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The Top 5 Attractions
in Blowing Rock
by Renee Wright
Must See: Grandfather Mountain
www.grandfather.com
The Hanging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain, photo by Hugh Morton
Below, a family of bears, photo by Hugh MortonIt's a case of man in love with mountain.
Hugh Morton inherited Grandfather Mountain from his grandfather in 1952, and devotes his life to protecting its unique ecology while making its attractions accessible to the public. He built a road to the top, and a hanging bridge, the country's highest at one mile above sea level.
Later additions include a state-of-the-art visitors center with exhibits of local flora and fauna by Roland Hower, former chief of natural history exhibits for the Smithsonian, and the finest collection of North Carolina minerals anywhere—including a gigantic emerald and a gold nugget "so big it looks fake."
Also on display are some of the many pictures Mr. Morton, a top professional photographer, has taken of the vistas and animals he's spent his life getting to know. (Two of them accompany this story.) The visitors center also houses a theater showing nature films and a cafeteria. (The Barbecue sandwich was Charles Kuralt's favorite.)
Outside, natural habitats house black bear, golden and bald eagles, deer, river otters, and Eastern cougars, North America's most endangered animal. Grandfather Mountain is involved in breeding programs to restore the population of these cats, also called panthers, as well as other endangered species.
Grandfather Mountain is on the list of International Biosphere Reserves, one of the few privately owned sites on the prestigious list.
Must See: Tweetsie Railroad
www.tweetsie.com
Generations of Carolinians remember their first ride on the Tweetsie Railroad. Now they take their children and grandchildren to this memorable theme park between Blowing Rock and Boone.
A ski lift takes visitors to the top of a small mountain where a deer park and clogging shows entertain all ages. On the way down, kid-size rides, including a ferris wheel and merry-go-round, line the trail.
But what people remember forever is the 3-mile ride on the authentic train pulled by a steam-engine that once serviced local mountain towns. A wild-west show leaves kids thrilled and adults laughing at the antics of Indians, cowboys and moonshiners before the Marshal restores law and order.
Must See: Mast General Stores
www.mastgeneralstore.com
Locals still gather around the pot-bellied stove at Mast where a slice of Americana is preserved.
The original Mast Store in Valle Crusis, dating from 1883, is cited on the National Register of Historic Places as "one of the best remaining examples of an old, country general store" and still functions as a local post office. Charles Kuralt loved the place.
Just down the street is the Annex (circa 1909), stocked with outdoor gear and a huge selection of penny candy.
Other Mast Stores dot the Main Streets of Boone, Waynesville and Hendersonville. All occupy historic buildings and offer the same wide range of merchandise, "a little of a lot." Overalls, work boots, old-timey mercantile goods, horse feed and chicken scratch, locally made bread, butter, cheese and preserves, bolts of fabric and boxes of bolts share shelf space with the work of local artisans who create pottery, birdhouses, baskets, and thimbles. Look, too, for traditional local items such as bonnets, herbal cure-alls, and "gout rockers."
Must See: The Blowing Rock
www.theblowingrock.comThis is where it all began. Grandfather Grover opened the first attraction in the area in 1933, naming it Blowing Rock for the persistent updraft that sweeps up Grandfather Gorge past the tilted plates of gneiss, some of the oldest rock on the continent. The village of Blowing Rock grew up near it.
The view is unsurpassed and kids love the story of an Indian maiden, sort of a local Pocahontas.
Must See: Linville Falls & Gorge Wilderness Area
A beautiful hike leads through stands of mountain laurel to one of the state's most stunning waterfalls. A definite must for "fall-baggers."
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Originally published in Charlotte's Best Magazine.
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