Outdoor Activities
Burnt Hill Stables is one of several stables that offers guests a riding experience in the mountains. No matter your experience level there is a pony for you. Call to make reservations 336-928-2008.
Moses Cone offers 27 miles hiking, horseback riding and carriage trails. There is a Art Gallery and gift shop in the lovely Mansion Home. Easy parking in several locations around the park.
Doughton Park gives many options for hiking trails from easy short trips to long all day hikes in the beautiful mountain terrain. There are several old home sites along the trails. Lots of history can be found here.
Mountains to Sea Hiking Trail meanders alongside and crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway with trails thru the most beautiful wilderness in the country. These trails will take you through unique biological and geological environmnets and lead to historic sites with stories of how people have shaped our heritage.
Bicycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway through picturesque vistas of the North Carolina mountains with elevations from 600 to 6000 feet. There are several organized group rides in the area offered thru out the year including Blood Sweat & Gears and Blue Ridge Brutal and many other biking trails in the area.
Fishing is the perfect mountain past time with numerous water sources for fishing along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Whether you are a experience fisherman or need a little help you will find stocked trout ponds, organized fly fishing excurtions or many creeks and rivers offers a place to stop and relax. Rivergirl Fishing Company is a full-service shop located nearby.
Tubing and Canoeing
Tubing and canoeing is a great family fun time activity on those hot summer days. Zaloo’s Canoes Kayaks and Tubes and Riverside Canoe are both great choices to help you get started.
Wine Tasting
A mountaintop winery located in Laurel Springs, NC offering tours and tastings of over 60 red, white, and blush wines.
Golf Courses & Clubs
Come and enjoy 18 holes of mountain golf on well-maintained fairways, complimented by the natural, rugged beauty of the Appalachians.
Music Festivals Around the Mountains
MerleFest (Wilkesboro, NC)
MerleFest began in the spring of 1988 and has grown from two flat-bed trailers and 4,000 attendees to 13 stages with more than 81,500 festival participants.
Unbelievable lineup (like usual). You have to go to at least one MerleFest!
Ashe County Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention (Jefferson, NC)
Ashe County Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention is in Jefferson, NC. The focus continues to be musician-centered as they honor the Old Time and Bluegrass music of the mountains and the musicians who make it.
Ola Belle Reed Music Festival (Ashe County, NC)
The Ola Belle Reed Music Festival is three days of Americana, Bluegrass, Old-time, Country music and camping, celebrating the life and music of this remarkable woman in the locale where her life’s journey began, the small community of Lansing in Ashe County, along the New River in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This year’s lineup includes The Mosier Brothers, Big Daddy Love, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Curley Maple and many more. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
MusicFest ‘n Sugar Grove (Watauga County, NC)
Music to remember on the cool banks of Cove Creek in Sugar Grove North Carolina, preserving our mountain musical heritage and celebrating the diversity it has inspired!
View the 4 Seasons Blog and Events Calendar for updated area events.