Memorial Day in North Carolina's Mountains

This past memorial day weekend, we escaped the heat of Atlanta and went up to the North Carolina mountains for some hiking and sightseeing. We've been to the southern Appalachians many times, but this time we drove a bit further north, near where North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia meet. We planned the trip relatively last minute, but found a condo on Beech Mountain to stay in. Not a typical cabin like we usually look for, but the condo did have sweeping views over the mountains and valleys.

Our first stop along the trip was at Scaly Mountain, just over the border from Georgia. They recently installed an alpine coaster, so of course Paul had to ride it! It's a solid ride. We continued on and stopped for dinner at the Old Hampton Store and BBQ in Linville. The restaurant/store was serving double duty as what appeared to be a happy hour for older adults on one side, and the restaurant on the other. The food was good, so we'd recommend it. We checked in to our AirBnB on Sugar Mountain (uphill from Banner Elk), and relaxed for the night before a long hiking day.

Just David hanging out with a bear at the Scaly Mountain coaster.

Going up the hill.

Yum!

The inside of Old Hampton Store. The bar area was packed!

Saturday morning we set out on the longest hike of the trip - Calloway Peak on Grandfather Mountain. This is a very popular area, but they have a reservation system and we started early, so we avoided the crowds. Overnight a cold front swept through and it was windy and in the mid-40s. Unfortunately, it was also cloudy/foggy so we didn't get any views. The hike itself was pretty strenuous. The ground is very uneven and most of the time we were climbing on or over rocks. There are a few steep stone scrambles too. Overall a fun hike, but harder and less rewarding than we hoped for due to the clouds.

The path was very rocky.

Spooky!

Just a tad bit windy.

Some parts of the trail were so steep they required ladders.

Just imagine a spectacular view here. :)

More ladders!

A little bit of a view on the way down.

After the hike we drove back to Banner Elk for lunch. Since the drive was mostly downhill, our car got 151MPG. Not bad. 😀 We had lunch at Brick Oven Pizzeria back on Beech Mountain. The pizza was just OK, but it really hit the spot after a long hike! We relaxed for a bit, then later in the afternoon we went to another alpine coaster, Wilderness Run, just south of Banner Elk on Sugar Mountain. Even with a reservation system Paul still waited almost an hour to ride. While Paul was waiting/riding, David was cornered by two older southern women that talked his ear off for 30 minutes. It's great to see these coasters popping up everywhere - lots of new coaster credits all around. We closed out the day with a nice walk around downtown Banner Elk before heading back to our AirBnB - of course there was ice cream involved.

That's some mpg right there.

This pizza was not as tasty as it looked...but after a 6 mile hike definitely hit the spot.

Paul getting ready for his ride.

These coasters sure are scenic.

A cute little general store near our AirBnB.

View from our balcony.

Sunday, rather than focusing on another long hike, we explored the attractions in the area, including a cave, a waterfall, and a couple of cute towns. We started early with a trip to Linville Caverns. While not as impressive as some of the other caves we've visited (like Mammoth Cave, Grotte de Castellana, and Hwanseongul Cave), it was still an interesting and worthwhile stop. Notably, this cave is still actively forming, and due to recent rains it was quite wet inside. Our next stop was not too far down the road - Linville falls. The area was pretty crowded on a beautiful memorial day weekend, but we did a short hike for several viewpoints of the falls and gorge.

The pathway through the cave.

Some nice flowstone.

View from the top of Linville Falls - the river cuts around this rock before dropping into the gorge.

David with the crowds at the upper falls.

Overview of the falls and gorge.

It was a "gorge-ous" day.

Walking through the very welcome shade.

Paul at the upper falls.

From here we drove up to Boone, North Carolina, home of Appalachian State University. It has a cute little downtown, and we walked around a bit while waiting for a table for lunch at the Local. We finished off the day relaxing on our balcony enjoying the beautiful weather, and then dinner at Mi Jalisco (which was just fine).

David Livin' it up in Boone.

Downtown Boone.

The bathroom inside the Jones House Cultural Center.

Restored room in the Jones House.

Lots of App State gift shops in town.

Nice views from the ASU campus.

Paul just hangin' out in Boone.

A beer on the balcony.

A nice sunny view!

Dinner drinks!

On Memorial Day we drove back to Atlanta via the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt. Mitchell. The parkway is a really scenic drive through forests and over mountains. The road runs from the Georgia border all the way through Virginia along the peaks of the Appalachians...but we just rode for a couple hours on the way to Asheville. Along the way, though, we stopped at Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River (around 6684'). The mountain is part of a State Park with hiking trails, a rest area, an observation deck and a campy radio station that lets you know all the most relevant facts about the mountain and park. Don't miss it if you're in the area...unfortunately, it was cloudy again and we didn't really get any views.

We stopped in Asheville for lunch at Biscuit Head. This is a trendy little breakfast/brunch spot in West Asheville. The food here is really good but the wait can be a little long. Don't miss their jam/preserver bar in the back! The last stop of the trip home was at Jaemor Farms, a common stop-over spot whenever we head northeast out of town. They have a huge farmer's market, homemade ice cream and pies, corn mazes in the fall, etc. Stop by if you're passing.

One of the tunnels on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

Top of the (east coast) world!

*snicker* - this is a photo of a placard. There was not snow.

David learning about rocks on Mt. Mitchell.

Proof we were there.

Biscuits as big as your head at Biscuit Head!

Peach and strawberry ice cream at Jaemor Farms!

Snow and Waterfalls in Highlands, North Carolina

We were in need of a relaxing weekend and wanted to enjoy some winter weather while still socially distancing, so we booked a weekend in a historic (but renovated) 1924 cabin in Highlands, North Carolina. Highlands is only a little more than a two hour drive from Atlanta, but is at over 4,000 feet altitude and is a small touristy mountain town. A great thing about living in Atlanta is that the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains are easily accessible, with great opportunities for weekend trips for relaxing, hiking, or just to experience cooler weather.

Our cute little historic house.

The cozy living room.

David relaxing by the fireplace.

After settling in, we set out to see a couple of waterfalls before sunset. The first, Bridal Veil Falls, is right along highway 64, one of the only routes in and out of town. We made a quick stop to take in the view, which was complete with a big row of icicles draped from the overhanging rock.

A road goes under the falls, but it's closed to vehicles in winter.

So many giant icicles.

Bridal Veil Falls - the view from across the road.

Our next stop was just a few miles down the road. Dry Falls is part of the Nantahala National Forest, with a $5 entrance fee to park. It's worth it to see this impressive waterfall and take the trail right underneath the falls.

The view down the valley.

Dry Falls is very large!

It's called "Dry Falls" because you can go underneath the falls and stay dry, thanks to the large rock overhang.

The freezing mist formed ice across the hillside.

The guard rail was covered in ice too. Watch your step!

We made a brief stop back in town to walk around a bit, and stopped at Mountain Fresh Grocery to pick up some supplies. Highlands is one of the cuter mountain towns in the region. It's also higher-end, with a couple of nice restaurants and some historic inns right in town. It's not very big (only about 2,000 people live here), and has a nice concentrated walkable downtown.

Lots of cute shops and restaurants.

Historic downtown Highlands. Just ignore the parking :)

A historic hotel in downtown.

The next day we did a longer hike to Glen Falls, which is actually a series of waterfalls along a forested trail that descends around 750 feet to the bottom of the valley. The trail continues for some distance, but we recommend stopping and turning around at the third waterfall overlook, as there are not any waterfalls past that point. We went as far as a point where the trail crosses the stream toward a campground, and turned around there.

Year-round green in this part of the country!

One of the impressive waterfalls.

Another cascade further down the trail.

Some sprouting moss on a tree.

After our hike we got some coffee and food to go from Calders Coffee and Highlands Smokehouse (both recommended), and went back to our cabin in time to avoid driving the mountainous roads during the incoming snow. We had a nice relaxing evening watching the snow and enjoying the fireplace.

Yay, snow!

This is what we woke up to - beautiful snow!

The porch with a lovely snow view.

David enjoying the snow.

A true winter wonderland!

Many of the trees on the mountaintops were covered in ice and snow.

A viewpoint on our way home.

Another viewpoint closer to Georgia.

Highlands is a great little spot to visit not too far from Atlanta. Under normal circumstances, it would be nice to shop and eat in the cute downtown. We'll stop by again sometime in the future for sure.