Last weekend, I was fortunate to be able to ring in the New Year again with my wife in Blowing Rock, NC.  This was the 3rd trip we’ve made to Blowing Rock in the last year.  The last time was with family.

Blowing Rock is a wonderful little town.  My wife and I enjoy visiting for some of our once a month weekend get-a-ways. They have a lot of shops along main street and a beautiful park, hiking trails and lots of other things to do. We even went to the Todd Community Dance that was held at the museum this past year and spent several nights at the Hemlock Inn.

Believe it or not, some of the ideas that came from our first overnight visit last year inspired this blog.  I’ve written a bit about some of this in my recent blog A New Year, a Cup of Coffee, a Box, and a Mission.

Gail and I both enjoy being outside and enjoying nature.  We also enjoy the ambiance of the town, the stone buildings, the shops, the park, the hiking trails (which we’ve yet to go on), and the location.  We also enjoy eating out and there are some great restaurants in Blowing Rock.

When we visited with my family we ate at the Town Tavern. I had a chicken sandwich with provolone cheese and coleslaw with a side salad.  It was fantastic and I highly recommend it. Better get there early though, there can be a long wait if you get on the list.

Dress warm in winter too!  It’s cold up there in those mountains, but you can always slip inside one of the shops to warm up.  Gail’s favorite is The Spice and Tea Exchange.  We also enjoyed getting new hiking shoes from Brian at the Footsloggers.  He really knows his shoes and is a good salesman to boot.

One of our favorite outings, though is Docs Rocks. We’ve been several times to dig through the dirt for a gemstone.  If you just want the gems, there are plenty of those too, but it’s more fun to dig a bit and see a finished product on a necklace or ring.

On our last trip we ventured out to Boone as well and stopped at the Stick Boy Bread Company.  The sticky buns and cinnamon rolls were amazing!

This past year, I also enjoyed spending time in Boone at the Turtle Island Preserve taking a Blacksmithing workshop with my brother.

Whether visiting with family, or doing an overnight with the spouse, Blowing Rock is a fun and inspirational place to go.  We’re already looking forward to our next visit.