For those of you who need an escape from the heat and humidity of summer, I’m taking you with me on a quick trip to the North Carolina mountains where the temperature ranged last weekend from the 50s in the morning to the mid 70s in the afternoon~ perfect weather in my book and teaser of fall weather to come!
We rented a house and enjoyed a long weekend and visit with my sister in Blowing Rock and were able to enjoy the view from our windows.
And watch the fog rise and clouds hover over the mountains each morning.
There’s nothing like a little bucolic scenery complete with barn to lower your blood pressure.
{insert farm country *sigh* here}
I love the cute town and main street of Blowing Rock which sits astride the Eastern Continental Divide at a cool 4,000 foot elevation.
Known as “the Crown of the Blue Ridge,” the flowers are blooming with abandon with the cooler temperatures in hanging baskets and on all the street lights. . .
The Town Hall, library and Memorial Park along main street are meticulously maintained and groomed.
The Community Library on Main Street has no computers for the public to use or Wi-Fi and still has an old-fashioned card catalog system to organize its book collection.
“Jessie” is the bronze statue sitting on a bench reading on the front lawn of the library and the most photographed little girl in Blowing Rock.
She has the perfect setting to enjoy a book and the blooms!
It’s hydrangea heaven in the High Country with this variety of panicle hydrangea everywhere.
The large white cone-shaped blooms develop a soft blush shade turning pinkish-red late summer and fall.
Enjoy some hydrangeas added to a vase filled with wine corks as you Wine A Bit. . .
It’s a wonderful spot to relax after you’ve hiked The Glen Burney Trail to see the falls.
Keep your eye on the prize as you huff and puff, climbing your way back up 600 feet to the top of the trail . . .
Your reward for your hike is a glass of wine by the stream at Grandfather Vineyard and Winery.
And make sure you take time to stop at the overlooks as you drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Are you enjoying some cooler temperatures or is it sweltering where you are?
Happy Sunday!
Thanks so much for sharing these gorgeous photos! Looks like a place I’ll have to visit!
What a beautiful, picturesque town. We are going to Gatlinburg next month with friends and I can’t wait for those mountain views!! Glad you had such a nice visit with your sister.xoxo
Just a few minutes from downtown Gatlinburg is a fabulous B&B. The Hippensteal Mountain View Inn, owned & run by Vern & Lisa Hippensteal (both area natives). Vern & Lisa are the epitome of gracious hosts. They will be there for most any need you may have but you won’t find them hovering about. Vern is a supremely talented painter & most of what you see in every room of the 3-story bed & breakfast will be for sale…even if it’s only a tiny one or a box of gift cards which you can frame when you return home. If possible, please indulge in purchasing one of Vern’s paintings that ‘speaks’ to you.. It will grace your home with beauty, memories of your trip, & the gentle serenity of the Inn, it’s Innkeepers, and the surrounding area. After you’ve discovered your room, complete with jetted tub and a gas log fireplace with timer, you might want to pour yourselves a glass of your favorite wine, then swing open the double doors, walk out on the porch and sit in rocking chairs or a 2-person swing. There’s no need for conversation, just sighs or the occasional creak of the swing or the tempo of the rocking chairs, all while you enjoy the breathtaking surrounding mountains. It’s also a great place to read unless you prefer propping up amidst all measure of size & shape pillows…altho I will warn you that you could very possibly doze off after just a few pages. If your day includes a bit of hiking, the large Jacuzzi will be waiting to soothe your aching muscles. If you’d like to hike a bit or see waterfalls, just ask Vern or Lisa for tips on waterfalls suited to your level of regular activities, time you’d like to spend hiking, & what you hope to see. Catch either of them right after breakfast, before they begin their very busy days making sure everything is ready and awaiting your return. They can also offer recommendations of places to eat from all cuisine genres (and will probably have menus on hand for many of them). Large Outlet Center & numerous outlets in Pigeon Forge…a pretty drive just minutes from the Inn. What a fabulous place to stay during a Golf Weekend with your friends. In our case, the guys played golf while the girls went outlet shopping. We stayed at Hippensteal at least once a year for about 15 years (until my back is keeping me from travelling very much & definitely no hiking). Hippensteal is a dear place for us for so many memories made while we were there. We WILL make it back, hopefully sooner rather than later. GO…EXPLORE…ENJOY this very special place.
It’s still pretty warm in Fl. We won’t cool down until mid November! The Carolina mountains look amazing! What a nice place to visit!
Nothing makes me feel quite so alive as time spent in the mountains.
Thanks!
Beautiful shots and we need to visit this pretty place. I think we went to that area years ago, but I would love to visit longer and enjoy the wine and scenery. It’s been much cooler here and I’ll take it.
Beautiful! Thanks for a lovely respite from the heat!
That’s our kind of place! Love the Blue Ridge Smokies..I’ll be sure to make note of that town..I really like the little girl statue..what book is she reading? Do they sell miniatures of her?? Gardens are absolutely beautiful and our temps have been cooler but rising again this week with humidity..I have started removing things from the gardens..they seem to be depleted and I am adding some nutrients for next year. Thank you for the wonderful pictures and hope your get away was as relaxing as it looks..😍😍😍🍃🍂🍁🌳
Looks like a perfectly lovely time Mary! What could be better than cool temps, beautiful vistas, flowers blooming with abandon and wine! This sounds like a recipe for your perfect cup of “tea!” Loved the statues and the library with no wifi :) So glad you had a getaway to cool off and refresh~ we woke up to a cool drizzly Sunday, which is a wonderful surprise after days of heat and brutal humidity. Thanks for the virtual weekend at the mountains!
Jenna
Oh, thank you for the lovely photographs, reminders of Blowing Rock, one of my favorite places. We’re lucky enough to be able to just get in the car and drive up from Spartanburg, which we MUST do, soon! 😻
You know us well…I *sighed* in exactly the right spot!! Spectacular photos…we’re “saving” our drive there for a short time later…franki
Thanks for the peek at your trip to Blowing Rock, a place I’ve longed to visit. After reading Jan Karon’s The Mitford Series, I was smitten by the area, which supposedly is based on Blowing Rock. And yes Mary, I was delighted by your photos, as a relief from our high temperatures. Thanks for the beauty!
Beautiful post, Mary!
When you open your eyes to beauty, there’s so much to see.
Ohhhhh so beautiful 😍
Oh, how beautiful….I long for hot chocolate weather again….better yet, a hot “mocha” with whipped cream on top!
beautiful photos…rather envious of your hot weather as the leaves are turning yellow already here where we live
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures! It gave me a few moments of serenity!
absolutely beautiful….thank you for the adventure!
Absolutely stunning pictures. What better way to spend time with family in such a beautiful place. Been cooler and rainy last few days, but heat and humidity will return by Tuesday. Have a safe trip going home.
Oh, the vistas! Botanic Bleu recently shared her time in the NC mountains, and now you offer up these gorgeous vistas as well. I think it’s time to plan a trip. We’ve neighbors who have recently sold their home to spend more time at their home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. One look at this post, and it’s clear NC has much to offer. Thanks for sharing, Mary.
Mary, So gorgeous! We were in the NC mountains earlier this year and just fell in love with the views and the towns and we can’t wait to go back. I will definitely happily hike up the hill to see the falls with the prospect of a reward stop at the winery! What a great incentive! And the town is adorable. I see that they also have ropes courses and many other outdoor activities nearby and I am putting it on my list for next time! We are hoping to go to the top of Grandfather Mountain too. Hope you cool off down there. We are enjoying a pleasant weekend but temps and humidity will rise again this week! Linda
Thank you for sharing. Yes , just looking at the pictures lowered my blood pressure and gave me peace. It is hot and humid but fall is just around the conner. Keep on posting, I look forward to your posts!☺️🌴☀️
Oh how this makes me miss the mountains. We have a place at Lake Junaluska that we used to spend weeks at all throughout the year. I’m lucky now if I make it there once a year. I miss it so and now it is for sale. :-(
Thanks for taking us with you to the mountains!
blessings
~*~
Ahhhh!!! North Carolina is where my heart belongs and the pics of the mountains and water falls just reinforces it. Love, love, love the shot you have of the clouds hovering over the mountains. Beautiful! We hope to someday move to wonderful North Carolina and this just makes me want to move sooner. God bless. Love your posts
One of my favorite places!
Thanks again for such a fun weekend!
Great wine, yummy food, beautiful views, and good company!! Give my favorite brother-in-law a hug…have a great week!
We visited Blowing Rock a few years ago….I wanted to see where Jan Karon wrote her Mitford Series books. We enjoyed Blowing Rock so much. Thanks for posting.
Aren’t we blessed to have such beauty in this world!
Hi Mary! What a beautiful view in North Carolina! We live in North Alabama and are looking for a mountain location to visit the first week in October. Do you mind sharing where you guys stayed? We are looking for something a little more quiet and not so touristy. Trying to get away from the crowds in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Thank you so much!
Hi Amy, We rented a house, VRBO. We’ve also stayed at Gideon Ridge Inn previously. It’s quiet and they have a great restaurant. :)
I am horribly jealous right now! We’re due for 97 degrees tomorrow. I was hoping it would be cooling off by now. But no…. it’s still August, and I’m in Texas. A hike to the falls ? Gorgeous ! A seat next to a stream at a winery? Excellent! and is that a wine glass rain chain ??? Gotta have!! I feel a little bit cooler just reveling in the scenery you’re showing us. Thank you!
Thank you for the beautiful pictures very humid here!
Seeing your first photo made me to a double take. It looks like we were in the same place or very close to it. We spent a few days on Whisper Mountain outside Asheville, NC, and I’ve written a 3-part series about the house and location where we stayed. We loved it so much we didn’t want to leave and keep talking about when we can go again.
Your photos are stunning and you did a lot more sightseeing than we did. We spent a lot of time on the covered porches staring into the beautiful vistas.
Judith
Lovely photos…I love the mountains!
I have cousins who own a cabin in the North Georgia Mountains (near Helen) and have spent some time there…I think I could make it a permanent home!
Blowing Rock is one of my favorite places to visit! We have spend several anniversaries there and it is such a short drive from Clemmons, we make day trips a couple of times each other. So beautiful and relaxing! Thanks for sharing Mary.
What a beautiful get-away! Living by the Great Lakes makes me partial to water, but coming in as a close second, are beautiful mountains and your sure took some awesome pictures. I’m hearing a lot about Blowing Rock. My sister was just telling me about the Mitford series, by Jan Karon and now 2 ladies above me posted about her and this town as well. Really looks like one to put on the bucket list. Thanks for the sneak preview.
As Always~ such beautiful photos of nature. :)
Wow, that looks like a perfect weekend get-away Mary! Love the name of the first winery, bet you had a blast:@)
For sure I’m going to visit soon! Thanks for the inspiration and travel tips Mary!!
Gorgeous scenery and just looks so cool and refreshing. We are going to be 90 today with Lake Michigan humidity. Hard to think of grapes and pumpkins…I’m afraid this week. Gorgeous post!
Oh my goodness…we were there is past Saturday….I love Blowing Rock and Jessie is my favorite…The hydrangeas were gorgeous there….Can’t tell you how much I wanted to snip a few off the bushes there!….We always seem to just spend the day there…next time I think we will actually stay there a few days….
Blowing Rock is one of our all time favorite places to unwind, as is Highlands, NC. Fall is such a great time to visit with all that amazing color…can’t wait until our next trip there. Thanks for sharing the lovely armchair trip pictures.