bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

Two days in Blowing Rock, NC–Big Trip #1

We visited Blowing Rock at the end of Big Trip #1, in spring 2016. Read about our second visit in September 2023 here.

dog swimming in price lake blowing rock

Blowing Rock was our last camping stop of the trip. While we had mixed feelings about the adventure coming to a close (a regular-sized bed! and a regular-sized bathroom! and our friends back home! –versus– excitement! and exploration! and new experiences!), we were especially happy to arrive in Blowing Rock to spend a couple days with dear friends who live part-time in the area. Blowing Rock is a charming little mountain town, full of upscale shops and restaurants and surrounded by the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, with outdoor activity options aplenty.

Campground

dog and airstream at julian price campground
dog and tent and lantern at julian price campground

We stayed in the National Park Service-managed Julian Price Memorial Park, at milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We could walk to hiking, and it was a short drive into either Blowing Rock or Boone, home of Appalachian State University and a fun and funky little downtown area. Our campsite, despite being a shallow pull-off along the (pretty hairy to negotiate with a trailer) campground road, was quiet and spacious. Our friends set up their tent in the grass, and we had a big picnic area with a table and a fire pit for our communal yard.

Hiking

price lake blowing rock

Over our two day stay, we did two hikes in Julian Price. The afternoon of our first day we stretched our legs on the 2.7-mile Price Lake Trail, which, as you may have guessed, circles the peaceful Price Lake. It’s a pretty, flat hike through the woods with plenty of doggie swimming opportunities, and it connects directly to the campground.

hiking green knob trail blowing rock
hiking green knob trail blowing rock

On day two we checked out our friends’ favorite hike in the area, Green Knob Trail. This 2.3-mile hike is tougher as it climbs through forests and meadows to vistas of nearby mountains and Price Lake. The ever-changing ecosystem along the trail makes this hike unique.

Eating and Drinking

grill dinner at julian price campground
local lion doughnuts blowing rock

We did a fair amount of eating and drinking at our campsite, but also got to tour some of our friends’ favorite spots in Boone and Blowing Rock. Of course we hit a couple breweries, and J wrote his thoughts here.

When we first got to town, we dropped the trailer and popped down the hill into Blowing Rock for some sandwiches to take back to the campsite. Blowing Rock Market has a little deli and convenience store items for a quick meal and restocking.

For dinner, and to get in at least one brewery while in the area, we had pizza and beer at Lost Province Brewing Co. in Boone. The service was friendly, if slow, and the beer and pizza were tasty. Why are so many breweries also pizza joints?

Heading back to the campground, we stopped at Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants in Boone for some beer to go. The store has a huge selection of local beer, wine, and treats like chocolate and popcorn. It’s also a tasting room with several taps, and they will fill growlers. J got as many bottles of his favorite from Asheville, Wicked Weed’s Pernicious IPA, as he (or rather, our refrigerator, as that is the limiting factor) could manage.

On day 2 we had a nice post-hike lunch at Bistro Roca in Blowing Rock. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed local beer and fancy cocktails.

Finally, on our way out of town we parked the Airstream at the Boone Walmart (had to pick up a few items), parked Bugsy in the Airstream, and rode a few blocks down the road in our friends’ car to Local Lion for lattes and fresh gourmet doughnuts. We got pretty much every flavor of doughnut and shared them all. It was a glorious way to wrap up a fun visit.

Comments

9 responses to “Two days in Blowing Rock, NC–Big Trip #1”

  1. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    Yay we loved having you guys!! Looking forward to hosting you again soon and to SML!! 🙂

  2. […] reminds me a little of a mini-Blowing Rock. It’s a posh golf resort town with upscale shops and restaurants, and a fancy five-site RV […]

  3. […] I have been keeping our google map updated, though, and I just added the final destination of Blowing Rock, NC to the map. We’ll be there on Tuesday to see our friends M&A. The real starting and […]

  4. […] reminds me a little of a mini-Blowing Rock. It’s a posh golf resort town with upscale shops and restaurants, and a fancy five-site RV […]

  5. […] vacation spot); Boone, NC (we’ve only briefly visited before while staying in neighboring Blowing Rock); and Fayetteville, WV (we had a great time camping there a couple years ago). Then we’ll […]

  6. […] Carolina. Blowing Rock is smaller and more upscale, with a quaint downtown commercial strip; we visited briefly in 2016 at the end of our first Big Trip. This time, we were curious to explore Boone, a busier (but still […]

  7. […] and struck out at Lost Province Brewing Co (the patio was closed) (we ate there and had a beer in 2016 and were curious to try it again), Melanie’s (they close at 2; lovely patio), and Boone […]

  8. […] and Blowing Rock, about 20 minutes from each other, are both good options. Blowing Rock has a cute downtown and is […]

  9. […] Read about our previous visits in Spring 2021 and Summer 2021, and technically we were there in Spring 2016 […]

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