Category: Vacation Rentals

What is and isn’t open in Boone and Blowing Rock. 

It has been a few weeks since the devastating Hurricane Helene ravaged the Northeast, especially North Carolina and Tennessee. In the Boone area, many businesses and towns have reopened while some areas are still closed off. So which are they?

Grandfather Mountain will be reopening on October 23 at 9 am. From then forward, the park will be open 7 days a week opening at 9 am with the trails closing at 5 pm and the park at 9 pm.

Blowing Rock, where there are many areas to shop and eat, is fully open with the major highways safe and open for travel. For instance, the Oktoberfest celebration is this Saturday the 26th.

The Blueridge Parkway is closed until at least October 31 and then it will be re examined.

Boone is also fully opened with Appalachian State playing its first home football game since the Hurricane this Saturday against Georgia State

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Old Barn Winery

If you are looking to spend a very relaxing and enjoyable day in Boone and the surrounding area, look no further than the Old Barn Brewery in nearby West Jefferson. The Old Barn Winery is a family run winery first started in 1960 and has been running now for four generations. It is located at 2152 Beaver Creek School Road, West Jefferson.

The winery is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Outside of the wonderful wine they have available to try, the Old Barn Winery also has lots of musical performances bands most days. The music variety included jazz, bluegrass, rock, and country. 

For food, they DO allow outside food into the winery. For food they sell, they have a food truck on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. The food truck includes bbq shrimp cocktails, tuna tacos, chimichurri steak subs, and lobster rolls. No hamburgers or hot dogs.

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Karaoke and Live Music and Beech Mountain Ski Resort

One very popular way to have some fun during vacation is karaoke. This can be especially true during winter when you are looking to warm up. Fortunately, Beechmountain Ski Resort has karaoke nights!

Every Tuesday from 6pm to 9pm at the Taproom and Grill they have a large selection of music to try your hand at some karaoke! There also is a wide selection of food and beer for dinner.

If you are looking to listen and relax to music, in February they also have some other bands coming to play. February 10th is a live performance from the High Country’s Gents & Liars from 7-10pm. It is free and open to all ages.

February 17 and 18th is a music series by the Painted Man Soul and R&B band. On the 17th it is from 7pm through 10pm and on the 18th from 8pm through 10pm. It also is free and open to all ages.

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Banner Elk and Boone Travel Info for October 15 and 16

This weekend, October 15 and 16, at Banner Elk is the very popular Woolly Worm festival. Also this weekend we have the peak time for viewing the autumn colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the area.

Another event running this weekend in the same area is the Valle Fair at Valle Crucis. Both the fair and the Woolly Worm festival open at 9am both days.

All of these events going on at once means this will be a weekend with very high traffic congestion throughout the area. Most of the roads into and in both Banner Elk and Valle Crucis are only two lane roads so there will be heavy delays throughout as the events are very popular.

So make sure to leave much earlier than you’d expect to need to so as to account for the traffic. Also, bring along a lot of patience to get through the traffic. 

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Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain 2022

This October 8 and 9, Saturday and Sunday, Sugar Mountain will be hosting their 32nd annual Oktoberfest! There will be plenty of family friendly Bavarian inspired food, music, and more to enjoy!

The event opens at 10am and runs to 5pm both days. From noon to 4pm the Harbour Towne Fest Band will be playing traditional Bavarian music in the style of an Oom Pah Band. There also will be a special performance by the Avery County Cloggers on Sunday, October 9 at 2pm.

At the Ski Area grounds, there will be many local artisans and craftsman showing their local wares available to purchase. This is a perfect place to buy souvenirs such as woodworks or ironworks!

As it is Oktoberfest, there will of course be plenty of Bavarian cuisine to eat as well! This includes Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Strudel, soft pretzels, and Spaten beer. If you are looking for more traditional festival food as well, they have that too. Hamburgers, kettle corn, pop, funnel cake, and more! 

There is no admission fee, and the address is at 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive Sugar Mountain, NC 28604.

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Adapting to Strict Cleaning Protocols

With the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing many are looking to take a vacation in mountainous settings to be able to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment. To be able to do so, the rental homes themselves need to be cleaned appropriately. The Vacation Rental Management Association has recognized this and has updated its guidelines so property owners can make every effort to properly sanitize their properties. The full list of recommendations can be found here. At Kradel’s Kabins we have adapted our cleaning protocol to allow our guests a safe and enjoyable stay. Below are some of the highlights of the cleaning protocols which we at Kradel’s Kabins follow.

There is a difference between sanitizing and disinfecting a house. Sanitizing refers to eliminating the germs to a safe level. This is cleaning the surface. Disinfecting is the process of killing nearly 100% of the germs still left on a surface. Disinfecting requires use of specific products that are designed to kill specific viruses. We do ensure to use hospital grade disinfectants that are on the EPA list as specifically effective against COVID-19 for the peace of mind that the house is sanitized per recommendations.

Before cleaning, it is important to have a time gap to allow air born particles to settle, recommended at no less than 3 hours. When using disinfectants, each requires a certain amount of time they need to sit on a surface to be effective before wiping off. The products themselves list how long they need to sit. When cleaning it is important to follow the times described on the disinfectants to ensure that the surfaces are disinfected. Then after cleaning the home there is an additional wait time of 24 hours before the last person leaves and when guests are due to arrive at the home. This is important as the virus breaks down over time.

VRMA strongly emphasizes using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and disposable gloves for entry into any property even after the 3 hour waiting period. Gloves are changed between certain different activities in the property and always changed when visiting another property. We do require everyone who cleans the house to do so while wearing PPE. 

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