The Blue Ridge Mountain
of North Carolina
Banner Elk & Avery County in the North Carolina Mountains
Welcome to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Avery County, fun central for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and persuasions. Here we profile our town of Banner Elk in the heart of the North Carolina Mountains, where no matter what the time of year - winter, spring, summer or fall - there are tons of ways to enjoy the great outdoors all year round! Banner Elk North Carolina, the hub for Blue Ridge Mountain range outdoor recreation.
Banner Elk is Ski Central for the best skiing and snowboarding in the North Carolina Mountains. Ski the Blue Ridge Mountains at their highest peaks! Beech Mountain Resort, Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, and Hawksnest Ski Resort offer some of the best snow skiing and snowboarding in the southeast U.S.
For summer fun, enjoy the mild weather as you golf your way through the North Carolina mountains, or explore the numerous hiking trails around the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain. Experience the incredible autumn views, spring wildflowers, and the peaceful retreats typical of the mountains of North Carolina. Day trips abound, from guided fly fishing tours, to white water rafting excursions for the more adventuresome.
Banner Elk is at the center of all this and more, with spectacular North Carolina mountain scenery everywhere you look! We will show you in this site our beautiful piece of the earth, traveling to the quaint and unique villages that surround Banner Elk. Blue Ridge mountain rentals and retreats at Valle Crucis, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain and more! Catch a trout in Foscoe, and discover the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain range – the majestic Grandfather Mountain.
Join us as we take a tour of our roots - the heart of the beautiful Blue
Ridge Mountains of North Carolina!
Banner Elk: Playground of the Blue Ridge Mountains
The Legend of Banner's Elk
In the year of 1840, Martin Luther Banner - a man of Welch descent - first saw the area now known as Banner Elk in the valley of Elk Creek in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. He was just passing through on the way to Nashville when he was taken aback by the natural beauty of the North Carolina mountains, and decided right then and there he would return. He did return with his family around 1845, and about a year later they moved across Sugar Mountain Gap, cleared a small field and built a cabin about where Lees-McRae College now stands.
Martin Luther established the first permanent settlement in 1848, and eventually the Banner family grew to 55 members. The area where they lived became known as "Banner’s Elk" - deep in the mountains of North Carolina, a name you can still hear from some of the older local folk.
Rumor has it that the town was named after an elk- one of the last in
the region- that was shot and et, allegedly by one of those 55
Banner kids!
Banner Elk NC- a quaint bustling mountain town in the center of the Blue Ridge Mountains highest peaks. Here you find fine and casual dining, shopping, whitewater rafting, Banner Elk Stables, North Carolina ski resort, Golf resorts, and high country accommodations, rentals, and real estate.
Sugar Mountain North Carolina is one of the top golf resorts in the North Carolina Mountains in the summer, and in the winter has the highest vertical rise of the North Carolina ski slopes. Mountain bike trails, golf and tennis, scenic chair lift rides, snow skiing, snowboarding and tubing are all here at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort.
Beech Mountain North Carolina, a four seasons resort, is the highest city in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are plenty of Blue Ridge mountain rentals for all year round. Hiking trails, mountain bike trails, and Fred's General Mercantile are just some of the attractions at this North Carolina Mountain resort.
Seven Devils and Hawksnest Ski
Resort has one of the prettiest ski slopes in the North Carolina mountains.
With plenty of rental cabins and vacation
home rentals, Seven Devils and Hawksnest is a four season mountain resort, offering
snowboarding, skiing, and scenic views of the Blue Ridge mountains .
Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers hiking trails, a mile high swinging bridge, examples of native animals in their natural habitat, and a nature museum. Every July Grandfather is host to the Highland Games, and the gathering of Scottish Clans in the mountains of North Carolina. Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville Falls.
Valle Crucis is laid back mountain life. The Mast General Store is the village gathering place - the valley offers Blue Ridge mountain retreats, rental cabins, bed and breakfast , high country inns, horseback riding, hiking, fishing and camping, and several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Foscoe on the Watauga lies in the shadows of Grandfather in the North Carolina Mountains, and on the banks of the Watauga River. The Greater Foscoe Mining Co. and Grandfather Mountain Trout Farm are just some of the attractions. Fly fishing guides, lessons and trips - antique shops, country furniture, Appalachian gifts and crafts , and several art galleries are also located in Foscoe.
Enjoy all of this from the center of it all - Banner Elk in the North Carolina mountains - the cultural and recreational hub of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We hope to see you soon in our favorite corner of the world, Banner Elk North Carolina!
Appalachian News Feeds
Appalachian State University NewsAppalachian State University Headlines
Appalachian to test siren warning system monthly beginning July 1
by ASU News
29 Jun 2009 at 10:57am
BOONE?Appalachian State University will begin monthly tests of its siren warning system July 1. The monthly tests, recommended by the system?s manufacturer, will be held at 11:55 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All tests will be publicized in advance via campus e-mail, and may on some occasions be held in conjunction with a [...]
Doster Edgerton receives Berea Fellowship
by ASU News
29 Jun 2009 at 10:21am
BOONE? Meredith Doster Edgerton has received an Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowship at Berea College. Appalachian State University graduate student Meredith Doster Edgerton is researching the shape note singing tradition in the South, particularly at two churches in Watauga County. Her work is supported by an Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowship at Berea College. Shaped notes, such as [...]
Virtual Learning
by ASU News
29 Jun 2009 at 9:54am
Patty Harrington, right, and a student from North Davie Middle School participate in a virtual world workshop at Appalachian State University. The workshop, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, is designed to help students and their teachers create computerized 3D virtual worlds to explore science, math, technology and other subjects. Harrington, a [...]
Sanders appointed to N.C. Public Librarian Certification Commission
by ASU News
29 Jun 2009 at 9:32am
BOONE?Dr. Robert L. Sanders has been appointed by N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue to serve as a member of the North Carolina Public Librarian Certification Commission through June 30, 2010. Sanders is filling the unexpired term of an individual who has stepped down from the commission. Sanders is an associate professor in Appalachian State University?s Department of [...]
Appalachian and Ching Yun University share interest in renewable energy educa...
by ASU News
25 Jun 2009 at 8:18am
BOONE?Although separated by more than 8,000 miles, a common interest in green energy has forged a partnership between Appalachian State University and Ching Yun University (CYU). In March, the two institutions entered an agreement to develop faculty and student exchanges, and participate in collaborative research activities and joint publication of research papers. In just four months, [...]
