So, I'm taking my girlfriend to Boone for the weekend right before halloween. The main reason we are going there is to see grandfather mountain and basically enjoy some (hopefully) good weather at the peak of the leaves changing color. I was just wondering if anyone has any good advice on where to take her for dinner and other good stuff to visit/see/do while we are there.

A little information about us to consider: We like doing stuff outside when the weather is agreeable. We like good food of pretty much any type. We like pretty much any bar as long as it's not overly crowded or loud. Also, the timing/planning of the trip is based on our work schedules, not halloween. But if there is some halloween event that is really exceptional, don't leave it out.

thanks in advance.

10/16/2011 10:19:35 PM

You'll be two weeks late for peak leaf color.

10/16/2011 11:11:54 PM

daniel boone inn

10/16/2011 11:14:52 PM

Rough Ridge off of the parkway is one of my favorite trails

10/16/2011 11:59:09 PM

they said on the news just a couple of days ago that peak leaf color was that weekeend...

10/17/2011 8:39:50 AM

According to Asheville's tourism site peak color has already hit the higher elevations and is already spreading to elevations around 3000 feet.

10/17/2011 9:01:45 AM

I don't get it. They're leaves. They're dying/dead. I can see that shit all in the back of my truck. What's so special about it?

10/17/2011 9:04:31 AM

They're purdy. Though what we can see here in NC isn't all that great compared to New England.

10/17/2011 9:07:34 AM

Went to Asheville this weekend. The leaves are gorgeous, but have not peaked yet. I think 2 weeks from now will still be fantastic in Boone.

10/17/2011 9:15:25 AM

I stayed in the smoketree lodge near sugar mtn a couple weeks ago. That place is seriously just like the hotel from hot tub time machine, and yea, they had a hot tub

10/17/2011 9:47:15 AM

FYI: it's homecoming weekend for ASU so hotels will be slammed in Boone as well as Blowing Rock and surrounding areas.

if by "weekend right before halloween" means this coming weekend.

if it's actual halloween weekend, that's "Black Saturday" which is another huge weekend in Boone and things will be just as crowded.

10/17/2011 10:49:50 AM

Is this in 2 weeks? Peak weekend was probably this past weekend. Wind and rain have knocked a lot of the leaves off so the season isn't going to last as long as normal probably. I'm sure it will still be good though.

And the leaf traffic in Blowing Rock was freaking murder saturday, combined with the woolly worm festival in Banner Elk.

There's some nice and expensive restaurants in Blowing Rock. The Mellow Mushroom in boone is way better than the one in Raleigh (IMO) if you like pizza. Casa Rustica is a pretty good italian place. I've heard good things about Crave, it's an American style Tapas bar. The Gamekeeper is also good. Canyons in Blowing Rock is a pretty good southwest style place but it has a killer view.

Pretty much every bar in boone is full of college kids since that's about half the population of the town so if you like college bars you'll be fine, if you don't you probably won't like them much. Char isn't bad, it's on the little road between King street (main street) and River street (the street App is on).

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 2:56 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 2:54:18 PM

I was in Boone/Blowing Rock this past weekend. Probably 20% of the leaves are already down. Some of the shopkeepers were saying that this past weekend (10/15-10/16) was peak.

Cool stuff to do:
Linville falls/caverns
Hawkesnest Ziplining
Drive the BRP (be prepared for leafers)

Dinner:
Daniel Boone Inn (family style southern cooking)
Pssghetti's on 321 south (italian)
Storey St. Grille (American Cuisine - Blowing Rock)
Makoto's (Japanese)

10/17/2011 3:02:32 PM

Oh yeah and if you or the GF like shopping there's Shoppes on the Parkway (AKA Tanger outlets), they always have great deals up there. The weekends are packed but it's not so bad on the weekdays.

I've been to Pssghetti's once and thought it was kinda average and overpriced, but it may have just been what I got. Also I went to the one in blowing rock.

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 3:22 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 3:21:02 PM

Thanks for your input everyone, definitely jotting some of this stuff down. I just booked a room at "blue ridge village" for the 28th and 29th, it's actually in banner elk so hopefully we will be a little further away from the college students.

Anybody know how long the drive will be if we leave friday around noon? We are right at the top of exit 289 of I40 just FYI.

Can anyone elaborate on the ziplining, i.e. price and location? Also, I saw something about a really long/high rope bridge at grandfather mountain. Anyone know about this?

10/17/2011 4:09:49 PM

^Have you never been to Grandfather Mountain?

You're probably referring to the Mile High Swinging Bridge. It's a staple place to visit if you've never been. It is $15/person to go to Grandfather Mountain, but if you've never been, and it's not a cloudy day, it's a pretty neat view. It's not what you would think of as a rope bridge, it's very sturdy, but nonetheless, a good thing to visit if you've never been.



[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 4:23 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 4:22:01 PM

How long to Banner Elk? If you go through Boone it'll probably be around 3.5hrs, assuming traffic isn't horrible by the time you get up the mountain.

Stay away from the tourist traps.

If you want to do some outdoors stuff try hiking on the parkway or Hebron (http://www.theappalachianonline.com/opinion/6692-the-boone-docks-hebron-rock-colony)

10/17/2011 6:23:14 PM

you guys are being d-bags
i'm sure the leaves will look beautiful and you will have a great time


can you still go to oz on the top of beech mountain? if so, you should totally do that. even when if it's closed it is still fun in a creepy kind of way.

i have also heard the rock colony is a fun time^

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 7:12 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 7:12:09 PM

Hebron Rock Colony is better during the summer months. Lay around with your feet in the water, drink beer, get high. One of my favorite places in the high country. It'll still be neat in the cool weather, but you just won't quite get the full experience.

Absolutely go to Grandfather. It's a bit pricey, but it's a tourist staple. It'll be cold as hell up top, though. Wear a good windproof jacket.

Do some hiking at Rough Ridge, milepost 304 on the Parkway. Easy hike but fantastic view.

Coyote Kitchen in Boone (next to Wal-Mart) is the best restaurant in the area IMO. Hippie southwest food.


Looks like peak was this past week at the higher elevations. The color will be creeping its way down over the next 3 weeks or so. Banner Elk will be well past peak by Oct 30, but there should still be color in the valleys.

Oct 10:


Base of Grandfather, Oct 12:


Base of Grandather, Oct 13:


Oct 17:

10/17/2011 8:23:06 PM

Quote :

"you guys are being d-bags i'm sure the leaves will look beautiful and you will have a great time"

Nobody has said anything remotely mean, we're just telling the truth that Peak season will have passed by then. I'm sure the leaves will still look great in the valleys but it won't look as good as last week and this week.

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 9:38 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2011 9:37:53 PM

This is the Lounge so I promise I am not trolling any of you. I was JUST THERE YESTERDAY and will verify that the leaves on Grandfather Mtn are virtually non-existent. Not only that but even the leaves at the Boone elevations are even past their peak. This last round of wind/rain all last week blew off a LOT of leaves. Everything is more rusty colored now. By the time Halloween rolls around there likely won't be much of anything left. I'll post some pictures tomorrow when I get a chance. Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer. Trust me, I was lead to believe that this past weekend was the peak as well and wanted nothing more than to see amazing color. Maybe next year.

10/17/2011 10:25:24 PM

^ I was there Saturday and it looked great.

However if you're up there and the leaves are gone there will probably still be some good views in Ashe and Alleghany if you come up that way.

[Edited on October 17, 2011 at 10:33 PM. Reason : Well I wasn't at Grandfather so you might be right about that, but Boone and Blowing Rock in general]

10/17/2011 10:32:53 PM

Quote :

"The Mellow Mushroom in boone is way better than the one in Raleigh (IMO) if you like pizza."

the Blowing Rock location, yes

but the Boone location is the worst of the 5 that I've been to (Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock, Raleigh, and Cary)

10/17/2011 10:43:59 PM

I was planning to head up this upcoming weekend to get some good views Any remaining leaves will surely get knocked down with the next rain system in the next few days along with the temp drop.

^There's one that just opened last year in Gatlinburg just across the smokies. While the food was decent I was more mesmerized by the sheer amount of Russian waiters and waitresses there. Had to be at least 10 or so, funny watching them try to understand and interact with the dueling accents of the hillbillies.

10/17/2011 11:06:01 PM

Check out Howards Knob . It's on top of one of the mountains that surrounds Boone and has a great view of the town. It's like a 10 min drive from down town.

Also, stop by and say hey to Joshua...support his business and buy one of his rocks with a story on it. He's a main attraction in Boone and can primarily be found on King St.

10/18/2011 9:29:14 AM

Quote :

"Check out Howards Knob . It's on top of one of the mountains that surrounds Boone and has a great view of the town. It's like a 10 min drive from down town. Also, stop by and say hey to Joshua...support his business and buy one of his rocks with a story on it. He's a main attraction in Boone and can primarily be found on King St."

Howards Knob is probably closed this time of year, but it's worth checking out. Is Joshua actually back in Boone? I hadn't heard anything about him returning after he fell ill.

10/18/2011 9:39:20 AM

closed? Really? Is this something they started doing in the recent years?

Anyways, check it out...if it's closed then you can consider parking close and walking.

I have no idea. I didn't even know he fell ill. Bummer. Yeah, I havent been to Boone in years, but use to raised hell in that town. Always had a good time up there.



[Edited on October 18, 2011 at 9:50 AM. Reason : d]

10/18/2011 9:48:25 AM

Quote :

"but the Boone location is the worst of the 5 that I've been to (Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock, Raleigh, and Cary)"

didn't they close the original one and reopen it within the last year?

10/18/2011 9:59:14 AM

Quote :

"^ I was there Saturday and it looked great."

I suppose it depends on your definition of "great". There certainly wasn't the vibrancy in color that I've seen before nor was expecting for the middle of October. Sure, there were oranges and yellows but for me it lacked a lot of diversity. Uploading pictures now. I'll post a couple of examples in a few.

10/18/2011 10:42:19 AM

^^ Yeah it's now across from the county Administration building and courthouse at the back end of King street.

It's way better and way nicer than it used to be when it was across from Cafe Portofino on River street.

10/18/2011 11:20:04 AM

Quote :

"closed? Really? Is this something they started doing in the recent years? Anyways, check it out...if it's closed then you can consider parking close and walking. I have no idea. I didn't even know he fell ill. Bummer. Yeah, I havent been to Boone in years, but use to raised hell in that town. Always had a good time up there."

I believe it's always closed during certain times of the year. There's now a tall fence surrounding the side facing the road. It's possible to sneak in, but I don't know if they crack down on that sort of thing nowadays.

Looks like Joshua is no longer in Boone: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134485006372

10/18/2011 11:39:21 AM

This is from up on Grandfather Mtn:


From Beacon Heights looking up at Grandfather Mtn:


On the Parkway looking up at Grandfather Mtn:


And lastly, one of the better pictures with color looking down from Beacon Heights:

10/18/2011 12:23:36 PM

Quote :

"I believe it's always closed during certain times of the year. There's now a tall fence surrounding the side facing the road. It's possible to sneak in, but I don't know if they crack down on that sort of thing nowadays"

I've been on Howards Knob probably 50 times and I bet only 5 of those times were when it was open

all you have to do is walk around the fence

and I wasn't aware that the Boone Mellow Mushroom had moved

10/18/2011 12:54:09 PM

Tall fence around Howards? Bullocks!
Used to just be a single bar to block cars. Walking in was never a problem.

You can always hit Top of Boone/Tater Hill just beside Howard's. Turn left on Junaluska Rd near the top, then turn left somewhere else and try to make it to the top. 4wd required.

10/18/2011 7:02:23 PM

Hebron Rock Colony was the coolest thing i've seen in the boone area and i've been around...

10/18/2011 7:12:41 PM

Quote :

"It is $15/person to go to Grandfather Mountain, "

You can go for free if you're willing to hike 4-5 miles of strenuous trails


Edit: Oh, and I second the leaves being near or past peak now. I was also on grandfather this weekend and the trees there were starting to get a bit bare. Down in Blowing Rock was a little better.

[Edited on October 18, 2011 at 8:55 PM. Reason : ..]

10/18/2011 8:51:31 PM

Agreed on the leaves. I just got back from blue ridge area in N VA...and the leaves were either browning and falling off, completely gone, or the trees were half leaved and the rest blown off.


EAT AT DANIEL BOONE! It's a tad pricier, but delicious. I went to ASU for 3 years, and this by far is some delicious eating.

Hebron is awesome, highly recommend!

10/19/2011 3:05:05 PM

I heard it might snow up to 2 inches in Boone this weekend

10/19/2011 3:08:04 PM

Is it Fall Break? If so, ya, it's gonna snow. I can't remember a year that it didn't snow to some degree at some point during that week while I was up there.

10/19/2011 3:25:27 PM

So how did the weekend in Boone go?

11/3/2011 3:18:30 PM

He probably ate at Daniel Boone and is still recovering.

11/3/2011 10:46:51 PM

would yall stop with Daniel Boone Inn. It's freaking Dan'l. assholes. and the best restaurant is Bistro Roca in Blowing Rock... if it's still open (which it wouldn't be for the season anyways)

11/3/2011 11:13:12 PM

bttt

bars...cool small (not chain) grills/restaurants

places to see this time of year?

1/10/2014 4:16:00 PM

Hebron Rock Colony

1/10/2014 4:25:13 PM

weekend in boone?

1/10/2014 4:31:26 PM

Quote :

"places to see this time of year?"

Yeah, you can see your car turn white with the obscene amount of salt they put on the road after the snow last Thursday and the following cold air/lighter snow event.

And yes, Howard Knob has been closed since October.

1/10/2014 5:16:26 PM

I have a huge soft spot for Macado's. It is a chain but there are only 10 or so I think and they are all in south west VA or NW NC and charlotte.

1/10/2014 8:08:09 PM