Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, NC

Celebrate Avery County's 100 Anniversary at the 34th Annual Woolly Worm Festival. Come and visit Banner Elk the weekend of October 15th and 16th! There will be performances by dance teams and local entertainment. PLUS the worm races (cash prizes), crafts, food, and rides.

Admission is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids 5-12, and FREE for kids age 5 and under. Tickets will be sold at the gate and will begin at 9:00am on Saturday, October 15 and end at 5:00pm.

This is an event to be enjoyed by the young and old. This event draws nearly 20,000 people, 140 vendors, 1,000 worm trainers, and national media crews to the town of Banner Elk!

Contact High Mountain Cabin Rentals to make your last minute reservation today as only a few rentals are remaining.

Blue Ridge Dinner Theater

Moe Bandy and J.D. Higgins will be preforming at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theater in Glade Springs, NC which is a short drive from West Jeffeson or Boone, NC! Blue Ridge Dinner Theater has something for everyone! Whether coming to celebrate that special occasion or just to enjoy an extraordinary night out, they offer the best dinner and entertainment around!!

The Blue Ridge Dinner Theater is owned and operated by Dick and Linda Copus of Winner’s Circle Restaurant & Steakhouse (West Jefferson). Dick and Linda have been in the restaurant business since 1990. The opening of the Blue Ridge Dinner Theater has given them the opportunity to take their restaurant experience to the next level by combining good food and good entertainment!
With the conception of the Dinner Theater, Dick and Linda strive to offer name-brand as well as local entertainment to Ashe County. It is their wish to provide something unique and different to the High Country that will bring more visitors to our area.

The Blue Ridge Dinner Buffet is included in your ticket price and provided by Winner’s Circle Restaurant & Steakhouse. You’ll have your pick of mouth-watering entrees and side items including pan-fried chicken like Grandma used to make, roast beef, baked ham, real homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, homemade biscuits and gravy. And you’ll not want to miss the homemade baked apples and cobblers. Buffet meal also includes coffee, tea, water and lemonade. Soft drinks sold separately.

For more information about this amazing attraction and upcoming shows, check out their website: http://blueridgedinnertheater.com/ . You will want to come back time after time!!

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

The 56th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games will be held July 7-10, 2011 at MacRae Meadows on Grandfather Mountain near Linville, NC.

The mission of the Highland Games is to carry on and promote the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans, to foster and restore interest in traditional dancing, piping, drumming, athletic achievement, music and Gaelic culture, and to establish scholarship funds to assist students from Avery County High School to study at American colleges and universities.

We highly recommend visiting these awesome activities and games. It's fun for the entire family. For more information, click here: http://www.gmhg.org/

Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC!

During the entire month of July!

In keeping with its status as a university-based arts program, the festival continually seeks to enlighten and educate—a focus reflected in such initiatives as the festival's discounts for children's tickets and community outreach programs, in which young people are exposed to performances, demonstrations and presentations by artists in partnership with area schools.

An Appalachian Summer Festival began in 1984 as a chamber music festival and has developed over the years to become one of the nation's largest regional multi-arts festivals with over 26,000 people in attendance each year. Presented by the Appalachian State University Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, the annual arts celebration is held every July on and around the university campus, and features an eclectic, diverse mix of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film. For nearly a decade, the festival has been named one of the "Top Twenty Events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society.

For MORE information about our Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, just follow this link: http://appsummer.org/.

Dierks Bently Coming To Boone!!

Dierks Bently Coming to Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, NC, July 23, 2011!! Concert starts at 7:30pm.

Tweetsie Railroad Opens April 29th!!

Tweetsie Railroad opens up for the 2011 season on April 29th!

Tweetsie Railroad is located on Hwy 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, NC, in the northwest corner of the state of North Carolina.

April 29 through May 22, 2011:

Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Note: Tweetsie Railroad is closed Monday-Thursday through May 26.

May 27 through August 21, 2011:

Open seven days a week, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.Tweetsie will be open on July 4th until 9:00 pm for the Fireworks Extravaganza.

Note: Tweetsie Railroad is closed Monday-Thursday beginning August 22

August 26 through October 30, 2011:

Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (and Labor Day - Monday, September 5), 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Tweetsie Railroad will also open Friday and Saturday nights September 30 through October 29 for the 2011 Ghost Train® Halloween Festival. Gates open 7:30 pm. Tweetsie Railroad will be closed for the winter beginning October 31, 2011.

For more information about scheduling, admission prices, and season prices, please visit Tweetsie Railroad's website: http://www.tweetsie.com/.

MerleFest 2011

It's that time of year again for MerleFest.

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College and to celebrate "traditional plus" music. Merle was the son of the legendary Doc Watson.

This year, MerleFest is chocked full of amazing talent, included Doc Watson, Randy Travis, Donna The Buffalo, Lyle Lovett, Del McCoury Band, Rober Plant and the Band of Joy, and dozens of other very talented artists!

For more information about ticket prices, complete lineup/schedules, and directions please visit their website: http://www.merlefest.org/.