Grandfather Mountain Vacation?

[Mike Wills]

My wife and I have been together since 1994, and believe it or not, we have never taken a vacation. All of our days off have gone into going "home" so the kids can spend as much time with the grandparents as possible or doing home improvement projects.

I was thinking that Grandfather Mountain might be a great place to throw...but I was also wondering if that would be a good area for a 5-6 day family vacation. Has anyone taken the family there for several days...are there a lot of things for kids to do? We like nature stuff about as much as amusement park rides, so I'm thinking it might be pretty cool.

[Sheaf daddy]

I COULD make smart ass remarks to your post but I won't Like I COULD say "believe you have never taken your wife on a real vacation? I won $20 on that bet - pay up Dickens" but I won't do that. or I COULD say "of course you haven't ya cheap bastard. When you open your wallet all the presidents have to shade their eyes from the light." But I won't do that - what I will say is

The area is beeeyouutiful. renting a house, going on nature walks and just hanging out together as a family is awesome. I am sure there is stuff you can find on the net about it but I believe you are not far from that section of the Applacian Trail and there is likely a lake near there you can go swimming in. We even found going to Harper's ferry for a 1/2 day tubing was awesome. Laying on your tube and floating down a river talking for 4 hours with your kids is really special.

[Clancelt]

There is plenty to do. It's really kind of odd. Here we were at Grandfather mountain and we stop at a general store right up the road a ways, it's well advertised so it's hard to miss. I'm wearing my kilt because we just left the games and you would of thought nobody there had ever seen one I posed for some pictures and talked to the locals. They had no idea one of the biggest gatherings on the east coast was going on right up the road. Bizzaro world.

I don't know how old you kids are but there is a place called Tweetsie Railroad pretty close by that is a big draw in the area. It's a western themed park built around an old train, god I love roadside attractions. It was a lot of fun in a quirky kind of way. I think the kids would like it. If you go, ride the ferris wheel. It's a smaller old metal type that doesn't look like much but it's on top of a mountain! It's a lot more unnerving than it looks!

So yes, plenty to do. It's a really nice area. Get a place to stay early, they book up fast.

-E

[hmckenzie]

Hey Mike,
I know going to grandfather is something my family has done for a long time. Pete and Faith also vacation there with their family with us. Definitely a lot to do! The general store Eric is talking about is called the Mast General Store. It is pretty neat to go poke your head in there they always have random things that will make you smile. They also have a lot for kids to do in the area. GF Mtn. itself has a little zoo, the mile high bridge, and plenty of nature hikes/trails etc. Linville falls is also a really beautiful area, with a bunch of different trails some and Linville falls. Boone which is really close by also has a lot of history surrounding Daniel Boone, they have a well known play "Horn in the West," the dramatized version of how the mountains were settled. Also Daniel Boone Inn has good food! Blowing Rock is also kind of a neat area to visit too. They have some state sites like "the blowing rock." Tweetsie is kind of fun for the younger folk. They have like a 20 minute train ride with a trail of stops, at each stop is an interactive show. I strongly recommend looking into the area around Grandfather (Boone, and Blowing Rock, Linville) they are not that far from the actual mountain and can offer some ideas on what to do. I am not sure of the ages of your kiddo's either but I would suggest checking in with Pete and Faith as they have vacationed with me for a while there and probably have a better handle on more of the family oriented activities.

[scotbybirth]

Mike, GFM is one of the best vacations that I have taken. It is simply HUGE! Lots to do. I took Ginny there last year and she had a blast. We went to the top and boy... The other pictures were at a winery just north of Greensboro, called Shelton. Absolutely beautiful area. http://picasaweb.google.com/KiltedTrainer/GrandfatherMountainTrip07

[Clancelt]

Lol, hey Chris they said that mill was the most photographed mill in the US. Now I believe it. I see it everywhere. Here is the picture we took while we were there