Cross Country Skiing enthusiasts have been coming to the mountains for years to enjoy the snow and hone their skill. The Carriage Trails at Moses Memorial Cone Park in Blowing Rock offer 25 miles of trails that are wide and well maintained year-round.
Come to Blowing Rock and indulge in a mountain getaway! Take in the natural beauty of the High Country, experience local arts, shopping, and decadent dining options. This itinerary outlines 2.5 days of relaxation and recreation for couples or friends alike.
Instead of leaving your dog behind when you go on vacation, bring your four-legged family member to beautiful Blowing Rock! Below, we’ve outlined a great one night adventure of activities and sights that are perfect for you and your pet. Morning -Start your day off by taking a hike on one of our Blue Ridge Parkway trails! Many of our great hikes are located on the Parkway, including Linville Falls, Moses Cone Carriage Trails, Price Lake Loop Trail, and more! A great hike to look into if you want a moderate/strenuous hike is the Boone Fork Trail. Located on milepost 296.5, the Boone Fork Trail is a 5.2 mile loop trail that promises great views of meadows, ancient forests, mountains and also features a waterfall. If you want something less challenging, you can check out the Price Lake Loop Trail. This easy 2.7-mile loop circles the beautiful 47-acre Price Lake. It is a great short hike for you and your pup to explore. Note that for all trails on the parkway, dogs should remain on a leash. For more hikes around the area, visit our hiking page. Afternoon -To refuel your system after the hike, head over to one of our fantastic pet friendly restaurants. Many of our restaurants offer great outdoor seating and they love for pets to stop by. If you need ideas for places to eat with you and your pet, visit our pet friendly dining page. -Next, take a stroll around downtown Blowing Rock. Downtown Blowing Rock is very pet friendly and we love seeing dogs on Main Street! Our store owners love dogs and many of our shops have dog bowls sitting outside to make sure you pet stays hydrated while you’re walking around. Evening -Finally head over to one of dog friendly breweries for a beer and some food! We’re lucky here in North Carolina to have some amazing new breweries take scene in recent years. Both Blowing Rock Ale House here in town, or Appalachian Mountain Brewery in Boone have great outdoor seating and are very dog friendly! -After a long day, head back to one of our dog friendly lodging locations. We have many hotels that allow pets to stay with you during your vacation up here! Or if you decide to rent a home for a longer stay, there are many rental groups that will accommodate your pup! Click here to visit our pet friendly lodging page. The Next Day -On your next day, wake up and and grab some coffee over at Camp Coffee on Main Street! They have a wonderful selection of locally roasted and organic coffees as well as great pastries to start your morning out right. You can also go to Blowing Rock Market for a quick breakfast with outdoor seating! -Before you make that trip back home, head over to see the Blowing Rock itself with your pup! The Blowing Rock is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level. It promises breathtaking views of our surrounding mountains that will give you something to talk about to all your friends and family. Enjoy the scenic views from the observation tower and their wonderful gardens. Visible from “The Rock” are Hawksbill Mountain, Table Rock, Grandfather Mountain, and Mount Mitchell. The Blowing Rock welcomes you and your pet to explore the magical views, as long as they are on a leash and it is not during a special event. Need more ideas? -Broyhill Park- Just behind downtown Blowing Rock is Broyhill Park. You and your dog can explore the gazebo and a walking trail through beautiful gardens.-Wineries around the area– We have awesome wineries that are very dog friendly around the area! Sip on some wine and enjoy the views with your dog by your side.-Boone’s Greenway– Located in Boone, the Greenway is a great trail that is a very popular spot for dogs.–Doc’s Rocks Gem Mining – A great option, especially if you have kiddos. This gem-mining experience for you and the family can be enjoyed with your pup watching next to you! Doc’s Rocks even has animals of their own around.-Grandfather Mountain– Did you know that you can also bring your pooch to see the famous swinging bridge and great views of Grandfather Mountain? Dogs are more than welcome but must be on a leash. Want to see more dog friendly ideas in Blowing Rock? visit https://blowingrock.com/dogs/
The warm light creates the evening “golden hour” when everything is cast in a glow. Sunset light enhances fall colors, too! Check out these beautiful, no-hike sunset spots for a perfect end to your day whether with your friends, your significant other, or alone with your thoughts. Take your pick for the ultimate keepsake photo and resonant memory. 1. Gideon RidgeThe Restaurant at Gideon Ridge is another great place to view the sunset and to enjoy an elegant and relaxing dining experience. You’ll need reservations, and for good reason: The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge is widely considered among the best in the area. This is a bed and breakfast, and the restaurant is open to the public. Their terrace has a great overlook of the Pisgah Forest and will soon be one of your favorite spots to frequent. 2. Moses Cone Manor PorchAlong the Blue Ridge Parkway is the legendary Moses Cone Manor. Around the estate is numerous hiking and horseback riding trails. The front porch of the house is directly facing south which allows for you to see the sun to set on your right and the sky changing colors to your left. You can get cozy on the porch and bask in mother nature’s beauty. 3. Thunder Hill OverlookAlso located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Thunder Hill Overlook offers a sweeping view of the mountains and valleys to the south. It’s popular at both sunrise and sunset. On a clear day you can see the city of Charlotte in the distance, though that’s more common in the morning. It’s the first overlook heading north on the Parkway from Blowing Rock. 4. Raven Rocks OverlookFind this overlook just north of Thunder Hill. This spot offers a view in the opposite direction, toward the north. The view isn’t as wide, but on those days when colorful clouds are collecting in the northern skies, it’s a perfect location. 5. Chetola ResortChetola Resort welcomes visitors to relax by their lake and fire pits and eat at Timberlake’s Restaurant. The historic Manor House is the centerpiece by the lake. Throughout the week during the summer, the resort has nightly features such as live music and s’mores by the firepit. Watching the beautiful sunset colors reflect off the water with a drink or s’more in your hand is what relaxation is all about. PLUS: Access for sunsets is dependent on the attraction hours, but we can’t talk about sunset spots without mentioning The Blowing Rock. With a western vantage toward Grandfather Mountain, the sunset views are incredible and extremely photo-worthy! Just be sure to check sunset time and attraction hours before visiting if you want to be there for one. To see more outdoor fun & activities, click here
Born in Jonesborough, Tennessee in 1857, Moses Herman Cone was the eldest of 13 children born to Jewish-German immigrants. He and his brother, Caesar, worked with their father in his dry goods business in Maryland and later moved to Greensboro, NC, and partnered with local businessmen to form Cone Brothers, Lowman, and Burger Clothing Manufacturers based in Baltimore. Cone realized from his sales and travels that blue-collar workers needed more durable clothes for working. He married Bertha Lindau in 1888, and they never had children. In 1890 Moses and Ceasar formed the Cone Export & Commission Company in New York and developed what was called the “Plaid Trust”, a commission to control the production market on checks and plaids. In 1892, they moved to Greensboro, North Carolina and took in another forty mills, and completely controlled the market. US antitrust laws broke up the agreements the Cones had with the various mills to control the market. Cone purchased a defunct steel mill in 1895 and developed it into a large cotton mill called Proximity Manufacturing Company that produced blue and brown denim. Competitors in the New England states were located much farther away from the cotton fields, giving Cone an advantage] He built additional mills throughout the Greensboro area and the South soon became one of the biggest denim fabric producers in the world, In the 1890s, Moses Cone came to be known as “The Denim King.” The Cone brothers soon after built White Oak Cotton Mills, at the time the largest denim mill in the world and largest cotton mill in the South, even supplying denim to Levi Strauss and Company. Moses was also instrumental in the development of Appalachian State University, as a contributor to the construction. In 1901, Cone built Flat Top Manor, a 20-room mansion in the grand Colonial Revival style nestled on a 3,500-acre estate on Flat Top Mountain in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. An avid conservationist, Moses Cone planted extensive white pine forests, hemlock hedges, and a 10,000 tree apple orchard, and built lakes stocked with bass and trout. In addition, there were prize-winning cattle and sheep and a constructed fence surrounding an extensive chestnut forest that was stocked with deer. After their deaths, Moses and Bertha Cone donated their home, Flat Top Manor to the National Park Service Today Moses H Cone Memorial Park is open to the public, located at Milepost 294 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Flat Top Manor is home to the Parkway Craft Center, home to the Southern Highlands Craft Guild. In addition to the Parkway Craft Center, visitors enjoy twenty-five miles of carriage trails perfect for hiking, horseback riding, or cruising in a horse-drawn carriage. The Craftsman’s Trail is a 20-minute loop walk around the Manor which the Cones are said to have walked together every morning. The estate also contains a family cemetery and a carriage and apple barn.
Blowing Rock is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway and bordered by the Pisgah National Forest, providing close proximity and easy access to a multitude of habitats. This area of the Blue Ridge Mountains provides a home for about 160 breeding species of birds, with over 250 species appearing with regularity during migrations. In fact, the High Country is one of the most diverse breedings and spring migration areas in the eastern United States, with large numbers of neo-tropical migrants and forest interior species. Several species, like the Canada Warbler, are at the southern-most end of their breeding range while here, contributing the wide assortment of birds found in our backyard. When is the best time to view birds in Blowing Rock? Spring migration in the area happens in April and May, and September is the best time to see fall migrations. The months between are great for viewing breeding species. Winter months are host to our year-round residents like crimson Cardinals and cheeky Juncos. Which species can be found here? See the The High Country species list here! The above list is created by the High Country Audubon Society. The High Country Audubon website is especially helpful if you want to time your visit to see certain birds. This local Audubon Chapter has a great website with checklists for great local birding spots, too! Where can birds be observed in Blowing Rock? With so many undeveloped areas near Blowing Rock, birds can be seen almost anywhere. Spending time on park benches early in the morning or in quiet woodlands on the Blue Ridge Parkway will reveal many species of interest. High Country Audubon offers a list of Local Birding Hotspots, complete with bird lists and access details for the sites! Find great details on Blowing Rock locations like Trout Lake, Sims Pond, and Price Lake, plus many others across the High Country. Many of the best places for bird viewing have become designated sites on the North Carolina Birding Trail, a state-wide collection of great birding sites and communities. Here is a list of official sites closest to the accommodations, dining, and activities in Blowing Rock. Nearby North Carolina Birding Trail sites – estimated mileage from Blowing Rock: Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, in Blowing Rock Julian Price Memorial Park, 5 miles from downtown Blowing Rock Tanawha Trail, access 5 miles Boone Greenway, 7 miles Grandfather Mountain, 12 miles Valle Crucis Community Park, 12 miles Elk Knob State Park, 17 miles Green Valley Community Park, 17 miles E.B Jeffress Park, 22 miles Lewis Fork Overlook, 24 miles Linville Falls, 25 miles Buckeye Lake Recreation Area, 27 miles The North Carolina Birding Trail recognizes many more sites in the mountains, piedmont and coast of our state. To see a full listing, and to get more information on the sites above, visit www.NCBirdingTrail.org. Other great birding links: Audubon North Carolina Carolina Bird Club Local Birding News on Ray’s Weather– This page is updated infrequently now, but archives give good info on past sightings, local habitats, and bird behavior While you’re here: Click the calendar link at the top of this page to see other events happening in the area. The attractions tab will show you what else the area has to offer during your visit. If you are coming to see a crimson Cardinal in the snow, don’t forget about our great local ski slopes. When here to see summer Warblers, plan to stay over for an Art in the Park show. Our restaurants, shops, and accommodations are great any time of year!
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