Blue Ridge Mountains (Boone/ Blowing Rock) Visitors Guide

After living in this BEAUTIFUL place for over 2 years, I finally feel like I have enough of an idea of ~what’s good~ around here to give you a little visitor’s guide! This area’s beauty is endless, the hikes are incredible, the food is delicious, and I feel so lucky to call it home. 

Our favorite hikes:

  • Rough Ridge
  • Roan Mountain 
  • Beacon Heights
  • Linville Falls
  • Glen Burney Falls
  • Flat Top Lookout Tower
  • Bass Lake Trail (great walk for kids!)

Our favorite local shopping:

  • Mustard Seed Market (garden store and home decor)
  • Mustard Seed Home Store
  • Mast General Store Valle Crucis
  • Brave Fox (children’s store)
  • Common Good (home decor, clothing, art)
  • Bee and Boxwood (home)
  • High Country candle shop
  • Footsloggers (outdoors)
  • Speckled Trout Outfitters (outdoors and fishing)
  • We also have LOTS of antique shops everywhere!!

Our favorite local restaurants:

  • The Speckled Trout (American cuisine)
  • Over Yonder (Southern)
  • Proper (Southern)
  • Bistro Roca (American)
  • Cafe Violette (French)
  • Mint Indian Cuisine 
  • The Cardinal (burgers)
  • Lost Province (pizza)
  • Dan’l Boone inn (Southern family style)
  • Melanie’s (breakfast/brunch)

Fun activities:

  • Grandfather Mountain (swinging bridge and there’s a small “zoo”)
  • Tweetsie Railroad
  • Apple Hill Alpaca Farm
  • Farmer’s Markets (seasonal)
  • Doc Rocks Gem Mining
  • The Blowing Rock lookout
  • Hawksnest Snow Tubing (seasonal)
  • Christmas Tree Farms (seasonal)
  • Apple Orchards (seasonal)

If you visit, please be respectful to the (very kind) locals and these mountains! It’s a truly special place.

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