Blowing Rock, NC

Junior Naturalist Day
2025-08-09 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Halifax) | Grandfather Mountain, 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC, 28646
Junior Naturalist Program activities throughout the day will be provided specifically for children ages 5-12, but all ages are welcome! Events are included with admission. Grandfather recommends that those planning to attend purchase their tickets to the park online in advance here.
Guests will also be able to meet some critters up close and personal around the Wilson Center!
Grandfather Mountain’s daily program schedule will also be in full swing! Find more details about these daily programs here.
Website

2025 BRAHM Gala
2025-08-09 18:00 - 21:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
The 2025 BRAHM Gala will take place on Saturday, August 9.

Event at Full Capacity

The 2025 BRAHM Gala is currently at full capacity. If you would like to be placed on a waitlist to be contacted if there are further opportunities to purchase sponsorships or individual tickets please contact Hannah Chaney at Hannah@BlowingRockMuseum.org or call 828.295.9099 ext. 3011.

Carl Ratliff Jazz Quartet
2025-08-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, 559 West King Street, Boone, NC, 28607, United States
Mast Store Community Room
Sunday, August 10, 2025 at 5 PM / Doors open at 4:15 PM
Standard $25
Student $10
High Country Jazz Society Members – Free Admission w/ preferred seating (based on availability)
All Ages (children under 17 admitted with parent/legal guardian)
General Admission Seating
*AppTheatre inclusive pricing combines fees, tax, and ticket value at checkout.
Carl Ratliff, saxophones; Lovell Bradford, Sr., Piano/Keyboard., Lovell Bradford, Jr., Bass; Malcom Charles, Drums.
This presentation will include jazz standards, music of Kenny Garrett, and contemporary jazz.
Learn more about High Country Jazz Society HERE.
Website

Women's Beginner Backpack
2025-08-15 - 2025-08-17 | Speckled Trout Outfitters, 916 Main St. Suite 100, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Disconnect from the business of daily life and settle into the presence, peace and quiet of nature on a weekend trip that will leave you feeling rejuvenated and inspired. You will learn all you need to know – from water filtration to what not to wipe with- and be provided with all necessary gear to safely, successfully, and joyfully backpack.
Each day will involve a 3-5 mile hike, allowing plenty of time for breaks, learning, and leisurely time at camp to take in our natural environment. Gear and food are included – and don’t worry, this is not your average trail food of peanut butter on tortillas and chicken-flavored ramen. Your guide, Becca, has been complimented on her trail kitchen skills, and you will leave this weekend asking for recipes. Our max group size is 6.
Becca is passionate about teaching women to embrace the outdoors and learn skills to empower them in a backcountry setting. She is trained as a Forest Therapy Guide, an amateur naturalist, and a friction fire builder. You can read more about her here. If you have questions about this trip, you can email her at becca@thespeckledtrout.com.
Website

Plein Air Festival
2025-08-19 09:00 - 2025-08-23 17:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
The Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival is a four-day, open enrollment plein air painting event. It takes place in the beautiful mountainous area surrounding the town of Blowing Rock in western North Carolina, from Tuesday, August 19th, to Saturday, August 23rd, 2025. The festival aims to bring painters together from around the world to paint outside in the fresh air while getting to know each other and sharing their work. The event prompts applicants to explore the unique Blowing Rock architecture, spectacular Blue Ridge Mountain views, and overall Appalachian feel of one of the most scenic areas in the country.
Website

Hawk Watch
2025-09-01 10:00 - 2025-09-30 17:00 | Grandfather Mountain, 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC, 28646
All throughout September, guests are invited to join Grandfather Mountain’s naturalists as they count and celebrate the annual spectacle of fall raptor migration. Participants can observe the migration from viewing locations on Linville Peak (across the Mile High Swinging Bridge) and Half Moon Overlook (the first major overlook when entering the park). Included with admission.
Raptors are birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, owls and vultures. The telltale signs of the raptor are sharp talons, a hooked upper bill and keen eyesight. While some raptors remain in place during winter, most will travel south, where food is more abundant. Because it sits along the eastern escarpment of the Appalachian Mountains, and its rocky peaks generate strong thermal uplifts and allow excellent visibility, Grandfather Mountain is a prime viewing spot for this phenomenon.
Perhaps the most dramatic visual display comes courtesy of the broad-winged hawk, which migrates in groups of hundreds or thousands, called kettles. Those sightings are most common around the second or third week of September. Grandfather Mountain is one of more than 300 Hawk Watch sites officially designated by the Hawk Migration Association of North America.
Website

Down the Path: A Shared Journey of Horticulture Excess
2025-09-03 11:00 - 12:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Photo Credit: The Roethlings marvel at orchids, photo from VisitWinstonSalem.com
Today we talk with two plant geeks that met in a garden. Both are now Directors of two prominent public gardens in North Carolina. Adrienne Roethling is the Director for Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in Kernersville, NC. Jon Roethling is the Director Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. They tell their story and the stories of the amazing gardens they oversee.
Free for Members and Garden Club Members; $8 General Admission
Website

ASU Home Football Game
2025-09-06 15:30 - 18:30 | Kidd Brewer Stadium, 733 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28607
Lindenwood vs. App State
Home Opener

Revisiting the "Brown Decades": Tonalism and the American South
2025-09-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Image Credit: Eliot Clark, Storm, Virginia, undated, oil on canvas. Support: 6 x 8 1/2 inches; Image: 5 3/4 x 8 inches; Framed: 16 5/8 x 18 1/2 x 2 inches. On Loan from The Johnson Collection, Spartenburg, South Carolina.
Following the American Civil War, American artists quieted their paintings, embracing blurred contours, muted palettes, and introspective atmospheres. Often considered the moody counterpoint to Impressionism’s vibrant and light-filled canvases, Tonalism offered a harmonious space for respite and reflection in a rapidly changing world. This lecture will explore the foundations of this often-misunderstood artistic movement and how the landscape of the American South became a subject for the art of painting softly.
Website

Antlers & Acorns: Darrell Scott with Ben Danaher
2025-09-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, 559 West King Street, Boone, NC, 28607, United States
Antlers & Acorns Boone Songwriters Festival presents
Darrell Scott with Ben Danaher
Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 7 PM / Doors open at 6:15 PM
Standard – $45
All Ages (children under 17 admitted with parent/legal guardian)
All Seating is Reserved.
Sales tax and fees applied at checkout
Website & Info

Antlers & Acorns: Ordinary Elephant
2025-09-12 14:00 - 16:00 | Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, 559 West King Street, Boone, NC, 28607, United States
Antlers & Acorns Boone Songwriters Festival presents
Ordinary Elephant
Mesmerizing folk duo Ordinary Elephant has spent the better part of the last decade on a never-ending tour that’s earned married couple Crystal and Pete Damore widespread critical acclaim and made fans of luminaries like Tom Paxton and Mary Gauthier. In 2017, the pair took home the International Folk Music Award for Artist of the Year on the strength of their breakout album, Before I Go, and two years later, they returned with the similarly lauded Honest, which the Associated Press hailed as “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”
Website & Info

Antlers & Acorns: Mary Gauthier with Jess Klein
2025-09-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, 559 West King Street, Boone, NC, 28607, United States
Antlers & Acorns Boone Songwriters Festival presents
Mary Gauthier with Jess Klein
Back for the third time to Antlers & Acorns, Mary Gauthier is a Grammy-nominated American folk singer/songwriter and author whose dark atmospheres and tales of marginalized people draw on her early experiences with addiction and recovery and growing up gay in Southern Louisiana.
Tickets & Info

Antlers & Acorns: John Moreland with Mando Saenz
2025-09-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, 559 West King Street, Boone, NC, 28607, United States
Antlers & Acorns Boone Songwriters Festival presents
John Moreland with Mando Saenz
John Moreland – After an impressive 2010s run of albums that earned him a devoted fanbase, accolades from outlets like The New York Times, Fresh Air, and Pitchfork, and a place in the upper echelon of modern Americana singer-songwriters, John Moreland has already taken two unexpected turns this decade, both of which highlight his fierce artistic independence.
Tickets & Info

Raku Pottery Demonstration
2025-09-18 10:00 - 2025-09-21 16:00 | Moses Cone Manor, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
John Turner will demonstrate Raku pottery techniques. This demonstration will be held on the front porch of the the Moses Cone Manor from 10am-4pm. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process!
Website

"More Magnificent than Imagination": Camp Catawba as Muse
2025-09-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Places can be inspiring, and Western North Carolina boasts quite a few. Nestled in the mountains in Blowing Rock, Camp Catawba, a summer camp operating between 1945 and 1970, inspired its founder, Vera Lachmann, and her partner, Tui St. George Tucker, in a variety of ways. A poem Lachmann wrote for Tucker expresses that for them, Catawba is “more magnificent than imagination.” In this talk, Shulstad will provide a brief history of Lachmann’s founding of the camp and its mission. Then she will share the poetry and music created by Lachmann and Tucker that reflect their passion for Catawba, and the ways in which they constructed an artistic community within that place that nurtured the creativity of the campers.
Website

Outdoor Paint & Sip at Westglow
2025-09-21 15:00 - 17:00 | Daingerfield’s, 224 Westglow Cir., Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Westglow Luxury Resort & Spa—in collaboration with Let’s Be Artsy—is delighted to present an exclusive Outdoor Paint & Sip experience on September 21, 2025. This unique event combines Westglow’s award-winning hospitality with Let’s Be Artsy’s signature guided painting sessions, offering guests an immersive opportunity to create, connect, and celebrate amidst the breathtaking High Country landscape.
Event Details:
What: September 21 Outdoor Paint & Sip
Where: Westglow Luxury Resort & Spa, Blowing Rock, NC
When: Sunday, September 21, 2025, between 3:00-5:00 PM
Cost: $75.00 per person

The Denim Ball
2025-09-23 18:00 - 21:00
SAVE THE DATE!

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Mark your calendar for The Denim Ball at Camp Yonahnoka at Linville Golf Club in North Carolina. Guest are invited to dine, dance, bid in silent and live auctions, and enjoy the gorgeous mountain setting. The annual event benefits Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Please check back soon for ticket information.
Website

Cocktails with the Curator: Jack Boul
2025-09-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
This cocktail with the curator will feature BRAHM’s Curator Gabe Wilson in conversation with Jack Boul’s son, David Boul. Patrons can expect one part gallery tour, two parts conversation, and a splash of cocktail party. This event is limited to 15 people. Registrations are required. Non-alcoholic options will be available upon request.
Non-alcoholic options will be available upon request.
Free for Members; $8 General Admission
Website

Print Making & Etching Demo at Moses Cone Manor
2025-09-26 10:00 - 2025-09-27 16:00 | Moses Cone Manor, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
John Furches will demonstrate print making and etching techniques. This demonstration will be held on the front porch of the the Moses Cone Manor from 10am-4pm. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process!
Website

Blue Ridge Parkway Service Project at Moses Cone Estate
2025-09-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Flat Top Manor, Milepost 294, Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Image Credit: NPS volunteers clear Hurricane Helene storm damage from the Julian Price Campground. NPS volunteer B.Owens
Moses Cone Estate -milepost 294 (Meet at the Manor House and work the Cone service road area near the Manor House)
On Saturday, September 27, the National Park Service invites park neighbors and visitors to participate in multiple service projects and a wide variety of programs to mark both National Public Lands Day as well as the one-year milestone of Hurricane Helene’s impacts to the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding region. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event in support of public lands, and with this year’s NPLD falling on Helene’s one-year mark, events planned commemorate the park’s continued recovery and the region’s resiliency.
Website

Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight at Grandfather Mountain
2025-09-27 18:30 - 21:30 | Grandfather Mountain, 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC, 28646
Embrace your nocturnal side at Grandfather Mountain through Creatures of the Night and Bonfire Delight, the park’s after-hours program where guests enjoy rare after-dark tours, fireside tales and a chance to meet the park’s nighttime residents.
The evening begins around the glow of a bonfire at the Woods Walk Picnic Area as night falls. Guests will then have the opportunity to partake in three unique experiences as the group splits up and alternates between the different parts of the mountain. These activities include a trek (via shuttle) to atop the mountain at the Mile High Swinging Bridge, as well as a visit to the Mildred the Bear Animal Habitats for a behind-the-scenes tour in which guests get to experience the mountain in a similar fashion as its nocturnal critters. The tour is conducted using red-light flashlights, with an emphasis placed on the guests’ sensory experience while getting up close with the park’s bears, otters, elk and cougars. An educational focus is also placed on how the animals may use their senses of smell or eyesight to navigate or hunt at night.
Groups will then descend back to the Woods Walk Picnic Area to gather around the fire, roast s’mores and hear folktales from one of the mountain’s naturalists or educators.
Hours are 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event is open to 50 participants, and tickets are $40 for general admission or $34 for Bridge Club members.
Website

Pattern Mapping: Reception
2025-10-02 17:30 - 19:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Head to BRAHM as they celebrate the exhibition, Andrea Keys Connell: Pattern Mapping
The event will flow like this:
5:30 pm – 6 pm Reception with a cash bar
6pm – 6:20 pm Andrea Keys Connell will be in conversation with BRAHM’s curator of exhibitions and collections, Ian Gabriel Wilson.
6:20 – 7 pm The public is invited to explore the exhibition with the artist and BRAHM’s curator.
Website

Oktoberfest Weekend
2025-10-04 12:30 - 20:00 | Blowing Rock Ale House, 152 Sunset Dr., Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Fun Food & Festivities!

Ale House Pretzels and other apps pair well with any beer!
Full menu of food offerings available for inside dining + biergarten snacks outside
Stein holding competitions throughout the day
Souvenir cups, shirts and more!

Plus our favorite seasonal beer: Blowing Rock Oktoberfest Märzen-style Lager is already on tap and in six packs.
Head over to the Ale House in Blowing Rock! For a list of live performers see their Website

Fall Color Rambles
2025-10-04 13:00 - 13:30 | Grandfather Mountain, 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC, 28646
From Oct. 4 through 12, guests enjoy short, guided nature walks that highlight Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors. The Fall Color Rambles take place daily, weather permitting, and are included in your admission ticket. The short excursions begin at 1 p.m. and typically last for 30 minutes. Rambles will start outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery.
Grandfather Mountain is home to myriad species of plants and hardwood trees that range from pumpkin-colored beech trees to blood-red sourwoods and rusty red oaks. During the daily rambles, guests learn all about the mountain’s unique biodiversity and the science behind the changing of the leaves.
Participants can become familiar with tree identification, as the mountain’s talented and knowledgeable educators and interpretive park guides venture out with guests to some of the most colorful destinations on the mountain.
Website

ASU Home Football Game
2025-10-04 15:30 - 18:00 | Kidd Brewer Stadium, 733 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28607
App State Vs. Oregon State
Parking Info

Broom Making Demo at Moses Cone Manor
2025-10-09 10:00 - 2025-10-12 16:00 | Moses Cone Manor, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Peter Werner will be demonstrating traditional Appalachian broom-tying, which is how he creates his whisks, cake testers, and large sweepers. This demonstration will be held on the front porch of the the Moses Cone Manor from 10am-4pm.
Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process!
Website

Camp Catawba: The Groovy Camp
2025-10-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Join App State’s Dr. Neva J. Specht for an in-depth look at Camp Catawba. This presentation will highlight founder Vera Lachmann’s vision for the camp, stories about their adventures, and the importance of the camp to the attendees as they became adults.
Lachmann escaped Nazi Germany to immigrate to the United States. She was a trained classicist, taught kindergarten in Germany, and became an academic in the United States. In the summers, she turned an old chicken farm into a “groovy summer camp” for young boys.
Less than a mile from the Cone Estate, the camp sprung up each summer so young boys could learn about Homer’s Odyssey, hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and discover music and art. Vera and her partner, Tui St. George Tucker (the camp’s music director), ran the camp from 1944 to 1970.
Website

Exploring Tonalist Painting with Kyle Buckland
2025-10-10 09:00 - 2025-10-12 14:00 | Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605, United States
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Tonalism, taught by nationally acclaimed landscape painter Kyle Buckland. This workshop will guide you through the core principles of this evocative style, including limited palettes, close values, and creating a sense of mood and atmosphere through subtle color variations.
Website

7th Annual Apple Butter Festival
2025-10-11 10:00 - 17:00 | Saunders Old Country Store, 3637 Blowing Rock Blvd., Lenoir, NC, 28645, United States
Saunders Old Country Store is excited to be hosting the 7th Annual Apple Butter Festival — a free, family-friendly event happening on Saturday, October 11th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at:
3637 Blowing Rock Blvd, Lenoir, NC 28645
Admission is completely FREE and the day will feature:

5 live bluegrass bands
Free giveaways
Activities for all ages
And the Smoke-n-Shine BBQ food truck on-site serving delicious food all day!

Website

Sugar Mountain Resort's Oktoberfest
2025-10-11 10:00 - 2025-10-12 17:00 | Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain, NC, 28604
Enjoy a two-day Oktoberfest from 10:00am until 5:00pm in the North Carolina Mountains. The festival features live Bavarian music, German and American food & beverages, a children’s fun center, hay rides; local & regional craft fair, lift-rides on the Summit Express chairlift, a winter sports shop sale, lodging specials and much, much more.
Website
