Featured Extraordinary: Blowing Rock
Belonging to Blowing Rock The call of the wild… The call to adventure… The call of community… Welcome to the First issue of The Call, Blue Ridge Mountain Club’s community magazine. Each issue is dedicated to the people, places, and “Unbelievably Great Outdoors” that make this budding, destination residential communi ty so special.
Outdoorsy, adventurous, family-minded… Meet Blowing Rock’s newest neighbor. www.BlueRidgeMountainClub.com
Dear Reader, We named our magazine “The Call” in reference to each individual’s own personal summons to fulfill a very real, deep-seeded, and implacable need. As a club community, located in a highly desirable mountain location, with an infinite array of meaningful experiences in nature waiting to be had, will call to people in many different voices. Yet the call itself belongs to a voice that comes from deep within: it’s a quickening of the pulse upon seeing an unbelievably dramatic sunrise; it’s the strumming of heartstrings produced by the genuine nods of welcome received on a stroll down Main Street Blowing Rock; it’s the pang of nostalgia one experiences from a place that feels like it’s been waiting for you all your life; it’s a sense of belonging that comes only from the familiar and intimate knowledge of a place. If a meaningful life in these mountains, surrounded by family, neighbors, and a tight-knit community calls to you, we urge you to answer it.
Sincerely,
Jim Pitts General Manager Blue Ridge Mountain Club
Since moving to Blowing Rock, North Carolina in 2008, we’ve met the neighbors, settled in, and come to a few conclusions about life in these mountains. What we’ve discovered is a place so genuinely welcoming, that being yourself is as easy as breathing, and a setting so beautiful, it will stop you in your tracks. The people of Blowing Rock have shown us the value of authenticity, the importance of neighborliness, and the benefits of giving back as much as you receive. Indeed, belonging to this big-hearted small town is one of the greatest perks of being a part of Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and we are in a long line of people who would whole-heartedly agree. In our short time here, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many Blowing Rock residents, some long-time and some new. Their reasons for returning to what for some is the scene of childhood summers, is three-fold. Here are the Top Three reasons why we ALL love this town.
#1 Atmosphere
Typical of small towns, Blowing Rock is homey, tight-knit, familylike, and highly community oriented; everyone really does know your name, your kids’ names, and probably your dog’s as well. It’s the kind of closeness born from banding together when Mother Nature flexes her muscles, when community structures need building or repairing, or during times of personal tragedy or celebration – when loving and supportive hands matter most. The people of Blowing Rock are described as the kind to bend over backwards to help a friend, and the relationship between part-time and year-round residents has always been a harmonious reflection of this genuine good nature.
#2 Natural Beauty #3 Climate Continuously crowned “Prettiest Small Town in America” by travel writers, the first thing to strike you about Blowing Rock is its staggering good looks. Set against an undulating parade of mountaintops softened by time, Blowing Rock is cradled by one of America’s most intriguing and storied wildernesses. This is the land of the Cherokee, of Daniel Boone’s “Wilderness Trail,” of the oldest mountain range in the world, and the birthplace of America’s National Park Service. Despite its daunting terrain, it is also a place sought out by thousands for its restorative powers. Each season has its own unique exquisiteness, something residents never grow tired of year after year.
Blowing Rock is located in one of the few places in the world where weather patterns and spectacles are the reasons why so many make the journey every year, or every weekend. The coolness of its summers, the fierce palette of its autumns, the snowy romance of its winters – all attract their share of admirers. As many a denizen of the low country would attest, these hills are the place to head when the only cure for what ails you is fresh air served on a cool breeze, before a landscape no words can capture.
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Want to know the weather in Blowing Rock at any given moment? Ask Ray at www.raysweather.com What are your reasons for loving Blowing Rock? Share them with us on the Blowing Rock facebook page! www.facebook. For Blowing Rock news and goingsons, visit www.blowingrocknews.com
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A sophisticated palate and some of the High Country’s coziest chambers are two excellent reasons for getting away to Blowing Rock.
ROB DYER’s
Blowing Rock
must-see:
Janet Bugala’s
Blowing Rock
Picnic in Blowing Rock Park followed by ice cream at Kilwin’s
must-see: The sunrise over the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Parkway – “absolutely breathtaking.”
Inn at Ragged Gardens
The Bugala Family
Blowing Rock Market
For seasonal residents and returning visitors, this family-run gas station and market is the first stop in and last stop out. Described by owner Janet Bugala as “a gourmet market that happens to sell gas,” Blowing Rock Market is where you can pick up all your pantry essentials, along with a Boar’s Head deli sandwich, homemade cappuccino
(no Starbucks here) or even a bottle of Dom with your gallon of gas and quart of motor oil. Stocking everything from fine wines to comfort foods, the Market is Blowing Rock’s ultimate one-stop shop. The other reason most make a point of popping by the Market is the welcome. “We pride ourselves on knowing everybody on a first-name basis. If you’ve been in here once or twice, we try to get your name and really make you feel at home,” says Janet, “but that is what Blowing Rock does to you.”
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The Bugalas moved to Blowing Rock a little over three years ago for business reasons, not lifestyle, only to quickly realize it should have been the other way around. Janet compares Blowing Rock to America’s favorite fictional small town of Mayberry. “We didn’t realize what a prize we were getting in terms of lifestyle,” says Janet, “somebody told us you can leave the keys in your car with the windows down by memorial park for a week, and when you come back it will still be there. We didn’t believe them at first, but we do now.”
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When business partners of 20 years Rob Dyer and Lisa Stripling purchased the Inn at Ragged Gardens and transplanted their Best Cellar restaurant to the premises five years ago, it was a direct response to fate. A fire in May 2006 and other circumstances had led the Inn’s former owners to sell, and though Rob and Lisa had their hands full at the time, the opportunity to adopt and run this freshly renovated historic inn was irresistible. Since merging their old and new venture in October 2006, fate has proven a savvy advisor, with both the Inn and Best Cellar creating a match made for this mountain setting. Securely rooted within a lushly covered acre of formal and signature “ragged” gardens (read wild, whimsical, and romantic) Inn guests can escape into nature without ever leaving the grounds. Yet their location right off Main Street also gives guests the added convenience of being
within walking distance to all of Blowing Rock. Though the Inn possesses all the comfort and conveniences of a contemporary establishment, it has nonetheless retained the ambience and aura of its original, century-old stoneand-bark main residence. Recently transformed into the Carriage House, this 12th and largest suite can accommodate two couples or a large family, and features a fireplace, private entry, and sundeck. With its variety of cozy rooms, excellent in-house dining, evening cocktails, and enchanting grounds, the Inn has many return visitors. According to Rob; “We have the same folks who come every year, the same time of year, for the same room. Or some of our guests like to stay in all of the rooms at the Inn.” That’s twelve more reasons we recommend visiting.
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Blue Ridge Mountain Club recommendations
Christopher’s Wine & Cheese
Did you know there are approximately 12,000 different wine grapes in the world? Some of the rarest and finest hand-produced wines are this little shop’s pride, along with a gourmet selection of accompaniments.
Six Pence Pub The Blue Ridge’s own version of “Cheers,” this is the place where if they don’t already know your name, they will by the end of your perfectly pulled pint of Guinness or carefully selected glass of Chardonnay.
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it takes A Village Blowing Rock may be Blue Ridge Mountain Club’s closest neighbor, but Watson Gap will be our own little town. At its heart, is Nickajack’s. Named after the original Native American trading route responsible for Blowing Rock’s materialization on area maps, Nickajack’s is home to both our general store (Nick’s) and adjoining outdoor outfitter (Jack’s), with a connecting dogtrot just big enough to hold a small band. Like our own little Blowing Rock Market (minus the gas), Nickajack’s will be residents’ first stop for staples, community news, catching-up, and signing-up; and the last for car ride snacks, and see-you-next-times.
Watson Gap at a glance 1 Nickajack’s: General Store and Outfitter 2 One Smoke, Bar & Grill: BRMC’s main restaurant and bar 3 Rockhouse Lodge: Home to our health & happiness. 4 Ramblestone Terrace: Welcome to Blue Ridge’s beachfront. 5 Highwater, Pool & Patio: A pool-with-a-view 6 The Barn: A modern, flexible, multi-purpose space 7 The Yard: a perfect meeting spot
8 Condominiums 9 Residential Lodge 10 Rockhouse Observatory 11 Cabins 12 Eyrie Lookout: Cliff-hanging amphitheater and fire pit. 13 Fire House
Summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains
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Summer brings the sun closer, burrowing through the high altitude chill with a lazy, hazy hand. Greens darken; wild blueberries ripen; and the populations of small mountain towns expand with regular refugees from the sticky south. They come to frolic in the freshness, fling themselves from ropes into cool swimming holes, and preen with the privilege of donning sweaters in campfire-filled nights.
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Ye seekers of pleasure oppressed by the heat, come to this region, ‘tis a pleasant retreat. Ye ones who are feeble, why linger and die? Come up to this beautiful Land of the Sky.
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Watson Gap Park
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Marie Jean O’Neil Blowing Rock resort guest, 1893
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Watson Gap Park at a glance
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1 Park 2 Pavilion: Community venue for cookouts, movie nights, picnics and parties. 3 Cottages: The biggest news right now at BRMC 4 Blue Hole Trail: To one of our natural wonders.
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Watson Gap Cottages Model Cottage Must-See As a genuinely outdoor-centric community, Blue Ridge Mountain Club is a fresh take on destination residential, so it’s only natural that our cottage design be a fresh take on this traditional mountain dwelling. Keeping all the coziness of yore, while beautifully balancing the benefits of modernity, Watson Gap Cottages feature stone foundations, timber beams, and cedar shingles. Inside, there is room enough for a dining table that seats ten, and plenty of guest beds. Tucked behind the community Park and Pavilion, this tiny enclave enjoys full natural privacy, while being a stone’s throw from the heart of the community.
Watson Gap priced from $399k
Summer Daze Getaway
This summer, come to where the air is clear…. Includes 2 nights at the Inn at Ragged Gardens, $75 voucher to the Best Cellar, and personal tour of Blue Ridge Mountain Club, for only $349.
Answer the call today
828.295.8667
www.blueridgemountainclub.com
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BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN CLUB
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Obtain the Properly Report required by Federal Law before signing anything. Ali information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. This information shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required. This information and features and information described and depicted herein is based on proposed development plans, which are subject to change without notice. Actual development may or may not be as currently proposed. No guarantee is made that the features, amenities, or facilities depicted by an artist’s rendering or otherwise described herein will be built, or, if built will be the same type, size, or nature as depicted or described. © 2011 Blowing Rock Resort Venture, LLC
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BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN CLUB est.
2008