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Peter Larkins | The Appalachian
ASU students hike and climb to the top of McRae Peak on the Grandfather Mountain. |
Beautiful distractions in the High Country
by Amanda Fowler
Staff Writer
It is time to trash those winter coats and gloves: Boone has finally entered spring.
Although it may have taken a little longer on the mountain, warm weather has returned, at least for now.
Students are once again throwing Frisbee discs on Duck Pond Field and doing homework outside on the mall.
However, once the weekend rolls around and students are tired at looking at the four walls of their residence hall rooms, it may be time for a little off-campus fun.
Grandfather Mountain can provide an entire day’s worth of outdoor entertainment, with 11 hiking trails of varying difficulty, seven wildlife habitats (including black bears), a nature museum and the Mile High Swinging Bridge.
Although adult tickets are normally $12, students can present their IDs and receive admission for $1 during April.
“We’re (Grandfather Mountain and students) friends and neighbors and we want to show them what we have to offer,” marketing director at Grandfather Mountain Catherine Morton said. “We have some of the best hiking trails there are.”
Also an excellent hiking destination, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers a variety of activities whose beauty is hard to match.
Besides the scenic overlooks, there are a few places worth stopping and getting out of the car.
One beautiful spot off the parkway is Moses Cone Manor. Built by Moses Cone, a mogul of the textile industry, the manor house was one of the first in the mountains to offer indoor plumbing. It was also the house filmed in the nursing home scenes of Stephen King’s “The Green Mile.”
Today, there are 26 miles of carriage, horse and hiking trails surrounding the manor house. The first floor of the home now holds the Southern Highlands Craft Guild where crafts are on display and available for sale.
“Everything in our shop is handmade by someone in the Appalachian Mountains and it is a good opportunity for students to be exposed to something they’ve never seen before,” assistant manager of Southern Highlands Craft Guild Ellen Schaller said.
Elk River Falls outside Banner Elk is the perfect picnic destination. At the top of the parking lot, picnic tables edge a river perfect for wading.
Directly down a short trail, visitors can walk out onto the rocks where the falls begin their decent.
Another short walk down the well-kept trail reveals huge rocks ideal for sunbathing lining the pool area at the bottom of the falls where visitors can take a swim.
The Linville Caverns, discovered in the 1800s by men who saw fish swim in and out of the mountain, is an underground mystery of natural creation.
The caverns are open for touring and groups leave every few minutes for about 30 minutes of exploration. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children and $4 for seniors.
For an afternoon of shopping, the Great Train Robbery Emporium in Banner Elk offers a warehouse’s amount of space full of various vendor vignettes and galleries.
For more shopping, downtown Blowing Rock is home to many one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants.
Park and walk through the downtown area then grab some coffee or ice cream in the park at the town’s center.
For a night at the theatre, Blowing Rock Stage Company, a non-profit, professional theatre company active since 1986, continuously puts on plays and performances.
These include special events, staged readings and shows. Blowing Rock Stage Company boasted over 100 performances for their 2003 season.
Many students chose to come to Appalachian for a reason – the great scenery of the mountains and a variety of outdoor activities inaccessible in many other areas.
So take advantage of the High Country and all it has to offer, especially with the new spring weather.
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