A fall trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains should be on every North Carolian’s to-do list. The Blue Ridge Mountains are large, natural, magnificent, and breathtaking. The Blue Ridge Mountains are magnificent and breathtaking when covered in vibrant yellow, orange, red, and purple leaves.
Peak fall foliage can be a moving target since deciduous trees can change their leaf color anytime between mid-September through November. The western North Carolina peak leaf season is typically in October. You can see this on the 2023 fall color map published by The Appalachian State University Biology Department, which displays their fall color peak predictions.
https://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors/fall-color-map-north-carolina
There are many incredible mountain towns to visit on a fall trip to western North Carolina. Last year, we went to Bryson City and decided to try Blowing Rock this round. I’m super happy we planned this because I’ve always wanted to stay in one of those Blowing Rock motels or inns adjacent to the downtown.
Blowing Rock during peak leaf season was an excellent but VERY packed time. Here are three things I wished someone had suggested or shared with us beforehand that could have mitigated the weekend’s crowded conditions.
1) Avoid Grandfather Mountain if you aren’t heading to Grandfather Mountain.
A fall weekend in the High Country wouldn’t be complete without a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is so pleasing this time of the year. We took NC 181 from Morganton up to Linville and planned on jumping on the Parkway from US 221. The problem with this is that the entrance to Grandfather Mountain is also on US 221. We unfortunately got caught in the long line of cars waiting to get into Grandfather Mountain. This could’ve been completely avoided if we hopped on the Parkway another way.
2) Make reservations as soon as you can.
Blowing Rock has many restaurants with great menus and atmosphere. The problem with eating at one of them on a Saturday night during peak leaf season is that they fill up quickly. We knew there would be long waits but didn’t anticipate being told by the four restaurants we attempted to eat at that they had a two-hour one. Two restaurants said they couldn’t even seat us without a reservation. So make any reservations as quickly as you can. This is just good advice for any situation. We finally got lucky with two empty seats at the Six Pence Pub bar. Thank you, Six Pence. Your turkey club is fantastic!
3) Check out Sunset & Vine wine shop.
We kind of stumbled (found by chance) onto Sunset & Vine, located beside Blowing Rock Brewery on Sunset Drive. I’m more of a beer guy, but we were both in a let’s drink some wine kind of mood. We Googled wine shops and swore nothing showed up in the results. We were ecstatic when we discovered Sunset & Vine. Sunset & Vine is a chill wine shop that offers wine flights, wine by the glass, and cheese and crackers. Definitely check it out!
So, there are three things I wish someone had told us before our Blowing Rock fall weekend. These tips could apply to any trips up there. We had a brilliant time, and, unfortunately, all the beautiful mountain leaves we peeped at will unfortunately be gone soon. But we still have all the leaves in the Piedmont to change, and I’m very much looking forward to this.
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