hills are ablaze with color. But he might be surprised that his namesake town is a thriving place known as a four-season mountain playground. Assorted publications have named Boone one of North America 's ultimate outdoor adventure destinations and one of the country's best small towns. Surrounded by hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, it is also a hotbed of bluegrass music and home to Appalachian State University. Its lively downtown has enough restaurants to fuel up in style for - and refuel and relax after - a day in the outdoors.
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4 p.m. - An Introduction
For a primer on western North Carolina's mountain culture, stop in the Appalachian Cultural Museum (400 University Hall Drive, 828-262-3117). One display traces the history of the banjo from a West African gourd instrument to the signature sound of the Appalachians. A short film spotlights local storytellers who mastered the long narrative yarns that thrived in the pre-television era. There's also a room dedicated to Nascar, with two Winston Cup cars and an exhibit on the champion Junior Johnson, who, like many stock car drivers of his era, honed his skills by running moonshine through North Carolina's hills and along its rural roads. Admission is $4.
6 p.m. - Eat in an Old Jailhouse
Indian cuisine is the forte at the Old Jailhouse Restaurant (142 South Water Street, 828-262-5000), but there aren't any saris or sitars in sight. It is housed incongruously in Watauga County's original jailhouse, its décor a mix of vintage late-19th-century kiln bricks, rustic wood tables and abstract paintings and photos. Somehow, it all blends together well, as does the korma ($15.50), made of yogurt, cashew curry, fresh vegetables and organic chicken.
8 p.m. - Country Jam
Take a 12-mile drive north along winding Route 194 to Todd, a tiny village on the National Register of Historic Places and home to Friday night music jams at Todd General Store (3866 Railroad Grade Road, 336-877-1067), below. Local fiddlers and pickers (and some bluegrass fanatics from as far away as Europe) mosey in, sit down on cushion-padded barrels in the main room and start to play homespun mountain music. When the place is jumping, the music can last late into the night. The jam is free, but donations are accepted.
9 a.m. - The Right Prescription
Step back in time with breakfast at the grill in Boone Drug's downtown store (617 West King Street, 828-264-3766). Open since 1919, the store is half pharmacy and half old-fashioned lunch counter. Walk along the worn wooden floor, plunk yourself down at one of the two J-shaped counters, and order a veggie omelet ($2.50) and fluffy homemade biscuits swimming in creamy sausage gravy (two for $1.75). The biscuits go fast, so get there early.
10 a.m. - Checkers, Chi and Chairs
West King Street is lined with shops and galleries. One of the anchors, in an early-1900's building with creaky wooden floors, is the Mast General Store (630 West King Street, 828-262-0000), a hybrid of outfitters shop, outdoor-oriented clothing store and souvenir shop with about 70 candy barrels. Dogs are allowed, and there's a checkerboard on the first floor, open to all, with game pieces consisting of Coca-Cola and RC Cola bottle caps. At the Dancing Moon Earthway Bookstore (553 West King Street, 828-264-7242), the smell of incense and the shelves crammed with books on mysticism and religious philosophy put you in touch with your inner chi. Check out the wall plastered with roughly 100 bumper stickers, all for sale, proclaiming messages like "Eve Was Framed" and "Save the Earth So We Have Someplace to Boogie." The Hands Gallery (543 West King Street, 828-262-1970) is a crafts co-op run by 15 local artisans.
1 p.m. - Uplifting Experience
The courtyard at Footsloggers outdoor sports equipment shop (139 South Depot Street, 828-262-5111) contains a 35-foot tall climbing wall with 14 different routes for all skill levels. Held safely in a harness and helped by an instructor, you grab the plastic holds and pull yourself skyward. Three climbs cost $12.95, and at the top you'll realize just how high 35 feet is.
2 p.m. - Good 'n' Healthy
You don't have to be a granola type to enjoy the vegetarian fare at Angelica's (506 West King Street, 828-265-0809). If it's available, grab the table in "the cave," above, a back room with a grotto-like feel set off by an arched entrance. Warm up with an organic Wolavers Organic Ale ($3), and then dive into the Taj Mahal enchilada ($9.95) of mashed potatoes, grilled yams, portabellas, tofu, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and cheddar cheese. You can jazz it up with one of four homemade salsas.
3 p.m. - Be Like Lance
Armstrong once declared that Boone and the surrounding region was his favorite American training area. For $35, Boone Bike and Touring (899 Blowing Rock Road, 828-262-5750) sets you up with a mountain or road bicycle and helmet and points out the best riding trails, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, 10 miles south of town.
7 p.m. - Some Urban Chic
The sleek airy interior at Coffey's Restaurant & Bar's (179 Howard Street, 828-264-3663), with its funky paintings, is a splash of urban chic in folksy Boone. The chef, John Clark, is a native of Walesand formerly wielded his sauté pan at Terrence Conran's Mezzo restaurant in London, and he changes the menu quarterly. Seafood is always a specialty; you may find pan-seared monkfish over a lobster mushroom and duck confit ragout ($20) or local mountain trout with pesto pearl pasta ($18).
8 a.m. - Hike on a Mountain
Drive 19 miles south on Route 105 for a vigorous morning hike on Grandfather Mountain (U.S. 221 and Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville; 800-468-7325), so named because its northern face resembles an old man looking skyward. Starting at the summit's visitor center, the challenging yet doable two-hour hike along Grandfather Trail to MacRae Peak climbs rugged terrain that includes numerous ladders and ropes put in place to traverse steep, rocky places. The view from MacRae is worth the effort. This is a private reserve, and admission is $14.
11:30 a.m. - Nice Buzz
An eclectic mix of town and gown flocks to Espresso News (267 Howard Street, 828-264-8850) for some of the best fresh-roasted coffee you'll ever taste. Favorites include Rwandan and organic Sumatran coffees ($1.25 a mug, plus one refill). Pastries like cranberry white chocolate scones and raspberry almond coconut muffins are all under $2. Take your sustenance upstairs to the Mosaic Book Store, a small space with scattered furnishings and diverse book titles that feels like somebody's attic library.
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