Last year my mother-in-law won a Boone Christmas package from Explore Boone that included four tickets to Tweetsie Christmas. And, guess what?! She gifted the package to our family, and we were SO pumped to use them. So, after celebrating Christmas with family in Raleigh we headed out to Boone for a fun two days in the mountains.
Staying in Boone
Included in the package was a gas card, gift certificate to Mast General Store, and a stay at the Holiday Inn in Boone. We don’t often stay in hotels when we travel because we like to have more room and cook meals. But, after a week of holiday hosting it felt great to pack less, and the accommodations at the Holiday Inn were really nice. The hotel stay included daily breakfast buffet, which the girls loved because they sampled every sugary cereal. It also included a good variety of breakfast options of bacon, eggs, sausage, yogurt and more.
The hotel is conveniently located on 321 between Blowing Rock and Boone. Several shops, grocery and restaurants are located across the street. Having arrived a few hours before the Virginia Tech bowl game, we had a few hours to unwind before football started. Then, we met up with dear VT fans (also vacationing in Boone) at The Rock Sports Bar to cheer on the Hokies. Despite losing the bowl game, the restaurant served cold beer and the adults caught up while kiddos had fun.
Snow Tubing & Hiking & Mystery Hill
The morning after the bowl game, we got up early for our breakfast buffet and headed out to Hawksnest in Seven Devils for snow tubing. We wanted to keep our plans open so we didn’t pre-purchase tickets. Hawksnest sells day-of tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis (in two-hour increments) so go in with flexibility. We paid for parking and were told an upcoming time slot had space at the parking booth. Unfortunately we took too much time getting snow gear on between parking and purchasing tickets. It was a very cold weekend so imagine me bundling the kiddos like Randy from “A Christmas Story.” So, the next time slot sold out before we could buy tickets, and we couldn’t wait for a later time. Luckily, they happily refunded our parking fees and we drove back down the mountain.
As a backup to snow tubing, we conveniently hiked Otter Falls Trail located on the same drive down the mountain. The trailhead has a small nearby parking lot and is located at 825 Skyland Drive in Seven Devils. Having just left a very cool snow tubing possibility for hiking in the cold provoked some little girl tears. With some coaxing and promising for frequent stops they eventually got going.
The trail map shows several loop paths and I suggest taking a screen shot to help stay on course. Since it was a very cold and windy day we hiked the shortest route down the trail. I didn’t have to deliver on the promise for frequent stops because everyone felt most comfortable when moving (yay!). Thankfully, the girls wore their new pink Carhartt jackets and I came prepared with my deep wine Carhartt jacket (thanks Dad!). The hike started out steep, but then the grade became more manageable. Unfortunately there wasn’t much signage along the trail making it hard to remember where to turn to stay on the shortest path to the falls.
After about 1/2 mile we arrived at the falls, which flows into Valley Creek. At this time of year the falls were mostly iced over, making for a dramatic effect we don’t usually see when hiking. The steps down to the creek were a bit icy too, but once on the ground the girls enjoyed the closer view of the icicles. They said it reminded them of Elsa’s ice castle. The hike back up took some patience and strength because the girls were pretty chilled at this point. But, overall this was a moderate 1 mile hike, and would be interesting (and probably easier) to hike in other seasons.
As a last minute indoor activity we took a stab in the dark and visited Mystery Hill. Mystery Hill is kind of a tourist trap, but ended up exceeding our expectations. It features historical artifacts from the area and hands-on science fun. The girls loved experimenting with the optical illusions, trying to swing in the tilted house, and standing in the human-sized bubble. It sounds kooky, but it wasn’t too expensive and was a great way to escape the wind for an hour.
Tweetsie Railroad Christmas
If you’ve never visited Tweetsie Railroad, it’s a must-see attraction for families when visiting the mountains. With a wild-west theme, Tweetsie features amusement rides, games, live shows, face painting, miniature train rides, a zoo, and the super popular No. 12/No. 190 locomotive train ride. Though it’s smaller than your average amusement park, its live entertainment and scenic mountain train ride sets it apart. Where else can you ride a historic locomotive while looking out for bandits?!
Tucked between Blowing Rock and Boone, Tweetsie Railroad’s history dates back to 1882 when the East Tennessee & Western NC Railroad (ET&WNC) began hauling iron ore between Johnson City, TN and Cranberry, NC. They extended the tracks to Boone by 1919, adding mail and passengers to their operations. Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA built the infamous narrow-gauge rail service Engine No. 12. In 1940, large floods wiped out much of the tracks in the Blue Ridge Mountains eliminating service to Boone. Shortly after, ET&WNC ended its narrow-gauge rail service and scrapped all the old engines except for the No. 12, which moved to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Finally, in 1957, the No. 12 locomotive returned to the Blowing Rock area and made its first run at Tweetsie Railroad attraction.
When we visited Tweetsie during Christmastime, the amusement park looked like Pullen Park’s Holiday Express on steroids! Twinkling lights, garland and bows beautifully decorated the park. Again, we joined our dear friends from Raleigh to share this fun experience. The park featured different attractions where kids could visit with Santa, step into a snow-filled globe, watch a Christmas-themed variety show, and eat s’mores on the jumbo outdoor fire pits. The lines were long for some of the Christmas activities, but the bright lights and s’mores easily distracted the kids. Having previously visited during summer, the kids were a little bummed to learn the regular rides weren’t operating.
The crowd favorite was the Christmas-themed night train ride. With hot cocoa or apple cider in hand, we boarded our reserved train for a magical ride around the mountain. Since the train has open windows we also bundled up and snuggled in while listening to Christmas carols and watching light displays. We definitely channeled our inner White Christmas, willing the music to play “Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow,” but to no avail.
Visiting the mountains around Christmastime definitely helped us stay in the holiday spirit. We made fun memories with friends while stretching out the Christmas season. It even started snowing on the day we left Boone. Despite the busy seasonal crowds I’d love to do it all over again!
Tickets for Tweetsie Christmas and Ghost Train are currently on sale.
Thumbs up: contrast of icy waterfalls along hike, outdoor fire pits for s’mores at Tweetsie, night train ride at Tweetsie, hot apple cider, light displays and Christmas decorations at Tweetsie
Thumbs down: regular Tweetsie rides not in operation, long lines for some of the Tweetsie-Christmas activities, poor signage along Otter Falls Trail
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