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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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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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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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