Isabelle & Adam
Things To Do
Blue Ridge Parkway
The most popular unit of the National Park system is one of America's great road trips. The High Country portion of the high road-where the Parkway was started and completed-is arguably the scenic apex of the experience.
Mast General Store
Charles Kuralt considered the sagging, scenic 1882 Mast General Store in Valle Crucis a true destination among the nation's general stores. You'll agree. The historical atmosphere is unforgettable, and so is the shopping. This rural emporium that once carried "everything from cradles to caskets" is a trove of Americana and unusual merchandise. There's a branch of Mast in downtown Boone, too. Open year-round.
The Blowing Rock
A colorful legend attributed to Native Americans cites the odd updrafts on this spectacular crag that led "Ripley's Believe It or Not" to proclaim it "the only place in the world where snow falls upside down." The Blowing Rock's dramatic views from this cliffside perch, open since 1933 as "North Carolina's oldest travel attraction." Open year-round.
Tweetsie Railroad
The Boone Area's premier family fun park features a Western-themed ride on an authentic steam train-actually the Boone Area's first high-tech link to the outside world from the late 1800s to 1940 (Engine # 12 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places). Now the shrill-whistled train nicknamed "Tweetsie" by early residents crosses a trestle, circles a mountain, and encounters robbers and Indians on the way back to a diverse assortment of rides and entertaining options. Great events include a Thomas the Tank Engine visit and October's Ghost Train. Open spring to fall.