Category: Blowing Rock

Ice Skating at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort

While the Boone area is famous for its ski resorts, the resorts have a lot more to offer than just skiing. For instance, at the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort they have an ice skating rink!

Sugar Mountain has a very large 10,000 square foot outdoor skating rink in fact. It is located between the parking lot D and the Tubing Park.

There are plenty of amenities as well located near the skating rink. The Dave Nixon Pro Shop offers skate rentals so you don’t have to worry about bringing your own ice skates. Inside the Sugar Mountain Resort restaurant you can find a nice warm area to relax and have nice cocoa and a meal.

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Grandfather Mountain Birdwatching!

In addition to its wonderful scenery and trails, Grandfather Mountain is also home to a large variety of birds to enjoy watching!

Because of the many different microclimates on Grandfather Mountain, over 200 species of birds can be found here! And 100 of those have documented breeding colonies.

One of the surprisingly effective places to watch birds is at the Nature Museum Restaurant. There are many bird feeders outside which the birds enjoy. Some of the birds which can be spotted include Nuthatches, Carolina Chickadees, and Juncos.

For woodland birds, the Profile Trail offers many opportunities to spot species such as Warblers, Louisiana Water Thrushes, and Scarlet Tangers.

On Black Rock Trail, there are plenty of birds which prefer high elevations. Some of these include Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, and Magnolia Warblers.

A special event in September is the annual southern migration of a variety of raptor species. Throughout the month, visitors can join trained staff to watch the migration and learn more about the passing eagles, peregrine falcons, and more raptor species.

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Blowing Rock Trout Derby

With spring right around the corner, that also means fishing season is almost upon us! Blowing Rock will have a special fishing derby on Saturday, April 3 to kick it off.

To jumpstart the trout season in April, Blowing Rock will be hosting a catch and release competition in the nearby lakes. The most popular local fishing spots are Price Lake, Bass Lake, Trout Lake, and Middle Fork River. An NC fishing license is required for fishing.

For younger ones and those with disabilities, the small Broyhill Lake in Blowing Rock will be stocked with fish so everyone can enjoy the fishing fun!

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The Autumn Air in Boone and Blowing Rock

Despite approaching the end of October, it is still very much autumn here in the Boone area. The fall leaves on the trees are still very much a wonder to behold. It is a wonderful activity to do while we still need to keep our social distance. 

In the Boone and Blowing Rock area, there are plenty of places to view the fall colors on the mountain. In addition to being able to view the mountainside forest from the town of Blowing Rock, on the roads entering and exiting the town there are beautiful overlooks to take pictures from them. 

Grandfather Mountain is another wonderful place to view the fall colors. You do need to make an appointment ahead of time to visit due to the pandemic

Beech Mountain, while well known as a ski resort, also has trails to walk to enjoy the scenery throughout October, and guided tours on Wednesday and Fridays. The ski resort itself is scheduled to open November 21.

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Socially Distanced Fun in Blowing Rock

One of the most quaint and also fun places to visit in the High Country of North Carolina is Blowing Rock near Boone. Fortunately, Blowing Rock has plenty of ways to relax and have fun while maintaining social distancing.
The Glen Burney Waterfall trail located near Main Street. It is a slightly under 2 mile walk with plenty of photo opportunities as there are multiple small waterfalls along the trail.
For even more trails to explore, about 5 miles outside of town is Moses Cone Park. The park has 25 miles of former carriage tracks with trail lengths between a half mile and 3 miles. All of the trails are gravelled and flat as well so are very relaxing.
There are many restaurants in Blowing Rock as well which are open to outdoor patio seating. A couple of these include The Speckled Trout on Main Street has a wide variety of fish with added local ingredients. At nearby Chetola Resort is Timberlake’s Restaurant which is a beautiful restaurant with an equally beautiful outdoor patio overlooking a small lake. 

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Blowing Rock Winterfest January 23-26

The last week of January provides a great deal of excitement at Blowing Rock as it is the annual Winterfest at Blowing Rock!

On Thursday January 23, at the Front Porch Eats is a wonderful buffet of frozen treats. Included is the WinterBEAST! A very unique sundae with waffles, bananas, syrup, shaved chocolate, your choice of ice cream topped with sprinkles. 

Also on Thursday at 4pm is the start of the tomahawk throwing contest. Taking place over 3 days, you can enjoy watching the tossing while also enjoying beer from the Appalachian Mountain Brewery on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday January 24 there is much relaxing to be had with events such as the Ice Stroll and WinterCraft, an outdoor handmade market. In the evening they also will be playing jazz and at the Blowing Rock School auditorium will be a Friday Night Concert.

On Saturday January 25 there hayrides in downtown Blowing Rock throughout the day. Starting at noon, in memorial park there will be an ice carving demonstration. In the evening they will have bonfires and s’mores at the Chetola Resort.

On Sunday January 26 the main attraction will be the WinterPaws Dog Show at the Blowing Rock Elementary School Gym.

These events and much more can be found at https://blowingrockwinterfest.com/event/winterpaws-dog-show/

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