Baby bears at Grandfather Mountain animal habitat
Our day-in trips are designed as loops including a variety of activities you may change up to suit your interests and pace to do a lots or little.
A Day in North Carolina
After breakfast at the inn, we recommend visiting the original Mast General Store in Valle Cruces, NC (25 min. from inn) to enjoy an old-fashioned mercantile store much like the one owned by the builder of Prospect Hill, Major Jospeh Wagner. Lunch at the Ham Shoppe or 1861 Farm House market and winery then shop and gallery hopping in Foscoe (Carlton Gallery),
For nature lovers, a trip to the top of Grandfather Mountain with it’s mile-high swinging bridge and local species zoo is a must. You’ll enjoy nearly 75-mile views on clear days (fee). Check out the “S curve,” the last piece of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Linville Gorge and Linville Falls.
A drive north on the Blue Ridge Parkway takes you past the Moses Cone House –Southern Highland Craft Guild Parkway Craft Center at Milepost 294, Blue Ridge Parkway Blowing Rock, NC 28605 828-295-7938 March 15 – Nov. 30 (great, one-of-a-kind made-right around-here items). Bridal trails are enjoyed by horse owners with their carriages–you may wish to walk around the lake.
Follow it up with a stop in the town of Blowing Rock known its quaint, small town atmosphere. Dine in Blowing Rock or Boone then return to the inn.
Pick your favorites. This could be a two- or three-day visit if you prefer.
More in North Carolina
- The Blowing Rock Namesake to the eponymous town, this jutting rock formation overlooks miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains and experiences powerful updrafts from the Johns River Gorge, centering it in local legend.
- Tweetsie Railroad This Wild West theme park recreates a rambunctious, rough-riding Old West town alongside whirling fair rides, can-canning saloon dancers, and the puffing of historic steam engine Number 12.
- Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Flat Top Manor Built in 1901 by a wealthy textile baron, this 13,000-square-foot colonial revivalist mansion now houses handmade crafts by local artists within the Parkway Craft Center.
- Linville Caverns Originally discovered deep within Humpback Mountain by fishers surprised to see fish swimming out of the rock, this chilled labyrinth takes guests past fantastic stalactites.
- Grandfather Mountain Nearly 6,000 feet high, this craggy park shelters fauna such as black bears, cougars, and eagles and spans two peaks with a swinging bridge a mile above sea level.
Day in Tennessee
Fish Springs Marina on Watauga Lake. House boats are popular.
- Follow Hwy. 67 (left from the inn) past Watauga Lake which has the highest earthen dam east of the Mississippi—you will be of the lake side. Fishing, boating and swimming abound.
- Visit Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town and the home of the International Storytelling foundation
- The Grey Fossil Site with some of the most important fossil sites in North America. Don’t miss a trip to the “back yard” where archeologists are actively digging–and finding some neat stuff, such as red pandas!
- Rocky Mount Living History Museum was the historic home of the governor of the State of Franklin. It offers an authentic feel of being in the later 18th century.
Day in Virginia
Heartwood gallery and cafe in Abingdon, VA
Abingdon, VA was founded in the late 1770s and is rich in history as well as a brand new LEED certified building with a new cafe with good food (Heartwood). From live theater (Barter Theater) to music, there’s lots to do.
On the way to Abingdon:
Abingdon Winery Scenic location near the Holston River. Lovely tasting room open from March 15 to December 15, Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm AND Sundays 12-6pm. Closed every Monday and Thanksgiving.
More in Southwest Virginia about a half hour away from the inn:
- Abingdon Tourism: www.abingdonva.us
- Virginia Creeper Trail: www.vacreepertrail.org/ Hike, bike a former rail line (Virginia Creeper). Bike rentals available, adjacent to the Jefferson National Forest and Mount Rogers (tallest peak in VA). Trail starts at Whitetop Station ( near the 2nd highest peak).
- Heartwood: www.heartwoodvirginia.org LEED certified, green building for the arts, cafe, gallery.
- Barter Theatre: www.bartertheatre.com live performance theater
- The Crooked Road: www.thecrookedroad.org music throughout the state
- Round the Mountain: www.roundthemountain.org SW Virginia’s artisan network centered at Heartwood
- Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide: www.blueridgeonline.com/
- Zazzy’Z Coffeehouse: www.zazzyz.com in Abingdon
Day at the inn
1) massage (one practitioner is one mile away).
2) pay extra to get aspiring innkeeper info and behind-the-scenes info
3) raise a crop of bubbles in the whirlpool tub
4) let time wash by on the porch, patio, in the garden, backyard on the swing or in the rockers.
4) snuggle by the fireplace
