Craig and I have gone to Blowing Rock to celebrate our wedding anniversary for the past 3 years and it’s just a perfect time of year for a little mountain getaway (I mean really when isn’t a good time for a mountain getaway?) but I received a lot of questions on Instagram about our trip so I figured I would compile an anniversary weekend recap and things to do in Blowing Rock, NC so you can reference!  I’ve also grown up going to Blowing Rock basically since I was born so it sorta feels like a second home to me.

Where to Stay in Blowing Rock

We have rented a different cabin every year so I guess you could say we are still in search of the “perfect” one.  We have a lot of requirements in that we want it to have a cabin vibe and decor, we need a fire pit, we would *love* a view, not too far from town and ideally we want it to be budget friendly!  We don’t limit ourselves just to Blowing Rock but are fine looking in surrounding areas like Boone, Banner Elk, & Valle Crucis.  We search Homeaway, VRBO, & Airbnb but my “trick” is to look on there first since their search functionality is best and then see which houses have property management companies running them.  I then go to those property management sites to check out the price there and potentially book.  The property management sites generally don’t have the fees that the sites like Homeaway & Airbnb do, so you can usually shave off a couple hundred dollars.  This past trip we stayed HERE (not on a property management site but was still a good price) and loved it. The only downside to this house is there are no real views (maybe in winter when the leaves are off the trees) but it’s a great location.  On the flip side, if you want incredible views, the cabin we stayed at last year has some of the best I’ve ever seen but it’s a little further out.  We had the most AMAZING sunrise there last year literally above the clouds.

Of course Blowing Rock and Boone both have hotels in town you can check out but we always prefer to get a cabin!

What to Do in Blowing Rock

There are a ton of things to do but I’m going to share what we love to do!  We always find a hike since we love hiking, and then we visit breweries & wineries and also like to just find time to chill out 🙂

Hikes in Blowing Rock

There are so many hikes in the Blowing Rock and Boone area but the one we did last weekend was the Daniel Boone Scout Trail.  It’s about 3.5 miles up to the top so over 7 miles round trip.  It’s relatively strenuous but not the hardest ever!  The Profile Trail is another really great hike that is challenging.  A middle of the road hike I like to recommend is the Fire Tower trail…it’s much less technical and about 4 miles round trip.  A shorter hike with great views is Rough Ridge.  It’s also nice to hike around Julian Price lake (more of a walk than a hike though).  Another one we like is the Rich Mountain hike which is another less technical trail but it’s about 6 miles round trip and pretty views at the top.  You can google any of these to find the trailhead location!  But again there are no shortage of hikes.  You’ll spot plenty of trailheads just driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Wineries & Breweries in Blowing Rock

Stopping by wineries & breweries in the area is another fun thing to do!  We went to Grandfather Vineyards last weekend and it was so lovely!  You can get a wine flight to try different kinds of wine without having to do the actual tasting, which is what we opted to do.  It’s pretty kid-friendly too which was nice since we had Emma with us!  Banner Elk winery is another one–they have lodging there as well which would make for a nice romantic getaway!

As for Breweries, Boone has a couple and we have been to the Appalachian Mountain Brewery a few times. It’s a fun spot!  You can find others here.

Other Things to See and Do

The Moses Cone Manor is a super popular tourist destination so be prepared for it to be busy, but it’s super pretty up there so I think it’s worth going to!  They have different trails you can walk around also.  It’s also right off the Blue Ridge Parkway so really close to other hikes and also to the Linn Cove Viaduct.  There are a few overlooks you can pull off for views along the parkway too so it’s just fun to drive down and see what you find!

Grandfather Mountain is another great stop and if you’re brave you can cross the swinging bridge!

If you have kids, and maybe even if you don’t, go to Tweetsie!  Here’s a super old picture of me & my grandfather when I was about 6 at Tweetsie.  I think this is one of those mirrors that stretches you out/makes you look all disproportional.  They have real train rides for kids and also in October they do nighttime Halloween Ghost train and do a Christmas ride also.  I haven’t been in many years but I’m thinking next year Emma will be able to enjoy it so we will probably be going again soon!

If you go in the winter you can check out App Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain, or Sugar Mountain for skiing & snowboarding.  You can go horseback riding and I also really like renting a canoe to go out on Julian Price Lake.  So peaceful and beautiful!

Where to Eat in Blowing Rock

Generally, since we are renting a cabin, we usually stop by the grocery store to cook things at home.  But if you’re a meat-eater, I definitely recommend the Game Keeper restaurant.  We ate their for our 1 year anniversary dinner and it’s really good + has great views and a cozy atmosphere.  Both Blowing Rock and Boone have plenty of restaurant options.  Recently we’ve eaten at The Town Tavern and Proper which is really good southern cooking.  Woodlands has really good BBQ.  You can get ice cream & fudge year round at Kilwin’s in Blowing Rock–nothing like an ice cream cone in the middle of winter…no really, everyone does it so no one will look at you like you’re crazy.  Grab a cone and walk across the street to the park!  You can get hot chocolate instead if that’s more your speed. The park is perfect for kiddos BTW.

I think this hits all the high points of things we usually do and things I think you could easily fit into a weekend trip visiting Blowing Rock and Boone!  If you have any questions for me feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer!

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xo,

Bess