From Here To There: Weekend in Boone, North Carolina -

One of our favorite places in North Carolina, there are so many things to do and different areas to explore. So when our friends asked if we wanted to come down for New Years we were all in! Instead of staying in Raleigh, like we normally do, we made the 3 hours drive to Boone, North Carolina. I was really excited to see a new part of the state, and explore different areas. We were hoping to add skiing into the mix, but it has been an unusually warm winter, and none of the slopes were open.

We stayed in the cutest cabin just a few minutes from the town of Boone, and it was perfect for 3 couples. There was a fireplace, 2 floors, 3 bedrooms, a nice size kitchen, dining room and a living room. This was great for all of us to congregate when we wanted to play games and enjoy each others company. My favorite area was the porch, I loved the rocking chairs!

Because of this, our days were left open to wander the area. There didn’t seem to be much to do besides drink or be outside, which was 110% fine with us, we like both! Our first night in Boone was New Years Eve. We got dressed up, headed to Lost Provence Brewing Company for some drinks and pizza! Craft Beer and wood fired pizza was my kind of way to bring in 2016. After dinner, we walked around the area and went into a few other bars. I was on a mission to find NYE hats and things, and we finally found some in the last bar.

That evening, we rang in 2016 in our adorable cabin, played games and hung out in the hot tub. Great company, good drinks and a brand new year. It was perfect! There is just something about staying in a small cabin with a group of friends.

Since we had a slow start the next day, we decided to adventure to Banner Elk where we had some delicious brisket. We noticed that we were a sort drive from Grandfather Winery and none of the other couples had been wine tasting before…of course this was even more reason to go! I’m so glad we did because this place was beautiful! The wine was good, but the atmosphere really made it count. There was a small stream that ran by, a beautiful hill full of grape vines, and a fire pit. It was a perfect place to stop for a mid-day break.

The next day was all about adventure. I was so excited to hike the Blue Ridge mountains. We went to find the original Mast General Store, but it was closed since it was Sunday. Instead we decided to do some walking. Our first stop was Moses Cone Manor, this place was beautiful! The manor was in great condition for being so old, and the view was amazing.

We then continued onto Julian Price Memorial Park which had a great view of the water, and I really wished it had been warmer for us to go out on the lake. After stopping at the park, we were really ready for some adventure. We made our way to Rough Ridge, and hiked up the mountain. The view was the top was incredible. You could see for miles and miles and really see why these mountains are referred to as blue.

We ended our day at Canyons to see the sunset and it was another beautiful experience, we also had some amazing food. It really puts things into perspective when you see such beautiful from the outside, natural world.