Fall Festivals

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Fall Festivals & Events

Set you eyes to the hills as the vibrant colors of fall come to life in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our little slice of heaven boasts the most perfect atmosphere for harvest season fun, and you definitely don’t want to miss this year’s festival lineup. Visit a new one this year, return to your old favorite or try them all. Either way, good times are in your future.

OKTOBERFEST AT SUGAR MOUNTAIN

GHOST TRAIN HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS

SEPT. 24- OCT. 30. Ghosts and ghouls abound at Tweetsie’s Ghost Train Halloween Festival. Daytime visitors can still enjoy everything they know and love about the park, and can expect the unexpected when the sun sets and the Halloween Festival comes to life. Ride the Ghost Train, and follow monster hunters as they try to uncover rumors of terrifying creatures that roam these mountains. The haunted park also features other spooky attractions including the Haunted House and Freaky Forest. This festival provides Halloween thrills and chills that’s fun and safe for all ages. Tickets are limited, so get yours online now! Visit www.Tweetsie. com or call 877-893-3874.

OKTOBERFEST AT SUGAR MOUNTAIN RESORT

OCTOBER 9-10. Put on your lederhosen or dirndl and head to Sugar Mountain Resort’s annual Oktoberfest! Ride the new high-speed six-seat Summit Express chairlift. Enjoy traditional German foods like Knockwurst, Bratwurst, German style potato salad and apple strudel, all paired with barrels and barrels of Spaten beer straight from Bavaria. Hot dogs, burgers, soft drinks and other festive foods will be on hand, too. Dance along to the 15-piece Harbour Towne Fest Band and bring the kids to the ski school play yard. Parking, shuttle service and admission are free. Fun takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. For more information, visit www.oktoberfest.skisugar.com or call 828-8984521. Ein Prosit!

VALLE COUNTRY FAIR

OCTOBER 16. Ring in the glory of the harvest season amidst the natural wonders of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Valle Crucis at the annual Valle Country Fair. The fun carries on all day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the fields along N.C. Highway 194 across from Holy Cross Church and the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Admission is free and ample parking is available in the adjacent field at $10 per car, $25 per small bus or van and $50 per large

VALLE CRUCIS COUNTRY FAIR

bus or motor coach. Enjoy the fair’s famous Brunswick Stew, chili, BBQ, fresh baked goods, homemade jams and jellies and apple butter made while you watch. Shop juried handmade arts and crafts and tap your feet to all-day live music or sit back and listen to the storytellers. Featured exhibitors donate 10 percent of proceeds to the event’s charitable work, which supports various nonprofits in the community. To learn more, visit www.vallecountryfair. org or call 828-963-4609.

WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL IN BANNER ELK

OCTOBER 16-17. Head out to the Historic Banner Elk Elementary School for the 44th annual Woolly Worm Festival, which will feature worm races, crafts, food, rides and all sorts of fun for the whole family. The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Of course, race your woolly worm while you’re there! Saturday’s race offers up a $1,000 prize followed by a $500 prize at Sunday’s race. All proceeds support local schools, businesses and tourism in Avery County. For more information, visit www.woollyworm.com/or call 828-898-5605.

PICTURED ABOVE: Scenes from the annual Valle Country Fair brought together all of the flavors, sights and sounds of the season.

FALL FESTIVALS 2021

OCTOBER

2 Brushy Mountain Apple

Festival, Wilkesboro 2 Art in the Park, Park Ave. Downtown Blowing Rock 9-10 Oktoberfest, Sugar Mountain Resort 16 Valle Country Fair, Valle Crucis Conference Center

16-17 Woolly Worm Festival,

Downtown Banner Elk

30 Blowing Rock Halloween,

Downtown Blowing Rock

31 Boone Boo, Halloween,

Downtown Boone

WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL

GHOST TRAIN AT TWEETSIE

WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL

BOONE HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

BLOWING ROCK HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 30. Visit the town of Blowing Rock for free family-friendly Halloween fun all afternoon. From 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. enjoy spooky stories, creepy crafts, air walks in Memorial Park, games, a fun house in the recreation center, hay rides through town starting at Memorial Park, a Monster March parade, trick-or-treating, costume contest and a moonlight scavenger hunt at Broyhill Park. Prizes will be awarded for the costume contest and for the scavenger hunt. For more information, visit www.blowingrock. com/halloween or call 828-295-5222.

BOONE BOO!

OCTOBER 31. Join us in Downtown Boone to visit downtown merchants for a safe, family-friendly trick-ortreating event. The stage will be set with a Halloween music playlist and larger-than-life Halloween inflatables lining the sidewalks – perfect photo ops for families. With the central part of King Street closed, nothing is out of the question including surprise guests, special performances, and impromptu dance parties. For children with food allergy concerns, various businesses will also be handing out non-candy treats. Be sure to stop by the Jones House lawn for some additional silly and spooky fun! 3:00-6:00 PM

Discover...

The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway meanders for 469 miles that run north and south from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Along the 108 mile stretch that goes through the High Country, there are 33 hiking trails, four major lakes and ponds, three gorgeous waterfalls and more than 40 scenic overlooks that climb as high as 5,640 feet above sea level. Mileposts are marked for easy traveling, so you’ll always know where to go. With a little planning, the parkway can make getting from point A to point B an unforgettable journey.

CASCADES TRAIL – MILEPOST 271.9

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The Cascades Trail is named for the waterfall it leads to, but the trail itself is worth the visit. Part of the E. B. Jeffress Park, the Cascades Trail is a self-guided interpretive trail with twenty interpretive plaques, labeling tree species of the Blue Ridge. Leaving the parking lot, the trail turns from paved to gravel and from there follows the crest of a cliff. The trail is a 1.2-mile loop with Cascade Falls being the halfway point. The falls can be viewed from above or below at observation platforms. MODERATE

MOSES CONE MANOR – MILEPOST 294.6

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Named after the post-Civil War textile entrepreneur, conservationist and philanthropist, Moses Cone, this Victorian mansion exemplifies the resort home tradition in the High Country. From March 15 to November 30, the estate is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. as an arts and crafts center. A network of trails that winds the 3,500-acre Moses Cone Park is open year round. All trails are gentle grade and great for larger groups with children. EASY TO MODERATE

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Linn Cove Viaduct Photo by Lonnie Webster

BOONE FORK TRAIL – MILEPOST 296.4

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The Boone Fork Trail differs from most parkway hikes in two ways. The first is that the majority of the trail is in the woods, where tumbling streams and rock outcroppings replace typically grand vistas. The second is its length. At 4.9 miles, the Boone Fork Trail is longer than most, and slightly strenuous. But given adequate time to complete and a picnic lunch, it is one of the most beautiful hikes in the area, with several stream crossings, rhododendron tunnels and open grasslands. STRENUOUS

THE LINN COVE VIADUCT - Opened in 1987, it’s a 1,243 foot long S-Curve built from the top down, utilizing 153 concrete segments weighing nearly 50 tons each.

PRICE LAKE TRAIL- MILEPOST 297.2

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Just one mile south from the Boone Fork Trail, Price Lake is ideal for larger groups or those looking for something a little less strenuous. The 2.4-mile loop around the Price Lake is suitable for hikers of any level. Views of Grandfather Mountain can be seen from several points along the trail, which runs primarily along the lake’s shore. EASY to MODERATE

WILSON CREEK OVERLOOK – MILEPOST 302

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If you looking for grandiose, longrange views directly from the parkway then this is the overlook. High above the waters of Wilson Creek, which originates on Grandfather Mountain, this overlook is the perfect opportunity to witness firsthand why they call it the High Country. Look out beyond the surrounding mountains and the lowlands unfold themselves into the piedmont of North

PRICE LAKE

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ROUGH RIDGE BOARDWALKS - The boardwalk is just a 0.6 mile walk from the Parkway Overlook, a trail follows a ridge crest that leads to boardwalks where 360degree views give visitors a birds eye view.

Carolina. On perfectly clear days, visitors have reported sighting the Charlotte skyline.

TANAWHA TRAIL TO ROUGH RIDGE – MILEPOST 302.8

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Rough Ridge is one of the most easily accessed vistas along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Tanawha Trail is actually more than 13 miles long, spanning from Price Park to Beacon Heights, but the section from the parkway to Rough Ridge is a short 1.5 miles with great views as close as 0.6 miles from the parkway. The trail follows a ridge crest and leads to boardwalks where 360-degree views give visitors a birds eye view of the High Country. MODERATE to STRENUOUS

LINN COVE VIADUCT – MILEPOST 304.4

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Even if it’s your first visit to the

High Country, you’re more than likely familiar with the Linn Cove Viaduct.

As the final piece of the parkway, the Viaduct was put in place in 1987. It is known as

“the world’s only bridge built from the top down,” meaning it was airlifted into place using specialized construction helicopters and cranes to avoid defacing the mountain with heavy equipment. For no other reason than to marvel at the engineering feat, the

Viaduct is a must stop along the parkway.

GRANDFATHER TRAIL TO CALLOWAY PEAK –

MILEPOST 305.1 3 0 5

At 5,964 feet, Calloway Peak is the tallest point of the entire Blue Ridge Mountain Range. It is part of Grandfather Mountain, which has several other high altitude peaks including MacRae Peak (5,939 feet). Calloway can be accessed via multiple trails, including the Grandfather Mountain Trail, which is one of our favorites for its boulder formations and beautiful evergreen forests. And, it’s only a short distance from the parkway. Just travel south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the US 221 intersection at Milepost 305. Take 221 South for one mile to the entrance of Grandfather Mountain. The Grandfather Trail begins at the highest parking lot opposite the Linville Peak Visitor Center. STRENUOUS

BEACON HEIGHTS VIA TANAWHA TRAIL – MILEPOST 305.2

Beacon Heights is a popular parkway destination for its spectacular views of Grandfather Mountain and minimal distance. A mere 0.7 miles round trip, this leg-stretcher leads to a south-facing exfoliated dome from which Mt. Mitchell and the Linville Gorge are visible. From the parking lot, walk across a SR 1513, which parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enter the woods where the sign says TANAWHA TRAIL BEACON HEIGHTS 0.2. The path climbs to a junction point for Tanawha and Mountains-to-Sea Trails. Follow trail signs marked Beacon Heights Trail to the right. EASY

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