Story by Jason Reagan
Kilwin’s ice cream is a great
winter treat.
Photo by Mark Mitchell
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So what will you do next? You’ve finished the entire High Country
standard fun spots with your family — Mystery
Hill, Grandfather Mountain, The Blowing Rock. Borne by the
picturesque Blue Ridge Parkway, you’ve checked out the popular
shopping spots — Mast General Store and Wilcox Emporium
for example. There are a few more days left on your well-deserved
mountain vacation and your children utter those words dreaded by all
parents: “We’re boooored!”
Fortunately, you hold in your relaxed hands the region’s top
resource for vacation variety, The Winter Times. But what if you have
tried every activity contained in the pages — you must be
tired and still you hear from the back seat.
“We’re boooored!”
Never fear — you are fortunate, dear traveler, to be in
the capable hands of a virtual veteran of boredom battles. Having
lived here for three years, I have discovered some off-the-beaten-path
activities that will, if properly used, cause you to be declared Traveling
Parent of the Year (until next vacation when they get boooored). Here’s
my family’s top four boredom busters:
1. Off the Parkway: The Blue Ridge Parkway’s not just
for driving and “Oooh-ing” and “Aaahing” at the
vistas. Along the way, you can find a few gems in the rough. Between
Boone and Blowing Rock or specifically between the Bamboo Gap and
Aho Gap signs you’ll discover an ideal watering hole. Look for
two parking spots on the roadside. Climb down a small embankment and
you’ll find a nifty creek (or stream depending on what part of
the country you’re from).
Plenty of gargantuan rocks and a smooth water flow make this area
perfect for “adventures” with Mom and Dad. Be careful of
slippery spots and realize this is not an activity for wee ones. Total
cost: $0 (unless someone rips their shorts but I bear no responsibility).
Another Parkway activity we enjoy is scampering over the grounds of
Moses Cone Manor (which is covered in greater detail in this edition).
2. The Hidden Side of Blowing Rock: The small but charming
town of Blowing Rock offers many clearly visible enticements for the
average traveler — Shoppes on the Parkway, Chetola, an eclectic
variety of shops on and around Main Street; not to mention a first-class
town-square park. What many people may not realize (it took us a year
of residency here to find it), is that the village also boasts enchanting
Broyhill Lake. Located roughly behind the town park — follow
a wooded trail behind a recycling and parking area — the
lake includes a gazebo, a paved walking trail, flower bedecked picnic
alcoves and an extra path leading to more hiking trails and breathtaking
Glen Burney Falls. Oh, and the fishing’s pretty good if you use
live worms.
3. I Scream, You Scream: The High Country offers some world-class
pubs but pub-crawling doesn’t fit the family dynamic so well.
Why not take the same concept and apply it to a sweeter endeavor.
What could be sweeter than an old-fashioned ice-cream crawl? Start
at Kilwin’s in downtown Blowing Rock. By one double-scoop cup
featuring different flavors. Give everybody a spoon and dig in. Then,
head over to Kilwin’s at Shoppes on the Parkway and repeat. Repeat
this process into Boone as you stop by the Marble Slab Creamery and
on to TCBY. If you have time, hit Banner Elk Cafe as well. Remember,
you have to try new flavors at every stop. (Warning: This writer is
not responsible for added calories, chronic brain-freeze or other
frozen/sweet-related maladies).
4. Rainy Day Reading: The problem — a rainy day has
ruined your hiking/biking plans. You’ve exhausted every other
option — video games, gem mines, museums. Everyone is tired
and cranky. When we get in a rain-laden rut, my family will often
head to a local book story or a library to have a hot beverage and
buy or borrow a few new paperback friends. A bonus for bibliophiles
is the newly completed library on the campus of Appalachian State
University. Upstairs, a kid-friendly reading paradise awaits with
hundreds of volumes for kids as well as very cool, interactive reading
area — try the book-shaped foam sofa.
Hopefully, these ideas will help traveling parents fight the “I’m-Boooreds”
and perhaps it will jump-start some more creative ways to enjoy your
mountain stay. Have family fun!
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