Boone (North Carolina) – Travel guide at Wikivoyage (2024)

Boone is a town in Watauga County nestled in the North Carolina Mountains, part of Appalachia. It is the home of Appalachian State University and is the county seat.

Boone can be said as having a diverse climate with a big fluctuation of temperatures throughout the year. Although Boone is located in the American South, its climate can be more comparable to the northeastern United States with long cold winters and warm, but less humid summers. Winters are cold and snow is common with afternoon temperatures rarely getting above 40°F (4°C). Low temperatures during the winter typically drop to as low as 17°F (-8°C). January is the snowiest month when as much as 10 inches (25 cm) can fall, making it the most popular time of the year for skiers and snowboarders. Throughout the year, Boone on average receives about 35 inches (89 cm) of snow. Springs are generally cool with afternoon temperatures around 61°F (16°C). Fall is very popular amongst "leaf lookers," long-distance travelers looking at fall foliage across the Appalachian Mountains. Temperatures during fall are generally comparable to spring with afternoon temperatures falling below 70°F (21°C). Summers are much cooler than the rest of the American South and far less humidity. Average summertime high temperatures typically stay under 80°F (27°C) with frequent afternoon showers and thunderstorms when as much as an inch of rain (2.5 cm) can fall at a given time. June is the wettest month when about 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain falls. Relative humidity in the summer generally stays under 80 percent, unlike most of the southeast.

Access is primarily by private vehicle. Fly to Charlotte (CLT^IATA), Raleigh (RDU^IATA), Asheville (AVL^IATA), or Greensboro (GSO^IATA). From Charlotte, take I-77 north to US-421 and go west or I-85 South to US 321 North at Gastonia. From Raleigh or Greensboro, take I-40 west to US 421 west at Winston-Salem. From Asheville, take I-40 east to US 321 at Hickory and head north to Blowing Rock.

Greyhound buses serve Boone and are a cheap option from major cities like Atlanta and Charlotte.

Seven times a day, the Hickory Hop shuttle goes from Charlotte to Hickory (1 hour from Boone). Continuing taxi service is available, and shuttle service is planned.

Other options include ridesharing such as the link below.See also Craigslist Ridesharing Board

AppalCART has eight bus routes running in Boone. The buses are free to use within city limits.

The downtown area is very compact and easily walkable. The remainder of town is well provided with sidewalks and some bike lanes, making non-automotive transportation a reasonable idea.

• Blue Bird Transportation Services ☏ +1 828-989-7286

• 1 Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway crosses Hwy 421 east of Boone and Hwy 321 to the south of Boone. If you head south on 321 toward Blowing Rock you'll soon come upon it.
• 2 Howard's Knob, 604 Howard's Knob Rd. This is a short drive up the mountain and a great experience as it affords the most commanding view of all of downtown Boone. As you are riding in on either Hwy 421 or Hwy 321 you will not be able to miss the huge mountain sticking up out of the surrounding landscape. Howard's Knob park is up at the very top and it's easy to get to, you just have to know which road to turn onto off of King St. Heading west on 421, you will turn right onto Cherry St. Keep heading uphill and when you come to an intersection go in the direction that looks like it's leading uphill and before you know it you will come upon the park.
• 3 Appalachian State Mountaineers, Kidd Brewer Stadium, 425 Jack Branch Dr., ☏ +1 828 262-2079, toll-free: +1-800-919-2777. Fields teams in 10 men's sports and 10 women's sports, but best known for being one of the winningest programs in college football. They were champions in the NCAA Sun Belt East division in 2018 and 2019.
• 4 Grandfather Mountain, 9872 North Carolina 105, Banner Elk, ☏ +1 (828) 963-9522. Expansive park with challenging mountain cliffs, scenic views and camping options. (updated Jun 2017)
• 5 Moses Cone Memorial Park and Flat Top Manor. Off the Blue Ridge Parkway between mile posts 292 and 295 the park offers 25mi (40km) of hiking and horse trails. The grounds preserve the country estate of Moses Cone, a prosperous textile entrepreneur, conservationist, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age. Its centerpiece is Flat Top Manor, a 20-room, 13,000-sq-foot mansion built in 1901 which is now home to the Parkway Craft Center.

In skiing season, there are several nearby mountains that offer skiing.

• 1 Beech Mountain Resort (Ski Beech), 1007 Beech Mtn Pkwy, Beech Mountain, toll-free: +1-800-438-2093. Su-Th 9AM-9PM; F Sa 9AM-10PM; partial days 9AM-1PM, 1PM-5PM, 5PM-close; seasonal. Generally less appealing than nearby Sugar Mountain, Beech Mountain's infrastructure shows its age; for example, lift tickets do not use barcodes and are checked by eye. Lifts are very slow (not helped by needing to leave empty seats for weight balance) and difficult to get on and off of due to their low load height. The trails have a fair assortment of difficulties, although beginners will feel fairly limited. However there are a number of crisscrossing intermediate trails to choose from, as well as multiple terrain parks. You can also buy a ticket for any third or two-thirds of the day (morning, afternoon, or night). Adult lift ticket $25-77. (updated Mar 2015)
• 2 Appalachian Ski Mountain (Between Boone and Blowing Rock), toll-free: +1-800-322-2373.
• 3 Sugar Mountain Resort (Ski Sugar), 1009 Sugar Mtn Dr, Sugar Mountain, toll-free: +1-800-784-2768. 9AM-10PM; half-day 12:30PM-4:30PM, 6PM-10PM; seasonal. Although you can't tell from the map, Sugar Mountain feels like a much larger resort than nearby Beech Mountain. Trails are longer with much higher vertical drop, and an excellent mix of terrain for everyone from beginners to experts. A 6-person express lift (installed in 2015) runs straight up the mountain, so there's plenty of capacity and lines are usually short. The single terrain park has a tow handle lift so you can practice tricks repeatedly. Adult lift tickets $24-70. (updated Jan 2016)

• 4 Hawksnest, 1778 Skyland Dr, Seven Devils, ☏ +1 828 963-6561, fax: +1 828-963-6564. There hasn't been skiing there for the past couple of seasons, but they have upgraded their lodge and now exclusively offer tubing.

• 5 Rocky Knob, Rocky Knob Rd, Boone, ☏ +1 828 266-1345. Mountainous park near downtown Boone offering scenic views and numerous mountain biking trails.

• 6 Tweetsie Railroad, 300 Tweetsie Railroad Ln, Boone. Family-friendly Wild West theme park minutes from downtown Boone.

• 1 Downtown Boone, King Street, Boone. Boone's downtown is home to many local restaurants and specialty shops.
  • Footsloggers, 139 South Depot Street (at the corner of Depot Street and Howard Street), ☏ +1 828-262-5111. For all kinds of weather and through every season, Footsloggers offers the finest in apparel, equipment and footwear for every outdoor setting; be it backpacking, camping, climbing, water sports or winter activities. From natural fiber and organic cotton to the latest in technical fabrics, Footsloggers can help you travel and arrive in comfort and style.
  • Mast General Store, 630 W King St., ☏ +1 828 262-0000. M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 1-5PM. Mercantile goods, groceries, candy, and outfitters with atmosphere.
  • Shoppes at Farmers, 661 West King Street, ☏ +1 828 264-8801. Locally-made home goods, jewelry and clothing from a variety of vendors. (updated Jun 2018)

Downtown Boone along King Street is home to many local restaurants and specialty shops.}}

• Los Arcoiris, 168 Boone Heights Drive, ☏ +1 828 264-7770. Collectively owned mostly authentic Mexican food in the mountains of NC - you've got to love this place, and you've got to try the Chile Verde!
• Black Cat Burrito, 127 S Depot St (Downtown). Legendary burritos the size of a football, or an abnormally small child. Black Cat is also home to some of Boone's finest live music, drawing from the fantastic local music scene and artists from around the country and around the world.
• Boone Bagelry, 516 W. King St, ☏ +1 828 262-5585. Up early and need a tasty and bagel-filled breakfast? On King Street and need a quick lunch?
• Macado's, 539 W King St, ☏ +1 828 264-1375. Known for sandwiches.
• Makoto's Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar, 2124 Blowing Rock Road (On the right as you head toward Blowing Rock, just after the entrance to the Fairfield), ☏ +1 828 264-7976. Communal dining with up to eight people per table seated around a hibachi grill. A separate sushi bar may provide quicker seating when there's a line waiting to get in the steakhouse section.
• Mellow Mushroom, 805 W King St, ☏ +1 828-865-1515. College town pizza restaurant.
• Dan'l Boone Inn, 130 Hardin Street (at intersection of King Street), ☏ +1 828 264-8657. Good Southern food served family-style (i.e., they bring a bowl of everything and you eat as much or as little as you want). Takeout portions sized for the individual are available, and full-service catering or takeout platters are available for your event or tailgate party. The Dan'l Boone Inn offers an ATM on site as the restaurant does not accept credit or debit cards. (updated Nov 2016)
• Stick Boy Bread Company, 345 Hardin St., ☏ +1 828 268-9900. M-F 7AM-6:30PM, Sa 7AM-5:30PM. Great bread, pastries, coffee, etc.
• Pepper's Restaurant and Bar, 240 Shadowline Dr., ☏ +1 828 262-1250. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa Su 11AM-10PM.
• Cafe Portofino, 970 Rivers Street, ☏ +1 828 264-7772.
• Casa Rustica, 1348 Hwy 105, ☏ +1 828 262-5128. Home-style Italian and American.
• Red Onion Cafe, 227 Hardin Street, ☏ +1 828 264-5470. 11AM-?. Great variety of amazing food. The quesadillas are awesome!
• Cobo, 161 Howard Street Suite B, ☏ +1 828 386 1201. Upscale sushi restaurant with bar. (updated Apr 2023)
• Mint Indian Cuisine, 203 Boone Heights Dr, ☏ +1 (828) 386-1441. Authentic Indian restaurant offering dine-in and takeout options as well as a bar. (updated Jul 2023)

• Peabody's Wine and Beer, 1104 Highway 105, ☏ +1 828 264-9476. M-Th 10AM-midnight; F Sa 10AM-1AM; Su 10AM-10PM. Large selection of imported and domestic beer and wine.
• Boone Saloon, 489 West King St, ☏ +1 828 264-1811. Where the App State upperclassmen and professors tend to drink.

• BE Natural Market, 273 Boone Heights Dr, ☏ +1 828 262-5592. M-Sa 9AM-7PM, Su noon-6PM. Locally-owned natural foods and wellness market.
• Local Lion, 791 Blowing Rock Rd, ☏ +1 828 386-1120. Coffee shop with quick bites and prepared foods.
• Espresso News, Howard Street, ☏ +1 828 264-8850. Great coffee shop with a large variety of books upstairs.

Trying to find lodging in Boone or nearby Banner Elk or Blowing Rock is a disaster. There are thousands of cabins around, and no consolidated way to search them. Websites are awful, ranging from out of date and poorly maintained, to unhelpful or even nonfunctional. Several others have no online search capability, expecting you to call, or manually read as many as 100 individual cabin listings each on a separate page. Of sites that do have search capability, it's generally inadequate; searching for "lodging near ski slopes" might show places as far as 30 minutes away, with its location just described as "Boone".

• Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Boone, NC, 818 E King St., ☏ +1 828 264-4234, toll-free: +1-800-456-4000, cx_bnnc@countryinns.com. High speed internet access, fitness center. (updated Aug 2020)
• Fairfield Inn and Suites, 2060 Blowing Rock Road, ☏ +1 828 268-0677, fax: +1 828 268-0723. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Three-story building with interior corridors, elevator and easily accessible stairwells, small lobby. Wifi. Complimentary continental breakfast with heatable breakfast sandwiches available. Adjacent to Chick-fil-A, Applebee's, and a gas station and convenience store. $70-170.
• Holiday Inn Express, 1943 Blowing Rock Road, toll-free: +1-888-465-4329. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Five-story property with interior corridors, elevators, large lobby with fireplace. Suites available with gas fireplace, wet bar, microwave and separate bedroom. Wifi in all rooms. Complimentary breakfast with hot and cold items served in lobby each morning. One block from Greenway Trail. $80-$250.
• Lovill House Inn, 404 Old Bristol Rd., ☏ +1 828 264-4204. Built in 1875 by Captain E.F. Lovill, a Civil War hero and state senator, offers private baths, TV and VCR, and wireless internet access. $130-210.
• Watauga Lake Cabins, +1 803-524-5185, offers a range of cabins from simplistic to high-end, this cabin rental company has been offering vacation homes to visitors of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Appalachia for nearly ten years. Cabins that are perfectly centric to the great Watauga Lake, Cherokee National Forest and the town destinations of Boone and Blowing Rock.

Most locations that offer skiing also have resorts. They tend to be more expensive than lodging in town, but will keep you closer to the activity.

• Sugar Ski and Country Club, 100 Sugar Ski Dr., Banner Elk (Near Banner Elk), toll-free: +1-800-634-1320. $100-250 per night.

Mill Ridge Resort in Banner Elk on NC 105 offers 1-5 bedroom homes for rent which include tennis, swimming pool and hiking. millridgeresort.com

• West Jefferson
• Blowing Rock
• Linville Gorge
• Mountain City

Routes through Boone