North Carolina Mountains with Kids
We took an end of summer trip to the North Carolina mountains, specifically the Boone/Blowing Rock area. Joe and I have taken many trips to the mountains but we’ve never taken the kids so we were pretty excited to share all of the fun things the mountains has to offer. North Carolina is a great state to live in because we have mountains, plains and the beach only a few hours drive away.
Where To Stay
We always prefer to stay in an Airbnb. We find that with a family of 6 an Airbnb gives us the most space for the money. When looking for an Airbnb decide what factors are important to you like location, amenities, sleeping arrangements, aesthetic, etc. We look for spaces that are good for 4 boys. We like outdoor space, comfortable sleeping space, multiple bathrooms and a quiet yet convenient location. Our Airbnb came equipped with a fire pit so we roasted marshmallows and made S’mores one evening.
Where To Eat
We always look for unique, locally owned restaurants when we travel. With 4 somewhat picky eaters it can sometimes be difficult to find places that everyone agrees upon so sometimes we have to compromise. A few of the places we ate while in Blowing Rock and Boone were: Coyote Kitchen, Mellow Mushroom, The Town Tavern, and Come Back Shack. We also got special treats at Stick Boy Bread Company, Blue Deer Cookies, Kilwin’s Ice Cream, and Camp Coffee. We also stopped at the grocery store and bought food for breakfasts, snacks and a picnic lunch. (One of the benefits of staying in an Airbnb is a kitchen!)
What To Do
We primarily chose to visit Blowing Rock to take the kids to Tweetsie Railroad. (Read more about our visit to Tweetsie Railroad) We also enjoyed driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. One day we drove down the parkway to Linville Falls. We took an easy hike to the upper falls and enjoyed a picnic lunch after our hike. From there we drove to Linville Caverns. We took the guided tour of the caverns which the kids thought was fun but a little scary. We also enjoyed walking around downtown Blowing Rock and visiting the Blowing Rock Park/Playground. Finally we drove out to Valle Crucis to visit the the original Mast General Store. We visited both the original store and the annex. We also stopped to play at the Valle Crucis Community Park, a beautiful park with playground, walking trails, a river to explore and so much beautiful open space.
There are so many more fun things to do in Blowing Rock and Boone that we didn’t get to explore because we didn’t have enough time or the weather didn’t cooperate. The boys loved our NC mountain vacation and we are all looking forward to our next trip.
