Book a Valentine's Day Cabin!
Posted on 01/29/2018 in Vacation rentals.
Holidays can be important signs on the busy highways of our lives, reminding us to reflect, honor, and celebrate. Valentine’s Day is the one that tells us to stop and say “I love you” to the person – or people – we hold most dear. For some it’s just another busy day, but this year we encourage you to take a weekend to celebrate love – for one another, for our families, for our friends, and even for ourselves and retreat to the mountains, away from the busy-ness of our lives, to reconnect with each other and our own selves which often get lost in the shuffle.
This year, we can help you speak your love in a well-appointed mountain cabin, perhaps with a hot tub for a delicious soak in the cool air, or by a cozy fireplace, the flickering light creating the ambiance. In 2018, Valentine’s Day falls mid-week, so that gives you the weekend before or after to make plans. Two weekends doubles the odds your favorite cabin is available to surprise your beloved with a weekend in the mountains or make your escape from the kids to reconnect. Perhaps this year Valentine’s Day is a celebration of the love of family, so bring your children (and dog, too, to one of our many pet friendly cabins).
If love finds you single this year, gather a few friends and retreat from all the advertising and celebrate friendship, which brings fullness to our lives, whatever romantic place were in.
While here in Ashe County, you’ve got several dinner options, romantic or otherwise, in downtown West Jefferson. The Hotel Tavern and Boondocks are favorites of visitors and locals alike. At Boondocks, try one of their own beers like the Bookworm Raspberry Chocolate Milk Stout, or the Backwoods Campfire Scottish Ale. If you’re really brave – because the names are scary—try the Blue Ridge Brutal Brown (named after the famed bike race) or the Crumpler Crippler Citra. Of course, you can also have the familiar taste of the old standbys or one of the many craft beers now available. For something different, try the apple taste of the locally brewed Molly Chompers hard cider. Enjoy it with an appetizer, maybe the crab stuffed Portobello appetizer or the Boondocks Jalapeno Bottlecaps. Dinner offers even more choices from healthy salads to Neapolitan Flat Bread Pizzas to Kobe Beef and Veal Lasagna. And don’t get us started on the desserts.
Over at the Hotel Tavern, enjoy live music most weekends, a full bar with a diverse wine list, and a menu that includes our favorite Thai Chicken skewers for an appetizer or the decadent Potachos. Homemade soup and salads are a steady option (keep those New Year’s resolutions), and for dinner give the Maple Glazed Pork Loin a try, or a delectable pasta, chicken or seafood special. Both restaurants are open for lunch, too, as is Sweet ‘n Savory (love their roasted red pepper soup!) and the Havana Grill on the Back Street.
Before you leave town on Sunday (do you really have to???), you can also try brunch at Rosebud Bakery and Café, which has baked goods that’ll throw your resolutions out the window, and a quiche that’s always great. We have yet to be disappointed with anything we’ve tried.
But maybe you love to cook, and a weekend away provides an opportunity to try a new recipe. Many of our cabins are outfitted with complete kitchens, and some even have spices on hand.
Lastly, whether Valentine’s weekend is about romance or a celebration of friendship, consider the treat of a massage. Really, is there anything better than an hour (or more – try 90 minutes!) with someone’s warm, skilled hands melting your knots away? Ashe County has several talented bodyworkers who make house calls, which might be just the ticket this Valentine’s (or really, any) weekend. Marjorie Shinkle of the Ashe Massage Center ((336) 977-6272) makes outcalls, and will be glad to organize muscle relaxing rubs for you and your loved ones, and will bring another therapist if you have a crowd.
The mountains are calling, and we invite you to celebrate love in February with warm soaks, fireplaces, romance, fine food, exciting spirits and a good rub. What’s better than that?
Things To Do During Winter In The Blue Ridge Mountains
Posted on 01/18/2018 in Winter Things to Do.
There are so many things to do in the Blue Ridge Mountains no matter what time of the year you visit but wintertime really takes it over the top! Enjoy the wonders of the fourth season and take advantage of these Top Things to Do in Winter!
Peak Season Lasts Through May
When you're searching for the perfect Blue Ridge Mountain vacation rental take advantage of our winter rates through May. This is a great time to make plans for a weekend winter getaway to one of our toasty warm North Carolina mountain cabins.
Ski Resorts (The Obvious Choice)
Our Blue Ridge Mountains ski resorts offer skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and lessons in everything, for all levels. Sugar Mountain Resort is the largest in the state and Hawk’s Nest offers the largest tubing park on the East coast! All that while also offering some of the most dramatic panoramic views from the mountain tops. Among those are Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort, Hawk’s Nest Tubing Park, and Sugar Mountain Resort.
Winter Hiking
Wintertime is the best time to fully experience the beauty of our mountains and to spot everything you’d miss during the months of the year when the woods are flush with foliage. Enjoy a brisk mountain hike and you’ll see the true shape of the mountains, discover rock outcroppings, creeks and even old farmhouses you can’t see in the summer. Mount Jefferson offers guided winter hikes most every weekend as well as trails to explore on your own. Grayson Highlands State Park,just over the state line into Virginia, is open year-round. Wild ponies run free throughout the area. Elk Knob State Park, located in Watauga County, features one of the highest peaks in North Carolina's high country at 5,520 feet and one of the parks system's finest trails to the spectacular views from the summit. Offering over 100 trails of various levels, the Blue Ridge Parkway trails are definitely worth checking out. (But note, when there’s snow, some stretches of the parkway are not plowed.)
Shopping & Dining
Our towns are open year-round too, and the shops and restaurants of West Jefferson, Jefferson, and Glendale Springs welcome you no matter what the weather is. With fewer tourists you can linger over your meal without feeling guilty or rushed and you can visit longer with a shopkeeper who’ll gladly fill you in about the area. You’ll find plenty of unique, and in many cases, locally-made crafts and art you won’t find anywhere else. Boondocks Brewing offers special events such as wine pairings and beer & cheese pairings. Check out their restaurant events or the Brue Haus events page.
The Arts
The music doesn’t stop with seasonal changes. The Hotel Tavern continues its music series almost every weekend evening, and if you’re here during the week you can get your game on at Boondocks and try Trivia Night or Brews & Beats Bingo, or their beer and cheese or wine pairings. The Riverhouse offers its Sunday Salon series, and over in Boone App State has interesting musical offerings. Our art galleries continue to showcase new work, and you’ll find a new show each month at the Florence Thomas Art School as well as the Ashe County Arts Gallery, both in downtown West Jefferson and both with selections of local art for sale.
Buy Mountain Land
Winter is the best time to search for your very own piece of paradise. Without the leaves and underbrush obscuring the glades and hillocks and knolls, you can clearly see what you’re buying. Ashe County land sales have more than doubled in the past two years, but we still have a lot of choice properties available. If you’ve been considering an investment in our area, one of the skilled agents at Ashe High Country Realty will be happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
