Category: Outdoor Fun

North Carolina Folk Festival

Every September in Greensboro, North Carolina is the annual North Carolina Folk Festival! Traditionally featuring more than 300 performances with continuous performances throughout the 3 day festival. In downtown Greensboro there is a celebration of cultural heritage with lots of local music, handmade crafts, and food. 

Of course, this year is different because of the Coronavirus pandemic. This year the entire festival will be online so no matter where you are, you can enjoy this very fun and free festival.

The festival itself will be from September 11-13. There will be 3 concerts, each 2 hours long over 3 nights. The performances will be pre recorded in iconic Greensboro locations so you still get to learn about its rich cultural history. More information about the event can be found at https://ncfolkfestival.com/virtual-event/

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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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Enjoy MerleFest from Home!

While the coronavirus pandemic has sadly cancelled MerleFest this year, the MerleFest community is putting together a celebration of Doc Watson this coming week online!.

From Monday, May 25 through Friday, May 29 MerleFest will be posting a video of artists playing their favorite Doc Watson song every hour starting at 9am each day. They will be posting the videos on their social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Some of the artists and bands playing are Chatham County Line on Monday, Bill & The Belles on Wednesday, and The Steel Wheels on Friday.

Their social media links are:

https://twitter.com/MerleFest

https://instagram.com/merlefest?igshid=hwzt95t358bu

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Birdwatching on Grandfather Mountain

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

Even at the Nature Museum Restaurant many birds can be found out on the bird feeders. 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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Whitewater Rafting at High Mountain Expeditions

A very exciting adventure to be had in the Boone area is white water rafting! At Banner Elk, not far from Boone, is High Mountain Expeditions, a white water rafting company who have 30 years of experience with guiding adventurers through the area’s rivers.

The most family friendly river rafting is the Watuga River. The fast moving river is dam controlled so the river is consistent throughout the season.


The course itself is a 3 to 5 hour trip and a deli buffet lunch is provided. Every raft will have a trained guide so it is enjoyable for those even without any rafting experience.


Wilson Creek is a fun river for those who are looking for something fast! Over its 2.5 mile trip, the creek drops 85 feet every mile. Some drops are between 5 and 10 feet. The trip takes 2 to 6 hours and the best time to experience it is in the spring and early summer.


For those who want a truly epic experience, there is the 2 day Nolichucky Rafting Adventure. All meals are provided for beforehand and include many healthy, fresh choices. Travel through the Nolichucky River Gorge is regarded as one of the highest rated whitewater in North America and is considered very unforgettable.

For more information on some of the other rafting adventures you can check out their website https://highmountainexpeditions.com

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Retro 80’s weekend coming to Beech Mountain

Starting on February 20th and through the weekend, is Retro 80’s weekend at Beech Mountain. The main event throughout all the days is retro skiing on the mountain with 80’s ski apparel. There are also many other activities throughout the weekend. A few highlights are below.

At night on Thursday the 20th, to start it off is a kick-off band and 80’s prom at Frazier’s Tavern and Grill. This runs from 9-11pm.

On Friday, the events kick off at 3:45pm at the top of the summit with an 80’s ski apparel parade. From 6:30-8pm there is cosmic sledding for kids 12 and under at the Beech Mountain town hall. At the Beech Mountain Brewing Co. Taproom and Grill at 8pm is live music with the band Same As it Ever Was.

Events start earlier on Saturday. From 9-10:30am is a pancake breakfast at the Buckeye Recreation Center. At 5-7pm is an 80’a Kids Karaoke and Apparel contest at Brick Oven.

Sunday does not have any specific events planned however the skiing in 80s apparel will still be going on.

These and many more events make for the 80s retro weekend a very exciting event to look forward to. 

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