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!
North Carolina Attractions
North Carolina is one of the best states in the US. With its Atlantic beaches on the east and plenty of shoreline for all the visitor that would come in the state.
The state's long history means that you can find important historical sites from the Revolution and Civil Wars.
Despite the historical and natural attractions that North Carolina can offer, the capital Charlotte is called Las Vegas of the East Coast. There are a lot of typical USA Casino locals that make you feel like you are in Nevada. You can visit the best casino on the west side of the city, where you can try the best casino games like roulette, blackjack, or any slots that you want to try.
Of course, you can play your favorite casino game on the internet too, without the hassles of traveling. Online casinos are getting very popular because they give you the freedom to play on them anytime you like and from everywhere. And they give great bonuses too, just like this one that gives you 300% bonus on your first real money deposit from top European casinos. They accept US players too.
Visiting during the spring or summer gives you the bonus of being able to attend a world-famous music festival, but no matter when you visit, check out these top 10 attractions in North Carolina.
- Biltmore Estate
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- USS North Carolina Battleship
- Museum of Life and Science
- North Carolina Zoo
- Seven Devils North Carolina Ski Resort
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- Chimney Rock State Park
- Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Discovery Place
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
$100K grant from National Endowment for the Humanities provides funds to expl...
by ASU News
23 May 2017 at 8:55am
By Elisabeth Wall BOONE, N.C.?Three Appalachian State University professors have been awarded a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to bring together veterans and their families to discuss how the humanities affect the understanding of armed conflict. An interdisciplinary project scheduled for the 2017-18 academic year, ?Blurred Boundaries: The Experience of […]
Appointments to Appalachian?s Board of Trustees announced
by ASU News
19 May 2017 at 12:15pm
By University Communications BOONE, N.C.?The UNC Board of Governors has made one new appointment and reappointed three members to Appalachian State University?s Board of Trustees. Returning are M. Lee Barnes, Jr. of Durham, Charles Murray of Winston Salem and Carole Wilson of Raleigh. E. Bonnie Schaefer, owner of Westglow Resort and Spa in Blowing Rock […]
Ribbon-cutting May 25 to mark reopening of New River banks near Appalachian?s...
by ASU News
19 May 2017 at 11:43am
By University Communications BOONE, N.C.?On May 25, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark the reopening of banks along the New River located at Appalachian State University?s State Farm Fields. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m. by the covered bridge at the Town of Boone Greenway, is free and open to the public. Parking will […]
Cre8tive Drama Day Camp provides summer fun for High Country students, June 1...
by ASU News
19 May 2017 at 11:00am
By Nancye Edwards BOONE, N.C.?The Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University and Cre8tive Drama once again will present Cre8tive Drama Day Camp, a weeklong summer day camp filled with theatre activities for students 6-16 years of age. The camp costs $150 per student and runs Monday, June 26, through Friday, June 30, […]
Coordinator of Veteran Services Eric Gormly to speak at Appalachian?s Memoria...
by ASU News
19 May 2017 at 8:05am
By University Communications BOONE, N.C.?Appalachian State University will mark Memorial Day with a ceremony featuring remarks by Eric Gormly, the coordinator of student veteran services at Appalachian. Eric Gormly, coordinator of student veteran services at Appalachian State University, will speak at the university?s 2017 Memorial Day ceremony. Photo by Marie Freeman The event, which is […]
