My girlfriend and I were looking for something to do in our state of North Carolina over the long Labor Day weekend. So we decided to head to the mountains after seeing Blowing Rock’s great weather report for Monday. You can’t beat blue skies, sunny conditions, low eighties, and elevation.
We figured out where to go but still needed to figure out what we were doing. Some parks and recreation-type stuff is always on my list of things to do in the mountains. But unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with foot issues, so we knew we couldn’t hit a trail. Dang!
That’s when my girlfriend came up with the brilliant idea to visit some roadside waterfalls. Voila! There it is. We finalized our plans to visit two roadside waterfalls and then go into Blowing Rock afterward for lunch and shopping.
Now, I want to share our day with you.
We began by jumping onto Interstate 85 until exit 17B toward US-321 N. You’ll continue on US 321 for 61 miles through Hickory and Lenoir until you turn left onto Kirby Mountain Road almost immediately after the Saunders Old Country Store and before you start ascending up the mountain. Then turn right on Waterfalls Road, and Silvervale Falls will be on your right about one mile down Waterfalls Road.
Standing 80 feet tall, Silvervale Falls was the first roadside waterfall we checked out. This fall is my favorite of the two, with it being so massive and impressive. I’ve driven up and down US 321 many times and never knew Silvervale Falls was situated there. It’s a very easy detour, and there’s some great graffiti to take in.
From Silvervale Falls, we headed west on Waterfalls Road for a few miles to turn left back onto US 321 N. We turned left onto Ransom Street toward downtown Blowing Rock. Then, a right onto US 221/Yonahlossee Road for eight miles, and Green Mountain Creek Falls will be on your right. Park in a little pull-off area basically across the street from the Falls.
Green Mountain Creek Falls was the second roadside waterfall we visited. Being only a quarter the size of Silvervale, at 20 feet tall, I thought this fall’s water plunged into a much prettier pool. Take warning to look for passing cars when taking selfies. There were a lot of vehicles on US 221 today.
After the waterfalls, the next stop was back to Blowing Rock for some grub. So we turned my Honda Accord around on US 221, drove the eight miles back to town, and parked in the Robbins Pool/Broyhill Park public parking lots. Then, we took the stair path from the lake trail toward Six Pence Pub on Main Street.
Six Pence Pub is a “British-inspired” restaurant serving American and “British comfort foods.” I’ve been here many times before, but it was my girlfriend’s first time. We sometimes went there for beers but not really to eat. I’m sure my college stories were quite impressive. We both ordered fish and chips, which are excellent. The tartar sauce was incredible and deserves that shout-out. Everyone was really nice. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, which would’ve been great with Blowing Rock’s gorgeous weather today. Like all Blowing Rock restaurants, expect a wait. But it’s okay because you can do like we do and visit the shops until someone texts you your table is ready.
After lunch, we exited the restaurant, turned right onto the Main Street sidewalk, and walked a few hundred feet for our ice cream dessert at Kilwins.
Kilwins is a popular downtown Blowing Rock spot. We observed that today, with all the people waiting in a long line for chocolates, fudge, and their original recipe ice cream. We didn’t care about the wait. Going to Kilwins is a must. I ate two scoops of cookies and cream in a cup, and she got some sea salt caramel. Someone couldn’t go wrong with either option. I had both and would testify to that. FYI, there’s another Blowing Rock Kilwins location at the Shoppes on the Parkway.
After ice cream and some more shop hopping, we returned home to hotter weather. It felt so great up there today. So, if you need some cooler weather, some wilderness, or a great day trip, remember there are two incredible roadside waterfalls, a great pub, and excellent ice cream less than two hours from the Charlotte area.
Additional Resources:
Silvervale Falls & Green Mountain Creek Falls: https://blowingrock.com/waterfalls/
Six Pence Pub: https://sixpencepub.com/blowing-rock
Kilwins: https://www.kilwins.com/
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