This popular summer swimming hole in Banner Elk includes a white sandy beach, swimming pier and fishing dock. The adjacent Tufts Memorial Park has a bath house and picnic tables. Owned by the Grandfather Home for Children. No admission fee, but they appreciate donations.
Take a guided walking tour of this farm near Banner Elk with the alpacas, llamas, angora goats, guardian donkeys, dogs and other animals. Fiber from the angora goats is made into mohair and sold in the farm store, along with alpaca socks. Open year-round.
The resort town of Banner Elk offers a nice selection of area wineries, including Banner Elk Winery, Grandfather Vineyard & Winery and Linville Falls Winery. You can also visit two craft breweries – Kettell Beerworks and Beech Mountain Brewing – as well as the indoor/outdoor Blind Elk Tap Room. These tasting rooms are connected by scenic drives high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This small town high in the mountains has become a culinary hot spot. Whether you’re looking for an upscale meal for a special occasion, a hearty sandwich after a day outdoors, or a casual steak dinner, check out their locally-owned and innovative restaurants.
At a cool elevation of 3,701 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Banner Elk offers a variety of vacation rentals, log cabins, condos, mountaintop homes and hotels. Near Grandfather Mountain, Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster, two ski resorts and endless outdoor adventures.
Roadside 40-ft. waterfall en route to Douglas Falls in Pisgah National Forest, north of Asheville, along a scenic woodlands drive.
(1 mile roundtrip) Walk behind this 70-foot waterfall deep in Pisgah National Forest north of Asheville, at the end of a scenic drive with numerous cascades, including Walker Falls.
Beautiful Lake Junaluska offers a variety of lakeside houses, apartments and cottages at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. Get a house for your whole family overlooking the lake, or book a weekend getaway with the girls. 90 rentals, $50-$350/night. Sleeps 2-25 people. Weekly rentals during the summer season, daily rentals during off-season with 2-night minimum. Many lake amenities.
This beautiful lake town near the Great Smoky Mountains is home to trails, boat tours, golf, gardens and a big variety of lodging options, including lakefront hotels and cabin rentals for a Methodist church retreat.
Find Labor Day Weekend things to do and events in the NC mountains in and near Asheville for a great holiday getaway.