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Tail of the Dragon in Western Carolina

Located in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, the eponymous Tail of the Dragon is considered one of the country’s foremost motorcycle and sports car touring roads by many.

Covering an 11 mile stretch of US 129 in the Smoky Mountains, it is a very exciting road to drive with many curves as its name may suggest. 318 curves in 11 miles. While you can enjoy the Dragon at any time, there are many events throughout the year as well to plan around.

June 17 is the Dragon Rally, a major sports car rally where you can enjoy looking at all the many exotic cars from all over the world as they converge on this 11 mile road.

June 30-July 2 is the Thunder in the Smokies Rally. It is the oldest and largest motorcycle rally in the Smoky Mountains! It is open to all ages and offers a wide variety of shows and bikes to enjoy in addition to the Dragon to ride on.

William Kradel Leave a comment on Tail of the Dragon in Western Carolina Concerts and Events, Festival, Outdoor Fun, Tours

Tweetsie Railroad, Fun for All

One of the most popular activities for families to enjoy in the Boone area is the Tweetsie Railroad park! In addition to train rides, it features many different special events throughout the year.

The Tweetsie Railroad has 2 different historic steam engines which you can ride on. Engine No. 12 is a narrow gauge locomotive and was built in 1917.  It is the last surviving steam locomotive of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. It used to run service from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone. It ran from 1919 to 1940.

 Engine No. 190 is also a narrow gauge locomotive and was built in 1943. Built by the Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon Railway company, it linked the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. It ran through the 1960s.

One of the special events coming to the Tweetsie Railroad is a K-9 tricks show where rescue dogs will be performing tricks with frisbees. The event runs from July 22-24 and 27-30.

All of this and more can be found at the Tweetsie Railroad in Boone.

William Kradel Leave a comment on Tweetsie Railroad, Fun for All Blowing Rock, Boone, Concerts and Events, Festival, Outdoor Fun

Highland Games on Grandfather Mountain

This July 6-9 is the return of one of the most popular events in the Boone area: the annual Scottish Highland Games! So what are some of the exciting events going on throughout the events going on during the week?

Throughout the week, there will be many games and other athletic activities. These include the caber toss, hammer throw, archery competitions, track and field, and also Highland Dance competitions.

There will be a very wide variety of music during the celebrations as well. Throughout each of the days, music ranging from Rock, Bluegrass, and Celtic music. There also will be multiple music competitions during the week you can watch. For instance, there are Piping, Fiddle, and Celtic Harp tournaments.

Other activities you can find during the event include many Scottish arts and crafts going on for those of all ages. There are also various children’s activities. There’s also whiskey tasting. This and much more can be found at the Highland Games from July 6-9 at Grandfather Mountain.

William Kradel Leave a comment on Highland Games on Grandfather Mountain Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone, Concerts and Events, Festival, Outdoor Fun

Blowing Rock Trout Derby

To celebrate the opening of Trout season in the Boone area, April 1st is the 43rd annual Blowing Rock Trout Derby! There are many different activities for those of all ages and skill levels to enjoy.

The Classic Tournament starts at sunrise and ends at 4 pm. For this tournament, you catch trout in any Public body of water in Watuga County and bring it in for measuring at the Blowing Rock Clubhouse. The small lake in Blowing Rock itself is reserved for children under 11 and those with disabilities. A valid fishing license is required for this tournament.

There is also a Catch and Release Derby which starts at the Blowing Rock Clubhouse at 7:30 am and ends at 4 pm. For this derby, you are given a measuring tape to measure your catches, and then take a timestamped photograph of them. All public water in Watauga, Ashe, and Avery county will be permitted with single hook artificial lures only. Fishing licenses are required here as well.

At 4:30 pm, prizes will be awarded to different categories of winners in both tournaments.

Mayview Lake in Blowing Rock will be set aside for children under 11 and those who are disabled to fish for trout as well.

William Kradel Leave a comment on Blowing Rock Trout Derby Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone, Fishing, Hiking, Hiking, Outdoor Fun, Tours

MerleFest 2023

With spring right not far away in Boone, that also means the 35th annual MerleFest is right behind as well!

This year, MerleFest will take place from April 27-30. There will be music over 4 days from over 60 different performers! A couple examples of the bands and performers are:

On Thursday, Rock band The Black Crowes. Also playing Thursday is Yasmin Williams who is a finger-style guitarist using a harp guitar.

Friday has some very exciting bands such as the Black Opry Revue and Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band.

Saturday’s lineup includes, amongst others, the bluegrass band Della Mae and The Waybacks.

On Sunday, Pete and Joan Wernick entertain with their banjo playing. Also playing is local band Pretty Little Goat.

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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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