You’ve crossed Grandfather’s Mile-High Swinging Bridge and been hiking at Bass Lake, enjoyed a show with Ensemble Stage and ridden the rails at Tweetsie, and now you’re looking for more. Or perhaps you just like to find those out-of-the-way gems first. Below, we’ve outlined a great weekend of activities and sights that are sometimes overlooked, […]Read More »

Adjacent to Pisgah National Forest, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Julian Price Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock is the perfect place to begin your hiking adventure. Also nearby is Grandfather Mountain, the Linville Gorge Wilderness area, and parts of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.   There are so many beautiful places in our backyard… […]Read More »

The Blue Ridge Mountains have a rich history of mining for the valuable resources found deep in the local earth. Hidden in the complex layers of rock that form these mountains are myriad deposits of minerals and gems. In addition to useful materials like quartz and mica, gemstones and gold can be found as well. […]Read More »

The Blowing Rock is a rock formation that juts out over the John’s River Gorge at about 4000 feet above sea level. The views of the gorge and the Pisgah Forest are immense and breathtaking. The Blowing Rock is so named because of the constant winds that flume up from the surrounding rocky walls. The […]Read More »