With a population that jumps from 1,500 year-round to 8,000 in the summertime, people are used to making new friends. The beauty of Blowing Rock is the '''dichotomy between the elegant and the down-home'''. The affluent traveler may find pleasure in the abundance of fine dining and shopping the area has to offer, but walk just fifteen steps and they_fll find the opposite end of the spectrum ? quintessential, good, honest, down home, small town charm. They can find it everywhere - from the wait staff and diners at the fifteen table _geverything_h restaurant on Main Street, to the hikers en route the trail to Little Lost Cove.
If you_fre looking for a seedy underbelly, you_fre going to have to look pretty hard. Downtown Blowing Rock is about as '''_gNorman Rockwell quaint_h''' as it gets. Children are free to roam in a safe and clean park, while their mothers can shop for antiques and designer clothes, and their fathers can sneak off to Kilwin_fs Ice Cream Parlor for a free sample of fudge. A military band plays after the downtown Fourth of July parade every year. Winterfest in January brings ice-carvers and dog-sledders. Mitford Days in September celebrates Blowing Rock_fs inspiration for Jan Karon_fs book series. Year-round, a bubble machine from the Martin House pours soapy goodness into the air, surrounding you as you stroll. Knight_fs on Main has fried oysters every Friday (just try and fight the locals for a table). Canyons Restaurant even heats their building with recycled fryer oil, for crying out loud! This is clean livin_f.
If you think that a town so far removed from the metro way of life would be lackluster in the culture department, you would be one hundred percent wrong. The '''Mariam & Robert Hayes Performing Arts Center''' provides all sorts of live stage productions, from bluegrass shows to symphonies and to professional productions of plays and musicals. Farthing Auditorium, at nearby '''Appalachian State University''' in Boone, hosts a wide variety of events, like the upcoming _gThe Vagina Monologues,_h which features performances by the original cast. Their '''Appalachian Summer Festival''' brings to town acts such as Emmylou Harris , Jo Dee Messina, and Russian ballet companies. For the music nerd, the area offers festivals aplenty. The widely known and acclaimed Merlefest celebrates the incredible guitar and banjo picking of Doc and Merle Watson, while the Appalachian Roots Revival features all sorts of Americana, bluegrass, and _gnewgrass_h bands. Want to join an '''informal jam session'''? Well, _ggit your gitar_h and head on over to the '''Todd General Store''', where the local musicians and townsfolk gather for good music, flat footin_f and food. Big fan of the Scots? They keep their traditions alive each July by hosting '''The Highland Games''' at Grandfather Mountain. With live Celtic music, little girls dancing, and big men throwing logs, it_fs all kinds of fun - and a true learning experience, too.
Perhaps you read about the High Country in a magazine ? Travel & Leisure named '''Westglow Spa''' in Blowing Rock one of its Top Ten Spa Destinations in the world. While perusing Southern Living Magazine, you_fve probably seen some of the estates in the affluent Mayview neighborhood. The neighboring college, '''Appalachian State University''', has been listed consistently among the top 15 "Southern Regional Universities" since the magazine first published in 1986.
And the food_c ah, the food. Never was there such a small town with such scrumptious grub. Take out a loan if you have to. Some of the best meals around are right downtown.
You don_ft have to go for broke to get a good eating experience, either. Main Street in the morning smells delicious. Seriously ? just follow the aroma of freshly-brewed java and steaming croissants to find the best coffee shops in town.
You don_ft have to hunt long to find a great cocktail or a fine glass of wine. Blowing Rock isn_ft full of goody-two shoeses (sic), it_fs just packaged that way. The fabulous Chamber of Commerce brings great wine every spring during the '''Blue Ridge Wine Festival'''. And it's a challenge to find a night when one of the bars in Blowing Rock is not packed with locals and tourists, inhibitionless and dancing to a great (or not so great) band. Stone masons chatting with attorneys. Old ladies with their glass of white zin hitting on the boys from the ski patrol. It is quite a sight. Walk into the lounge at '''Twigs''' any Saturday night to join the fun and meet some real characters. If you_fre feeling really froggy, hit '''Tijuana Fats''' and party with the college kids from Appalachian State. No guarantee where you_fll wake up, though.
'''Jenkins Rentals''', 800-438-7803, [http://www.JenkinsRentals.com] is a family owned and operated business with a friendly and knowledgeable staff serving Blowing Rock since 1976, that specializes in both vacation rentals and sales of chalets, log cabins, condominiums, and mountain homes within a short distance to the Blowing Rock area and all of the local shopping, dining, and attractions.
'''Ragged Gardens Inn''', 203 Sunset Drive, 828-295-9703.
'''Chetola Resort''', 800-243-8652, [http://www.chetola.com]. Imagine an 87 acre private resort within walking distance of a quaint mountain village, neighboring a 3600 acre National Park and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Guests will find first class accommodations in Chetola's Lodge, Luxury Condominiums or the Bob Timberlake Inn at Chetola Resort.
'''Watauga Lake Cabins''', 803-524-5185, [http://www.lakecabin4rent.com].offers a range of cabins from simplistic to high-end, this cabin rental company has been offering vacation homes to visitors of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Appalachia for nearly ten years. Cabins that are perfectly centric to the great Watauga Lake, Cherokee National Forest and the town destinations of Boone and Blowing Rock. Call (803) 524-5185 for details.