The Barn at Fraser Hill

Located in Watauga County at 374 Will Cook Road in Boone, is the Barn at Fraser Hill. It is a working Christmas tree farm with incredible views. Christmas trees, which the mountains of Northwestern North Carolina are known for, grow on 58 acres of the farm.

The farm has been in the Cook family for over 150 years and the property, barn and farm is currently owned by William Dennis Cook. His daughter, Austin Kane, manages the venue location of the farm.

Austin Kane said one thing that really sets the Barn at Fraser Hill apart from other venues in Watauga County is its location. The venue provides a country feel, but is located 3 miles away from popular downtown Boone. She described it as having the best of both worlds, where those hosting and attending a wedding can enjoy being out in the country but also can experience the town of Boone.

The barn has been in the family for a long time and was built by Austin’s grandfather. Prior to being renovated to host weddings and events, it was an old run-down hay barn with dirt floors.

“Every single year we have people get engaged in the Christmas trees,” Austin said.” Whenever they come to pick out their Christmas trees, people are getting engaged and they’re saying ‘This would be such a great place to get married” and they have said that for years.”

One day, Austin decided to remodel the barn so it could be used as a wedding venue. This also allowed people to enjoy the beautiful scenery and Christmas trees outside of the 2 month window they are open for Christmas tree season. Since Christmas trees are green year-round and do not turn brown, they provide a beautiful scenic background during the summer months.

Another unique quality about the Barn at Fraser Hill is that it is a family-owned and operated farm.

“This is our family and we want you to feel like part of our family,” Austin said.

She added that their venue is very reasonably priced because they want other people to come and enjoy their day.

“We have always wanted to share it with other people, it is not something that we are trying to capitalize on so much,” Austin said.

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There are 58 acres available for those who choose to get married on their location. They do have some recommended spaces, but they tell their brides they may pick any location outside or choose to say their vows inside the barn. Several have held smaller, more intimate ceremonies amongst the Christmas trees and then held their reception inside the barn.

She described it as a blank canvas for couples to decide what they want their special day to look and feel like. Couples are allowed to bring in large covered tents if they need coverage for outdoor events.

Couples may book their wedding ceremony at the Barn at Fraser Hill from late April until the second week in November. The family closes the wedding venue after the second week of November to run the Christmas tree business, which lasts until the beginning of January.

September and October are by far the most popular months for the venue.

“You cannot beat fall in Boone,” Austin said.

The barn is a little over 3,500 square feet and was remodeled from an old dirt floored barn. Austin shared that the remodeling process included digging into the dirt and laying down cement in order to get the final ceiling height. An awning and patio were added to the right side of the barn along with a gas fireplace with a rock exterior.

Another benefit of booking with the Barn at Fraser Hill is that there are no vendor restrictions. This allows them to work with several amazing vendors in the High Country and also allows brides to choose preferred vendors for food, flowers, etc.

In October 2022, a suite was completed which is located above the barn. It is a one-bedroom suite which newlyweds can stay in after the ceremony or for the whole time if they book a 2-day or weekend package. This could also be booked for family members.

Austin shared that they have also talked about extending the front portion of the barn to add an additional open-air, covered space. Last year they added a food prep and bar area.

As a newer venue, as they hold weddings throughout the season, they determine what people want and need to ensure their day is perfect. They receive feedback from both wedding parties and vendors.

“We are very casual, it is a family business and I just want them to enjoy their day, truly,” Austin said.

For more information about the Barn at Fraser Hill, visit the website at barnatfraserhill.com, Instagram account @barnatfraserhill or Facebook page @Barn at Fraser Hill. Interested parties may also call (828) 964-3347 or email events@barnatfraserhill.com.

Appalachian View

Located at 1117 Sugar Mountain Rd #2 in Newland, NC at an elevation of 4,200 feet is a wedding venue with breathtaking, panoramic mountain views. Living up to its name, Appalachian View provides a truly unique experience for couples seeking the perfect ceremony.

The venue accommodates a variety of ceremonies, from elopements to 200 guest celebrations. Its modern barn-style reception hall, The Venue, is innovative and has the capability to be customized to the individual taste of the bride.

The owners of Appalachian View are Cathy and Dale Buchanan. They are both natives of the mountains of North Carolina. Dale worked as a physician who recently retired and Cathy is a former nurse who has always been an organizer. The venue manager is Nicole Brinkmann and Cheyenne Lee assists part-time.

The team at Appalachian View is very involved in making sure brides have all the support, decorations and amenities they need to plan their big day. There is typically two staff members on-site to assist with any needs. There is not a limit to the number of times a couple planning a wedding and their family or friends can visit the venue prior to the wedding date. Cathy shared that this is important, especially if you are planning your wedding months or a year in advance. It is helpful for couples to see the venue during the season in which their wedding ceremony will take place.

The Buchanans have a cabin in Newland which is located at the same elevation as Appalachian View. They found 85 acres of land during their search for land to build a retirement home that would provide spectacular sunset views. At this time, they had experienced 8 weddings in their family. Attending those weddings allowed them to visit several venues and experience the pros and cons of each. Several people encouraged the Buchanans to build a wedding venue on their recently purchased land.

The Buchanans received incredible support from the High Country Event Professionals. This association includes everyone in the wedding and event industry. They visited wedding venues in the area to receive feedback and share their plans to build a venue. Through these visits, the Buchanans discovered that more decent-sized venues were needed in the area. They consulted with Gragg Construction & Design Inc. and Mike Gragg, who is Dale’s second cousin. Cathy shared her ideas with the company and they were on board with the project. The building process

Continued on next page was soon underway. The Venue was built to withstand up to 150 mph winds, since wind comes through the location from 3 directions.

The Venue is handicap and wheelchair accessible and has an on-site caterer’s kitchen. There is a built-in bar with indoor and outdoor access that can be used for cocktail hours and receptions. This style of bar allows there to be more control by the venue in terms of how much guests have to drink.

The Venue features a high ceiling with wood beams and stylish chandeliers. At the reception, instead of having to rely on DJ’s lights, there are LED lights in the wooden beams which change colors on rotation or can be set to a certain color.

There is a feature wall located behind the head table or “sweetheart” table which couples can decorate however they choose. Some examples of ways to dress up the feature wall are fairy lights, greenery, neon “Mr. And Mrs.” signs, and even Christmas wreaths during the holiday season. There are 4 strong hooks on the wall that can be used to securely hang items.

The wooden walls inside the venue are also available to hang decorations and there are cork boards to also be utilized. Also available are flatscreen TVs that can be used to display photo presentations and other media.

The Pavilion is a 1,500 square foot heated, enclosed space. It offers beautiful views of Grandfather Mountain as well as the Western Mountains. It is typically used for rehearsal dinners, indoor ceremonies and bridal brunches. It is handicapped and wheelchair accessible. The Pavilion features sliding glass doors and large windows to take in the beautiful 360 degree view of the entire property.

For outdoor wedding ceremonies, there is a completely flat area located in the side yard. There is a paved path which leads to it from The Venue. The backdrop for this ceremony space is a beautiful view of Grandfather Mountain. This view was the inspiration for the design of the property and it is Appalachian View’s mission to share it with everyone. The outdoor cere- mony space is large enough to comfortably host up to 200 guests and couples can choose from various wooden arbors to use in the ceremony. The arbors, which belong to Appalachian View, include a cross, triangle, rectangle, hexagon and two types of circles. Staff at Appalachian View set up the arbors and if it is too windy at the time of an outdoor ceremony they do not put them up due to safety reasons.

All event packages include multiple ceremony sites, bride and groom ready rooms, an outdoor gas fire pit with outdoor seating, up to 75 parking spaces for guests with additional parking behind the Pavilion and a choice of white, gray or ivory linens. Appalachian View launders it’s own lines and keeps those on-site in case table cloths need to be changed or replaced at any time. There are round tables, rectangular tables and cocktail tables available and provided by Appalachian View.

The wi-fi connectivity is not an issue at Appalachian View and the bandwidth is strong enough to accommodate a large number of users. This reduces stress expe- rienced by videographers, photographers and DJs who sometimes have to ensure they do not have weak or compromised WiFi connections.

Appalachian View has a weather station on-site which they use to track weather conditions. This comes in handy for outdoor ceremonies and helps everyone to plan accordingly if a weather event is anticipated.

There is a separate set of chairs for outdoor ceremonies and for the Pavilion. If there is a chance of inclement weather, staff sets up at both locations in case the ceremony has to be moved indoors.

“We will move the arbor or whatever we need to in last minute,” Cathy said. “Give us 10 minutes and we can switch it over without having to touch what they’ve set and spent time and money on making the reception area.”

One unique amenity that is offered as part of wedding packages are two cabins located on-site. Two are completed, with one still under construction. Both completed cabins are 900 square feet and are equipped with furnished full kitchens, living areas, internet SMART TVs, fans, heat, washer and dryer units, irons and an ironing board and porches with rocking chairs.

Cabins are available as an add-on at per night rate for a single day or weekdays.

The first cabin, named Ashe, features 2 bedrooms and has wheelchair/ handicapped accessibility. The second cabin, named Birch, has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Each cabin sleeps 6 people. The third cabin, Chestnut, is expected to be available in the second half of 2023. Ample parking is available for the cabins in a separate parking lot.

Cathy shared that their goal is to eventually have 5 cabins to be able to accommodate 30 total guests.

A popular offering at Appalachian View is the rocking chairs that can be found on both the back porch of the venue and the porches of the cabins, which face the spectacular view.

Cathy shared some of the reactions wedding guests had to the rocking chairs located at the venue.

“I found a good deal on rocking chairs and I bought eight and put them out here,” Cathy said. “All of a sudden in my reviews, people were always mentioning how wonderful it was to have the rocking chairs out here.”

A lot of times, some of the older family members attending wedding ceremonies, love being able to sit and enjoy the view.

“A lot of the older people were not leaving as early because they could get out of the noise of the band or the DJ and enjoy the evening out there,” Cathy said.

She added that even if dancing has started, everything stops at sunset and everybody goes outside to experience the beauty.

To learn more about Appalachian View, visit the website at appalachianview.com, the Facebook page @Appalachian View, or the Instagram account @appalachianview

Interested parties can also contact a staff member by calling (828) 395-5495 or emailing info@appalachianview.com.

Bailey Little

Bailey currently works for Ashe County Schools and freelances in her spare time. She enjoys drinking coffee, listening to music and traveling. She can be contacted at bailey.little96@gmail.com