Looking for a winter wonderland this Christmas? Time for a roadtrip to the High Country around Blowing Rock and Boone, North Carolina. This northwestern corridor along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains provides endless opportunities for winter recreation, small-town Christmas charm and snow capped peaks.
In today’s edition of American Nomad Traveler, I’m going to share highlights from my recent trip to Blowing Rock, along with travel tips for your High Country adventures.
Our High Country Adventure:
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, my mom and I made the three and half hour journey from Raleigh to Blowing Rock for a weekend of fun. We always cherish our trips to the NC mountains. After the devastation of Hurricane Helene (September 2024), we longed for the peace and beauty of the mountains more than ever. When we heard Blowing Rock was open for business and welcoming travelers, we knew we needed to make the trip.
Friday, November 29, 2024:
The drive to Blowing Rock from Raleigh follows I-40 west towards Winston-Salem before veering northwest on scenic Highway 421.
Highway 421 is one of my favorite drives in NC as it meanders through the lush Yadkin Valley, which is home to many of the region’s top wineries. As you continue west on 421, The Blue Ridge emerges in the distance, near the town of Wilkesboro.
Wilkesboro is one of my favorite detour stops along 421. It has deep musical roots, playing host to the world famous Merlefest every year. The festival (usually in April) features dozens of top bluegrass and Americana musicians from Jim Lauderdale to Jerry Douglas, Nickel Creek to The Krueger Brothers.
Downtown Wilkesboro is quaint, lined with local shops, coffee houses and restaurants. The area around Wilkesboro provides a lot of recreation opportunities including Kerr Dam and tons of hiking trails.
Wilkesboro and Yadkin Valley Resources:
- Visit Wilkesboro
- Kerr Dam – Hidden gem just off 421. Serene lake views and walking trails. Visitor’s Center gives excellent account of important Revolutionary War History and the Overmountain Men of the region who helped win the War for Independence.
- Area wineries
As we continued northwest from Wilkesboro to Boone, the road curved like an ‘s’ as we gained elevation. The sunlight began to fade into the cool violet and pinks of a late fall sunset. This time of year darkness overtakes the light by 5:30 p.m.
We arrived in Blowing Rock just before six o’clock, checking into our hotel – The Cliff Dwellers Inn. Stepping outside, I shivered. The air was bitterly cold. Only 26 degrees with a restless wind chilling the bones.
The Cliff Dwellers is one of our favorite places to stay in Blowing Rock. Perched high on a cliff overlooking Chetola Resort below, the inn is cozy and offers spectacular views. This is a family owned business that instantly welcomes you. The front desk let us know that they’d already put ice in the room so we didn’t have to go out in the cold to get it from the ice machine. Little hospitality touches like this make Cliff Dwellers a welcoming place to stay.
The Cliff Dwellers offer affordable rates without compromising on comfort. I definitely recommend booking a room with them if you are in Blowing Rock. The only limitation is they don’t offer breakfast, but this isn’t a huge deal as you can drive into downtown Blowing Rock for a great cup of coffee at Camp Coffee Roasters of one of the area breakfast spots. Book you stay at The Cliff Dwellers here.
Our stomach was beginning to grumble around 6:30 pm. We originally wanted to eat at one of our fave local spots – Six Pence Pub…it is an old English style pub with great burgers. However, sensing it might be crowded with Black Friday, I called ahead to see about the wait. It was over an hour, as were most restaurants in the area. We eventually decided to get takeout from Outback. A bit ironic as Blowing Rock has so many great restaurants, but Outback was a good option on a cold and crowded holiday night.
While waiting for our take out order we decided to pump up the heat in our car and drive around Blowing Rock to look at lights. One of the best spots to see lights in the area is Chetola Resorts. The free light show is open to the public. You can loop around the property, which has lights on their lake as well as around the historic hotel.
After dinner we enjoyed cozying up with our books in the warmth of our hotel room. Outside the temps dropped to 16 degrees (Blowing Rock stands for BRR on this cold night).
Saturday, November 30th, 2024
“You can’t beat the view,” I commented as I opened the curtains from our hotel room, looking out at the mountains. “The high today is only 34 degrees, but we lucked out with the sunshine. The sky is crystal blue.”
After bundling up in our layers, with our hats, gloves and winter coats, we headed out for the day’s adventures. Our first stop was to get coffee at our favorite local roaster: Camp Coffee. The area has lots of great coffee spots, but CAMP Coffee is my favorite java haunt in Blowing Rock. They offer a variety of roasts and blends from the lighter Blowing Rock blend to the darker varieties I prefer. Their handcrafted lattes are out of the world (and way beyond my Weight Watchers points, but holiday points don’t count right?) My favorite drink at Camp Coffee is their ‘campfire mocha,’ which tastes like a s’more in a cup. This time we also tried the peppermint mocha.
Camp Coffee’s Blowing Rock location is located in the heart of downtown by the outdoor shop Footsloggers (Great place to buy hiking gear). They have a small upstairs seating area, where we enjoyed our coffees (and the gluten free scones we brought from home).
Fully caffeinated we headed south on The Blue Ridge Parkway via the Linn Cove Viaduct to Grandfather Mountain. I’ll be dedicating a full post on Grandfather Mountain and The Parkway soon (stay tuned).
While I’ve driven this stretch of road countless times, this drive pulled at my heartstrings. After Hurricane Helene, the entire parkway was closed indefinitely and many assumed we wouldn’t get to drive on The Linn Cove Viaduct section (one of the prettiest on the parkway) for another year at least. Thank God, this small section of the parkway was not heavily damaged and was reopened in late October. I am not overly sentimental, but I found tears welling up as we stopped at one of the overlooks. There is something magical and so serene about the parkway that it gets into your soul. Knowing that it was partially open again made me smile. Out of the devastation and darkness…a small light of hope.
Grandfather Mountain:
Though I’ve visited Grandfather Mountain at least a dozen times, I keep returning. Each season the beauty of this area reveals a different layer of wonder. It is an International Biosphere Reserve and one of the Southeast’s most important natural areas, Grandfather Mountain harbors a diverse forest ecosystem.
In planning your visit to Grandfather Mountain I recommend that you purchase your tickets in advance as it can get busy and that guarantees entry. In the winter months, be sure to check their website for updates. Occasionally Grandfather Mountain will close due to snow and ice. They are flexible to reschedule your tickets if there is a weather related cancellation.
When you arrive at Grandfather Mountain you can get an audio tour (for your car), which is helpful during your first visit. The tour provides an overview of the history and biodiversity of Grandfather Mountain, as well as point out several of the key attractions like Split Rock and Forrest Gump area (the movie was partially filmed at Grandfather Mountain).
The steep winding road curves feverishly as it makes its way to the summit. Along the way you can stop at several points of interest, including the Wildlife Center and Museum.
One of the best parts of visiting Grandfather Mountain is that they offer a habitat for rescued animals, including Black Bears, cougars, eagles, otters and elk.
The weather was so frigid today we didn’t see all the animals (I don’t blame them for staying inside), but we did see a black bear, eagles and elk.
Adjacent to the Wildlife Trail, is the center where you can learn about the geology and ecology of Grandfather Mountain. The exhibits are excellent, providing an interactive and digestible way to learn about plants, animals, rocks and natural history in the area. We spent over 30 minutes enjoying the exhibit on the different ecosystems within Grandfather Mountain.
For lunch we grabbed burgers from ‘Mildred’s Cafe.’ This cafe features an affordable mix of sandwiches and salads. The cafe is named after ‘Mildred’ the original black bear at Grandfather Mountain Wildlife Center in the 1950s.
We finished our time at Grandfather Mountain by driving up to the summit and taking in the views. It was too windy to explore the famed mile-high swinging bridge…but we did catch glimpses of snow dusted peaks.
*We’ll be doing a feature blog on Grandfather Mountain soon, diving into the ecology and history.*
Grandfather Mountain Official Website
In planning your visit you can check The Blue Ridge Parkway website for updates on road closures. The portion from Blowing Rock to Grandfather Mountain over the Linn Cove Viaduct is open but can temporarily close due to snow or weather.
Banner Elk to Beech Mountain:
With a few hours of daylight left, we decided to drive to another favorite area spot – the charming town of Banner Elk.
Banner Elk was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, with sections of town without water or electricity for over a month. Banner Elk was closed to tourism until mid-November and we wanted to support the community.
If you are making the trip to Banner Elk, I highly recommend the restaurant Stonewalls…while we couldn’t eat there this trip, they are one of our favorite spots in Banner Elk.
- To plan your trip to Banner Elk…check out their website
We then drove up to Sugar Mountain, a nearby ski area, with excellent mountain views, before heading up to Beech Mountain.
Sitting at 5505 feet, Beech Mountain is the highest elevation town on the east coast. It is one of the best spots to ski east of the Mississippi. Beech Mountain looked like a Christmas card, the area completely covered in snow from a fresh pack of powder. Snow began to fall while we were at the summit – the perfect end to our day of exploration.
Chetola:
In the dark, frigid night, my mom and I found ‘illumination’ at Chetola, where the resort’s lights glistened off the partially frozen lake.
Chetola Resort has a diverse history that begins in 1846 when the first recorded owner, Lot Estes, purchased the land for 5 cents an acre. Following The Civil War it became a summer resort called Silverlake. In the winter months Silverlake served as an ice house, where 100 pounds of ice could be purchased for .10 cents.
In 1892, the next owner, William Stringfellow purchased the estate in hopes the mountain air would heal his tuberculosis. The Stringfellows named the estate Chetola, which loosely translates from Cherokee to ‘Haven of Rest.’ Chetola is certainly a haven for rest and rejuvenation for all who visit.
Chetola was briefly sold to another family before self-made Coca-Cola entrepreneur J. Luther Snyder purchased the estate in 1926. Luther expanded the estate, adding a bowling alley for his children along with horseback riding trails that connect to the neighboring Moses Cone Estate (now a museum off the Blue Ridge Parkway). The estate remained in the Luther family until 1972.
By the 1980s, Chetola was fully developed into the resort it is today, with historic inn, lodging, condos over 78 acres. It is truly a gem of the Blue Ridge and one of the most beautiful spots in Blowing Rock.
While Chetola offers plenty of lodging accommodations, even if you are staying at another hotel, you can enjoy the beauty of Chetola for the day. Their restaurant is open to the public. In the summertime they have live music by the campfire, and other fun events perfect for all ages. Plan your Chetola trip here.
This trip we were fortunate to get a reservation at the resort’s amazing Bob Timberlake Dining Room. The restaurant exudes rustic charm with stone fireplaces and lodge style mountain decor. The walls are adorned with beautiful mountain scenes painted by renowned NC artist Bob Timberlake.
A talented local musician performed easy listening music while we dined, creating a festive ambiance. The restaurant has numerous options on the menu…I highly recommend their Mountain Trout, which is locally sourced. Their Christmas drink menu offered a festive selection of libations including mocktails. I got the Cranberry Spritz, the perfect drink for the season!
Sunday, December 1st:
We finished up our Blowing Rock adventure with a jam packed day exploring Downtown Blowing Rock’s eclectic shops.
After checking out of The Cliff Dwellers’ we stopped at Camp Coffee for our caffeine fix. Today we tried their Peppermint Mocha. The full bodied coffee with essence of smooth peppermint was just the fix to get us in the Christmas mood.
Downtown Blowing Rock is lined with dozens of quaint shops and restaurants begging to be explored. We wanted to help support local businesses after Hurricane Helene, and were ready to shop!
- Plan your day in Downtown Blowing Rock here
The great thing about Downtown Blowing Rock is most of the shops have affordable options perfect for any budget. At Cabin Fever, my mom purchased a cool picture frame and I found the perfect pair of cozy Christmas socks.
Speaking of Christmas, Blowing Rock is Santa’s headquarters for Christmas decor. All of the shops had fun displays and lots of great decorations for sale from snowmen to gingerbread houses and beyond.
Two of my favorite stops for Christmas decor are The Christmas in Blowing Rock Shop and The Last Straw. We found several fun holiday items at each location to bring home a bit of Blowing Rock to Raleigh.
While in Blowing Rock, we always have to stop by The Blowing Rock Market (an delicious sandwich shop and local market with cool sodas and local foods) to grab some Ashe County Cheese. It is hands down the best cheese I’ve ever eaten. The cheese is made less than an hour from Blowing Rock in beautiful Ashe County NC (also a Christmas Tree Capital of NC).
- Fun fact: Did you know that North Carolina is the number 2 producer of Christmas Trees in the United States. For more NC Christmas tree facts, click here
As we headed back to Raleigh just before sunset, snow lightly began to fall, creating a silvery glow on the pavement.
The perfect ending to a winter adventure in Blowing Rock.
Stay tuned to American Nomad Blog to learn more about Blowing Rock and The North Carolina Mountains…
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Hi, I’m Adele Lassiter, the travel enthusiast behind American Nomad Traveler. I share my passion for history, art, museums, and travel tips. When I’m not writing, I’m a singer-songwriter with a love for Americana music. You can listen to my new album at adelelassiter.bandcamp.com.
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