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 excited to share all the fun things the mountains offer. North Carolina is a great state to live in because we have mountains, plains, and the beach only a few hour’s drive away.

Where To Stay

We always prefer to stay in a vacation rental. We find that with a family of 6, a rental gives us the most space for the money. When looking for a vacation rental, decide what factors are important to you, like location, amenities, sleeping arrangements, aesthetics, 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 rental 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, finding places everyone agrees upon can sometimes be challenging, so sometimes we have to compromise. A few 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 breakfast, snacks, and a picnic lunch. (One of the benefits of staying in a vacation rental is a kitchen!)

What To Do

We primarily visited 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 also a little scary. We also enjoyed walking around downtown Blowing Rock and visiting the Blowing Rock Park/Playground. Finally, we drove to Valle Crucis to visit 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 a 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.