Happy Weekend! I hope you’re finding ways to stay cool and beat the summer heat!
We escaped to the NC mountains for a Blue Ridge getaway several weeks ago.
The High Country of North Carolina is a short two hour drive, making it a frequent getaway to enjoy the fresh mountain air with its change in elevation and scenery. It was the inspiration for my High Country-Inspired Woodland Table and Dish Garden this week if you missed it.
No humidity and a 20 degree drop in temperature makes me want to pack my bags and head for the High Country in July and stay until October!
We stayed in a VRBO with beautiful views and enjoyed a visit with my sister.
It was dog friendly too! 🐾
Have a seat and join us to drink in the scenery. . .
Watch the fog and clouds at sunrise, drifting along the valley of the mountains like a lazy river. . .
Watch and count all the deer. . .
Take a walk. . .
Watch the butterflies. . .
I’ve never seen so much milkweed. . .
Someone alert the Monarchs about the all-you-can-eat buffet!
Drive into the town of Blowing Rock for lunch. . .
Known as the “Crown of the Blue Ridge,” Blowing Rock sits astride the Eastern Continental Divide at a cool 4,000 foot elevation.
The Town Hall, Community Library and Memorial Park along Main Street in Blowing Rock are meticulously maintained and blooming in the summer.
“Jessie”, the bronze statue reading a book in front of the library, is the most photographed little girl in Blowing Rock.
I was amazed at all the hummingbirds flitting around enjoying the garden flowers. . .
They must prefer the cooler temps too. ;)
We’re cooling down to the upper 70s this weekend. . .a short-lived but welcome relief after weeks of heat and humidity! I heard on the news a couple of weeks ago, that we’d had 52 days with 90 degree temps this summer. I’m beyond ready for fall!
🍁🍂🎃
Lola wants to know what you’re doing to beat the heat?
We love Blowing Rock and that part of the mountains. We always stay at the Azalea Garden Inn when we go.
It’s too hot to think…mountains are a must!! Bring on the Shenadoah!! 😙 franki
can you share info on the cottages you stayed in? I would love to go stay
Hi Sandra, Here’s the info: https://www.vrbo.com/1546195?adultsCount=4&noDates=true&petIncluded=true
Blowing Rock is such a charming area. We love the flowers, shops and scenery. Looking forward to cooler temperatures this weekend so I can work in our yard. I’ve been beating the heat by staying inside and catching up on indoor tasks – also working on a fall wreath!
Mary, I feel cooler seeing the beautiful mountains. It has been several years since I have been to Blowing Rock. Before I retired, I decorated a lovely vacation condo there, it was a fun job. The hubby has been there on business several times and I have gone with him. It is such a pretty area. I am glad you enjoyed the vacay and heat relief. Your photos are beautiful!
I love getaways like you had! We are lucky in that we have a little escape just across the bridge from where we live, and we walk it daily for a slight respite, but are due for and could use a little mountain getaway like yours.Today it’s raining here (seems weird, it’s been so hot & dry for so long!), hoping for some similar changes like your weather here. Even mid 80s seems unbearable at this point when it starts out at 70° with high humidity at 6 am. Enjoy the cooldown!
Love the beautiful scenic pictures!
Mary, your pictures are just great! I agree with Susan above, any way you could share the name of the lovely doggie friendly cottages outside Blowing Rock? The pups looked like they had fun too!! We are going down to the 40’s at night and high 60’s during the day this weekend!! Even here in Maine we had a brutally hot and humid summer!!
Hi Janet, The VRBO info is here. I’m envious of your weather and love your beautiful state. ♥
Mary
What a beautiful place to relax!
Love all the photos.
Thanks for sharing……..
Beautiful ~ thank you for sharing! It’s hot in the Central Valley of California too. We have to escape to the Sierra Nevada mountains or the Pacific Ocean to cool off. Looking forward to Fall too🍁🍂
Love your pictures! We were just threw the mountains the 1st of aug going to my son’s in Statesville!
Oh Mary! Your pictures are “post card” perfect! What a beautiful area! I remember seeing Blowing Rock on the map, when we were in your lovely state but didn’t get a chance to go there. Will have to add it to my list the next time I’m that far south. “Jessie” is precious and the perfect statue to be outside of the library. We have had a swift drop in temperature and humidity, now and for the next week in the high 70’s, which is exactly my kind of gardening weather, but we will be up north for a last hurray for summer. Glad you were able to take the pups!
Oh your getaway sounds like heaven Mary! How lovely to stay in such a nice dog friendly place perched high on the mountain with your sister and gorgeous views! It has been an extremely hot summer, but our forecast is for rain and cooler temps the next few days, hopefully it will be coming your way!
Jenna
Mary, it is definitely God’s country. So beautiful and serene. Your pictures are breathtaking. It is so wonderful you were able to escape to the coolness of such gorgeous mountains.
Now that is my kind of vacation, Mary! The scenery is just breathtaking and I can just about feel the drop in temperatures. I’ve always wanted to visit Blowing Rock, from reading the Mitford series, by Jan Karon. Thanks for the beauty! Please tell Lola that the only way I’ve been able to beat the heat is from the pool and A/C! Happy weekend to you with your pups….😘
Good Morning Mary, Blowing Rock has always beeen one of my favorite places as we used to visit a dear friend who lived there for many years. Next week I plan to be in Southwest Virginia to celebrate my brother’s birthday and spend one day with a friend who lives near The Blue Ridge Parkway and take in some of that cool mountain air. Tell Lola a dip in the Perquimans River helps to cool us off. Enjoyed your beautiful photographs. Thank you.
please share the vrbo name and location? We are looking to meet our kids that live in Nashville- looks ideal !
Hi Kay, It’s Sunrise Lodge at Eagles Nest in Banner Elk. Eagles Nest is beautiful but it’s a long, hairpin curvy drive to downtown Banner Elk and about an hour from Blowing Rock, be prepared with some Dramamine or bring your provisions. :)
Great photo capture of the hummingbirds! We live in N. Winston Salem and can be on the Blue Ridge Parkway in about 40 minutes and that is always a beautiful drive anytime of the year. I especially love it in the fall with all the golden leaves-but I also love it every season and you are right about the temperature drop it feels so good in summertime. The Parkway is at the top of my list of things I will miss when I move from here in a few months. We are building our dream house at the beach here in NC and I am excited about that but I will really miss just waking up and deciding to go for a drive on the Parkway. And like Kitty above I loved the Mitford series of books by Jan Karon. If anyone hasn’t read them please start with the beginning book and enjoy all the series as they were written! I enjoy your blog so much-especially your doggies!
Thank you Janice and how exciting about your dream beach house! I read Jan Karon’s Mitford series years ago and loved it. ;)
Wow! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Now I want to go! Virginia is so beautiful!
Loved your pictures of NC. They were spectacular. Flowers were gorgeous. We’ve have a very hot, humid summer in Illinois too.
OOOOOOOOOOO Mary, absolutely beautiful views. Thanks so much for sharing your photos with us.
Wow, what a beautiful post, there is nothing like the NC mountains and your pictures are fabulous! I loved looking at them, thank you for sharing and have a lovely weekend. it is suppose to be cooler in our area, hope so!
What a nice break from the heat. Lovely views and your photos are so pretty. Makes me want to get away to the mountains.
Glad you had a nice visit with your sister.💙
Loved every single picture!! Thank you for sharing. We live in the mountains and welcome the coolness, especially at night after a really hot day. Lovely Lola!!
Thanks for sharing the beautiful scenery. We’ve had a relatively cool summer here on the west coast of the U.S., but it is starting to heat up now. September is usually our second hottest month after August, but I think it might be our hottest month this year. ❤️Lola!
Love your pics and the pups are so cute!! Sophie has gotten a little bit bigger.
Raining here today and we are suppose to be cooler fr the next few days. Hope to do some yard and garden work.
Have a great weekend. xoxo
Mary,
This summer we’ve had 54 days in the 90’s and 17 days at 100 or higher, whew! I’d like to say that we’re heading to Tahoe to beat the heat where the high’s will only be in the 80’s, but I suspect my husband and I will be taking care of some items on the never-ending “to-do” list here at home in the 100 degree weather, followed by a cool down in the pool.
I’m looking forward to seeing the incredible Blue Ridge mountains in person, until then I enjoyed your beautiful photos. Good to learn that heading up that way offers a break in humidity. Traditionally, when does the humidity subside in your area? Humidity and I aren’t best friends, and my hairdresser has jokingly suggested a stellar hat collection for when we relocate!
Enjoy the end of summer!
Betsy
Oh my Betsy, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate that kind of heat! We usually don’t see a break in the humidity and heat until the end of September or early October. I would love it if it fall arrived early this year. Happy Weekend ♥
Lovely pictures and am craving the cooler weather right now! I, too, would love to know the listing for the VBRO home! Thanks, Mary!
Breathtaking views!! Looking forward to our trip to NC in October–first time I will see autumn in probably 25 years. Can’t wait to see the color and have a break from Florida heat and humidity!
Beautiful photos of a gorgeous place. Happy that you will be enjoyingcooler weather. Enjoy.
Marilyn
Mary the Blue Ridge Mountain area is breath taking. Thank You for sharing.
Marion
Too here the weather dropped to the 70’s. You had a beautiful vacation.
Joan
Gorgeous area, beautiful pictures! Here in So. Calif., we’ve been in the 90s forEVER, it seems, with no end in sight! It felt a little cooler just enjoying your wonderful photos!
Oooohh, your pictures reminded me of how much I loved Blowing Rock when we were there a couple years ago. It is such a quaint town and the surrounding area is beautiful! I hope you will share the name of the cottages that you stayed in – they looked lovely!
Hi Debbie, It’s Sunrise Lodge at Eagles Nest in Banner Elk. Like I told Kay, Eagles Nest is beautiful but it’s a long, hairpin curvy drive to and from downtown Banner Elk and about an hour from Blowing Rock, arm yourself with some Dramamine or bring your provisions!
Welcome to my neck of the woods mountain life is very special. The changing seasons keep giving us beauty year round. Hope you enjoyed your time.
Mary, After a 12 hour day of hard labor preparing to renovate a house, this is a wonderful post. The mountains are fabulous @ Blowing Rock & those flowers are amazing! What great photos of the butterflies, hummingbirds, & deer! I love nature! Your photo of the twisted branches tree with mountains in the background is so pretty! Glad the girls got to go along. They are so sweet looking. Thanks for sharing these with us. Enjoy the cooler weather & have a great weekend! Clara ❤️
Quelle agréable escapade ! Et quelle jolie ville fleurie ! Il n’y a pas de pénurie d’eau chez vous pour l’arrosage ? Ici il a fait tellement chaud cet été et tellement sec, que nous n’avons plus l’autorisation d’arroser les jardins… donc ils sont très laids pour le moment. Vivement l”automne, ma saison préférée.
Bonne journée et caresses à Lola et Sophie
Lovely photos! I can be on the Blue Ridge Parkway in about 15 minutes, and love living in the mountains of NC. The cooler summers is what drew us to this area, after living in hotter climates. I used to spend time every summer at Lake Norman growing up, and love your lake views.
Terrific photos. When people talk about Blue Ridge Mountains, I think of poetry and novels. From a native southern California gal, who has driven around the country, looking at your photos offers me an instant feeling of tranquility. Very beautiful landscape.Lovely flowers and humming bird photos. Thank you for posting.
Beautiful!!
Mary thank you so much for the visual journey! Absolutely beautiful! I was there once about 20 years ago and the beauty of those mountains never left me…thanks for the reminder that it might be time for another visit!
Hi, Mary. What a gorgeous place for escaping the heat…! We finally have our windows open, I think the first time since the 4th of July here in Chicago. Humidity is still bad, but a breeze and 70’s is doable. I’m thinking the BlueRidge looks like a great idea, for next year! Hope it cools off for you!
Beautiful getaway and fotos, so nice the girls could come too ☺
Your hummingbird pics are amazing! I’ve never thought of going to Blue Ridge mountains, but now I will!
Wow 😮 this was a wonderful post, Mary, just beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing!