Banner Elk: 4-Season Fun in North Carolina’s High Country

Stopping at Banner Elk’s single traffic light doesn’t give you enough time to see all that’s offered in this corner of North Carolina’s High Country, which has been a popular Blue Ridge Mountains getaway for years. It’s big on cuisine and adventure, and both change with the season.

Spring: Wildflowers and Wine

Grandfather Mountain is just a 20-minute drive from Banner Elk. If you visit in spring, you’ll be able to admire the wildflowers that wash it in color. Blooms appear in March, but May brings magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas. While there, walk the 228-foot Mile High Swinging Bridge, explore the nature museum and meet local wildlife, including black bears, river otters and elk. Remember extra clothing because the weather here, regardless of season, changes quickly.

Banner Elk Winery, founded in 2006, was the first winery to take root in the Banner Elk-Boone area. It’s known for the Marechal Foch grape, a French-American hybrid that produces a red wine with intense flavors and color. Banner Elk Red, a blend of Marechal Foch, Sangiovese and Merlot grapes, has won a gold medal at the International Eastern Wine Competition. The winery also features a blueberry wine, a nod to the property’s history as a former blueberry farm. The tasting room is open daily on a year-round basis. 

You’ll find Apple Hill Farm less than 15 minutes east of the traffic light. Meet and interact with the farm’s resident llamas, alpacas and other animals as part of guided tours. (Note: advanced reservations are required for tours.) Their fleece is used to make clothing, including gloves, socks and headbands, which you can purchase at the farm.

Summer: Hot Spots and Cool Retreats

Mild summertime temperatures rarely exceed 79 degrees, offering a break from the heat and humidity at lower elevations. Enjoy a cool rush as you reach speeds up to 27 mph on North Carolina’s only alpine coaster, Wilderness Run. Or slow things down and soak in the views with a hike along numerous high-elevation trails in the area.

Banner Elk is convenient to many popular High Country attractions, including Tweetsie Railroad and Hawksnest Zipline. Summer also means you can hike or mountain bike the ski slopes and explore 13-acre Wildcat Lake. Use adjacent Tufts Memorial Park’s bath house before heading to the lifeguard-patrolled sandy beach for a dip. Rent a canoe or kayak then paddle the lake, or fish for bass, bluegill and trout.

If you want bigger water-based adventure, try whitewater rafting with Edge of the World Outfitters, where novices young and old are welcome. Guides offer land-based training before sharing their latest comedy skits during the entertaining bus ride to the Watauga River rafting site. Floats last about four hours and feature Class I, II and III rapids. After riding the largest rapid — Anaconda — as many times as you want, refuel with a riverside lunch of fresh fried chicken, biscuits and lemonade. Kayaking, rock climbing and rappelling lessons are available too.

Fall: Foliage and Festivals

Banner Elk lights up with brightly colored foliage in fall. Depending on the weather, the colors peak around mid-October — and there’s no better way to see them than to be in them. Rent one of Banner Elk Mountain Cabins’ modern, well-maintained units. Each sleeps six to eight people and features porches and decks that offer panoramic vistas.

There’s plenty of fine dining to match those fine views. With the reputation as the culinary hot spot of the High Country, the variety of restaurants in Banner Elk is vast. Artisanal offers a top-notch farm-to-table menu of contemporary American cuisine, led by a husband-and-wife duo, in what’s best described as upscale rustic elegance. With a seasonal approach, the restaurant is open May to October and is certainly worth a well-timed visit. Another fine dining destination is LP on Main, a downtown staple for more than 30 years. The creative Cajun cuisine — with North Carolina touches like barbecue shrimp — is matched with a full bar and carefully selected wine list.

On the third weekend of October for nearly 50 years, the famous Woolly Worm Festival celebrates a mountain lore regarding the woolly bear caterpillars. Legend says the colors of their bands of fur can forecast the upcoming winter. Enter your worm — available for purchase onsite or free from surrounding woods — in the string-climbing race. The fastest makes the forecast. Don’t worry if your worm makes an early exit from the race — more than 150 vendors mean there's plenty of food to taste and crafts to browse, along with games and rides for children.

Winter: Ski Resorts and Snow Sports

Banner Elk is one of North Carolina's snowiest places, making it perfect for skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing — and nearby Beech Mountain Resort is the highest ski resort in the East. Zip to the 5,506-foot peak on one of the high-speed quad chairs, and glide back down on one of 17 trails. The alpine village at the base of the slopes is home to snow tubing, a ski sports shop, coffee shop, and the Beech Mountain Brewing Co. Taproom and Grill. The lodge-like taproom grill hosts a great lineup of regional and national bands every Friday and Saturday night during ski season. 

Also close by is Sugar Mountain Resort. North Carolina’s largest ski resort offers 20 trails, tubing, snowshoeing and ice skating on a 10,000-square-foot outdoor rink. Rent gear and take a lesson before riding the Summit Express — a detachable, high-speed, six-passenger chairlift — to the 5,300-foot peak, a trip that takes just 5 minutes. Sugar has a reputation for having the longest ski season in NC, often skiing until the last week of March.

If you’re famished after a day of skiing, head to Sorrento’s Italian Bistro for pizza. This long-standing restaurant in the village’s heart receives raves for its pasta and crab cakes too. Or cozy up next to a fireplace and eat premier steaks or prime rib at Stonewalls Restaurant.

Perry House Bed & Breakfast is within walking distance of downtown. The home, which was built in 1901, has been lovingly restored with furnishings by master craftsmen Carl and Jim Stanton of nearby Linville. Bonus: The rooms have mountain views. Visitors can also select from a nice variety of vacation homes and condos.

This article was produced in partnership with Banner Elk Tourism Development Authority.