Boone

Christmas in Boone, NC

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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

Such smiley faces waiting to hike in the cold!

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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Blue Ridge Parkway: Moses Cone Memorial Park & Linn Cove Viaduct

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IMG_5696We were very fortunate to spend a few weekends in the NC mountains this summer.  On our second mountain trip we met up with my in-laws and stayed in a beautiful mountain cabin near the Appalachian Ski Mountain between Boone and Blowing Rock.  On a tip from friends, we headed out to the Blue Ridge Parkway and visited the Moses Cone Memorial Park & the Linn Cove Viaduct.

The Moses Cone Memorial Park is located along the Blue Ridge Parkway at MP 294, just a short drive from Blowing Rock.  Moses Cone Memorial Park preserves the country estate of Moses Cone, who was a textile businessman and conservationist in the late 19th century.  The park features 25 miles of hiking and bridle trails and Flat Top Manor, which is a 13,000 sq ft Colonial Style mansion.  The bottom floor of the manor houses the Parkway Craft Center, which features handmade crafts by regional artists and a souvenir shop.  We also had the pleasure of watching a pottery demonstration, which the craft center regularly schedules.

After the pottery demo and catching some breathtaking views outside the manor overlooking Bass Lake, we headed left of the house to walk the Figure 8 trail.  This short 0.7 mile hike is great for families with small children or grandparents as it is well shaded and flat.  Originally created by Moses Cone for his daily walks, this unpaved path meanders in a figure 8 shape through the property, making it a perfect walking trail to explore the variety of trees and flowers.  Informational signs highlight the hickory, oak, maple, mountain laurel and black cherry trees along the trail.  If you’re craving a longer or more strenuous hike, check out the map of trails around the park.

IMG_5732After spending over an hour at the park, we turned left out of Moses Cone Memorial Park and headed 10 miles south to the Linn Cove Viaduct (MP 304).  At an elevation of 4,100 ft, the Linn Cove Viaduct is a concrete bridge engineering marvel snaking around Grandfather Mountain; it is over 1,200 ft long and consists of 153 concrete sections weighing 50 tons each.  Construction of the Linn Cove Viaduct was completed in 1983, cementing the final link of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Coming from the north, we drove over the viaduct and then turned left into the Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor Center parking lot.  We hiked the short 0.2 mile walk along the Tanawha Trail to the Linn Cove Viaduct observation deck.  Along the short walk we saw several mountain springs and a variety of mountain flora. Walking underneath the viaduct gives you a sense of the bridge’s massiveness – each bridge segment spans several arm-lengths in width, and has enormous amounts of concrete supported by large piers.  We then walked higher up the Tanawha trail to get an eye-level view of the viaduct and mountains in the distance.  Though our trip to the viaduct was quick, everyone in our group (not just the engineers) really enjoyed and appreciated seeing such an engineering feat up close.

Additional Resources:

Thumbs up: beautiful views from Moses Cone Park overlooking downtown Blowing Rock, access to close-up views of viaduct, infinite outside experiences along Blue Ridge Parkway

Thumbs down: manor house in desperate need of painting and renovations, bathroom facilities at Moses Cone Park

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Linville Falls & Boone, NC

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img_1574For Memorial Day weekend we headed out to the Grandfather Mountain area on the annual Raleigh Jaycees camping trip for some cabin camping.  This was the first time we had ever been to the Boone/Blowing Rock/Banner Elk area and we can’t wait to go back!

We stayed at the Grandfather Mountain campground, which is not on the state park property, but only about 5 miles away at 125 Profile View, Banner Elk.  Being our first year up there (and with a baby), I was reluctant to jump into tent camping so we opted for one of the nearby cabins.  It was a two-bedroom place with a small kitchen, bathroom, living room, and cable TV…basically a primitive hotel room on a campground, but I was happy! All our friends camped at the nearby open field, so we happily mooched off their campfires and s’mores all weekend!

My goal for the weekend was to make sure we had enough fun outdoorsy things to do during the day to keep baby entertained.  I researched a few things ahead of time and got some advice from friends so our weekend was pretty jam-packed, but just the way I wanted it.

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On Saturday morning we headed out to Linville Falls, which is about 10 miles southwest of where we stayed.  It is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway and maintained by the National Park Service.  From Grandfather Mountain campground on 105, you follow 105 south, turn onto 221 south and then north on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  In about a mile onto the BRP, you’ll take a right into Linville Falls.  Follow the road for a few miles where you can take pictures near the unexciting overlooks and then it’ll dead end into the parking lot for the park.

Earlier last week I found an amazing Craigslist deal on a Kelty 2.0 child carrier.  It was a crucial purchase for this weekend.  We quickly strapped Ashley in and away we started for the visitor center and maps.  Linville Falls has  three main trails – Erwin’s View Trail (moderate), Plunge Basin Trail (difficult) and Dugger’s Creek Loop Trail (easy).  Each one has a few different overlooks to hike to and the map clearly notes the length of each trail, which are all under 1.5 miles.  Being our first major hike with Ashley and the backpack we opted for Erwin’s View Trail.  Here’s a link to a Linville Falls map.

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The first overlook we came to was the Upper Falls Overlook.  The narrow pathway of stones led to a large rock outcrop where you had gorgeous views of several falls.  Upstream the river was rather wide and then near this overlook the river narrowed creating a gushing of water down below.  Large rocks lined the downstream falls making the last section of waterfalls look like an infinity pool.

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Next we continued on towards the northern most falls – Chimney View (closed due to fallen tree branch) and Erwin’s View.  The hike up there was very moderate.  In general, the majority of the paths were very easily travelled with 10ft+ wide paths sprinkled lightly with tree roots and stones.  At the clearing near the top is where Chimney View is located, which was closed.  There was also a nearby pavilion with some benches.  A little further up the path was Erwin’s View.  We had to climb a few stairs to get to this section, but it was well worth it.  As you look across the river you see the opposite view from the upper falls.  Even though the view of the falls is far away, the mountain views were gorgeous.  We stuck around here for about 20 minutes to let Ashley get out and enjoy a quick snack before heading back down.

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After leaving Linville Falls we tried going to Linville Caverns, which is only about 5 miles away but decided to leave it for another trip after we found out that child backpack carriers weren’t allowed.  So, we headed back north to downtown Boone in search of lunch.  Back at VT, our club field hockey team once travelled to App State for a game, but we never had the chance to explore anything besides the football field.  Downtown Boone definitely reminded us of being back in Blacksburg with the local shops and restaurants and college students and families out and about, except downtown Boone was much busier than any summer day we’d ever seen in Blacksburg.  We stopped in at Our Daily Bread and scarfed down some yummy sandwiches and cups of water.

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After our fun adventures on day 1, it was time for showers followed by yummy campfire burgers and s’mores!

Thumbs up: gorgeous views, relatively easy hike, photo ops

Thumbs down: get there early in the morning as it gets busy with tourists

P.S. Yay for my one-year blog anniversary!